[vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
What is required for all investors to use their influence to create a more sustainable economy, and to wake up to the crucial role they play in ensuring a sustainable recovery?[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Chris%20Ailman%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20investment%20officer%2C%20CalSTRS%20(United%20States)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Christopher%20Ailman%20has%20been%20the%20chief%20investment%20officer%20of%20CalSTRS%20for%20over%2018%20years.%20He%20leads%20an%20investment%20staff%20of%20170%20and%20oversees%20a%20portfolio%20valued%20at%20%24253.6%20billion%20as%20of%20July%2031%2C%202020.%20He%20has%20over%2036%20years%20of%20institutional%20investment%20experience.%5CnHe%20has%20served%20on%20several%20boards%20and%20advisory%20boards%20in%20the%20US%20and%20UK.%20He%20represents%20institutional%20investors%20on%20the%20MSCI%20Index%20Editorial%20Advisory%20Board%2C%20EDHEC%20Risk%20Institute%2C%20PRI%20Asset%20Owners%20Advisory%20Committee%2C%20and%20the%20Toigo%20Foundation.%20He%20is%20the%20co-chair%20of%20the%20North%20American%20300%20Club%20and%20the%20Milken%20Global%20Capital%20Markets%20Committee.%20In%202016%2C%20he%20was%20part%20of%20the%20first%20cohort%20to%20achieve%20a%20Fundamentals%20of%20Sustainable%20Accounting%20(FSA)%20credential.%5CnEach%20year%2C%20he%20is%20recognised%20as%20one%20of%20the%20top%20CIOs%20both%20in%20the%20US%20and%20globally.%20He%20has%20received%20numerous%20awards%20and%20recognitions%3A%20CIO%20of%20the%20Year%20in%202000%2C%20recipient%20of%20the%202003%20Richard%20Stoddard%20Award%20for%20service%20in%20the%20investment%20of%20pubic%20pensions%2C%202006%20he%20received%20the%20Distinguished%20Service%20Award%20for%20Advancement%20of%20Latinos%20in%20Business%20from%20the%20New%20American%20Alliance%2C%202011%20he%20received%20the%20Institutional%20Investor%E2%80%99s%20Large%20Public%20Fund%20Manager%20of%20the%20Year%20Award%20and%20in%202013%20he%20was%20named%20the%20number%20three%20CIO%20in%20the%20world%20and%20Investment%20Innovator%20of%20the%20Year.%20In%20November%202017%2C%20Ailman%20received%20Institutional%20Investor%20magazine%E2%80%99s%20first%20Lifetime%20Achievement%20Award.%20He%20is%20a%20regular%20guest%20on%20the%20TV%20and%20radio%20and%20is%20frequently%20quoted%20in%20in%20major%20financial%20publications.%5CnAilman%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Arts%20in%20business%20economics%20from%20the%20University%20of%20California%2C%20Santa%20Barbara.%20He%20received%20his%20certified%20financial%20planner%20designation%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Southern%20California.%20He%20is%20married%20with%20three%20daughters%20and%20is%20a%20committed%20Promise%20Keeper.%5Cn%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233625%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fchristopherailman%2F%22%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22Barbara%20Zvan%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22President%20and%20chief%20executive%2C%20University%20Pension%20Plan%20(Canada)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Barbara%20Zvan%20is%20a%20seasoned%20senior%20executive%20and%20visionary%20in%20the%20pension%20field.%20As%20a%20trained%20actuary%20and%2025-year%20industry%20veteran%2C%20she%20brings%20expertise%20in%20pension%20administration%20and%20member%20services%2C%20pension%20design%2C%20enterprise%20strategy%20and%20risk%20management%2C%20long-term%20responsible%20investing%2C%20and%20leading%20high-performing%20teams.%5CnAfter%20starting%20out%20as%20an%20assistant%20portfolio%20manager%20at%20the%20Ontario%20Teachers%E2%80%99%20Pension%20Plan%2C%20she%20took%20on%20increasing%20responsibilities%20rose%20to%20become%20its%20chief%20risk%20and%20strategy%20officer%20(CRSO)%20and%20leader%20of%20the%20strategy%20and%20risk%20team.%20As%20CRSO%2C%20Zvan%20supported%20the%20plan%20sponsors%20in%20determining%20plan%20design%20and%20the%20board%20in%20establishing%20a%20robust%20enterprise%20risk%20management%20framework%20anchored%20by%20a%20transparent%20risk%20appetite.%20She%20helped%20design%20a%20total%20fund%20investment%20strategy%20that%20delivered%20both%20leading%20returns%20and%20a%20stable%2C%20secure%20pension%20promise%20to%20members.%20She%20crafted%20the%20fund%E2%80%99s%20responsible%20investing%20and%20climate%20change%20strategy%2C%20leading%20Ontario%20Teachers%E2%80%99%20to%20be%20named%20one%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20top%20responsible%20asset%20allocators%20by%20Bretton%20Woods%20II.%5CnRecognized%20as%20a%20leading%20voice%20on%20sustainable%20investing%20and%20an%20ambassador%20for%20defined%20benefit%20pensions%2C%20Zvan%20is%20known%20for%20her%20efforts%20to%20bring%20institutional%20strength%20to%20complex%20challenges%20and%20forge%20new%20collaborative%20pathways%20for%20innovation%20and%20growth.%5CnZvan%20was%20appointed%20to%20the%20Government%20of%20Canada%E2%80%99s%20Expert%20Panel%20on%20Sustainable%20Finance%2C%20is%20a%20member%20of%20the%20Advisory%20Committee%20for%20the%20new%20%E2%80%98Investing%20to%20Address%20Climate%20Change%E2%80%99%20Charter%20and%20played%20a%20significant%20role%20in%20creating%20the%20G7%20Investor%20Leadership%20Network.%5CnShe%20serves%20on%20the%20boards%20of%20the%20Global%20Risk%20Institute%20and%20the%20Responsible%20Investment%20Association%20and%20the%20advisory%20board%20of%20the%20Institute%20of%20Sustainable%20Finance%20at%20the%20Smith%20School%20of%20Business.%20She%20was%20chair%20of%20the%20International%20Centre%20of%20Pension%20Management%20and%20the%20Sustainability%20Accounting%20Standards%20Board%E2%80%99s%20Investor%20Advisory%20Group%2C%20and%20served%20of%20the%20boards%20of%20the%20Canadian%20Coalition%20for%20Good%20Governance%2C%20Cadillac%20Fairview%20and%20the%20Chilean%20water%20utilities%20Esval%20(Essbio)%20S.A.%5CnZvan%20is%20a%20Fellow%20of%20the%20Society%20of%20Actuaries%20and%20the%20Canadian%20Institute%20of%20Actuaries%2C%20a%20holder%20of%20the%20Institute%20of%20Corporate%20Directors%20designation%20(ICD.D)%20and%20has%20a%20Master%20of%20Mathematics%20degree%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Waterloo.%20She%20is%20an%20honouree%20of%20Canada’s%202020%20Clean50%20and%20Canada’s%202008%20Top%2040%20Under%2040.%5Cn%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233626%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fbarbarazvan%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dca%22%7D%5D” title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233531%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
Key takeaways
Chris
Screening China from an environmental and human capital standpoint will be critical in 2021.
Investment teams of the future will be younger, more open-minded and highly adaptable. People are a huge asset. How people are managed impacts company value greatly.
The future may well involve closer collaboration between asset owners and asset managers. Wall Street is far too expensive.
It is hard to be adaptable when reality hits you in the face.
The future will be much more challenging than the past.
Throughout history massive shocks have forced changes in human behaviour.
Sustainability can become part of the mainstream lexicon in the USA if we are not unnecessarily distracted by politics. We need to take the conversation away from politics and focus on risk.
We have entire parts of the world that are not fully committed to sustainability, so it is hard to be proud.
We need all the world’s bright minds to think ahead.
‘Constant education is key to a better world and a better future.’
Barbara
We should consider what our individual organisation can do and what our organisation can do in partnership with others.
One of the most important, upcoming challenges at CalSTRS is how the fund should evaluate Chinese investments from a human capital and environmental standpoint, says Chris Ailman, chief investment officer at the giant pension fund.
What policies for greening
the crisis response
and economic recovery?
Lessons learned from past
green stimulus measures
and implications for the
COVID-19 crisis
The Harvard endowment is about half way through its transition to external investment management and will work with its service providers to implement the university’s new directive, to position the portfolio in line with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have dramatic consequences for progress on climate change. Imminent fiscal recovery packages could entrench or partly displace the current fossil-fuel-intensive economic system.
Asset allocation plays such a fundamental role to determining long-term returns that ignoring these sustainability issues – where the impacts affect economies, businesses and society over decades – just does not make sense.
How can investors be a catalyst for change and have an active voice in a sustainable recovery? This episode explores the role of investors and how they can collaborate for effective collective action. It includes the work of one of the leaders in sustainable investing and the biggest pension fund in Europe, APG. It invites investors to have an active voice in a sustainable recovery.
There is a lack of understanding in investment decision-making about how big the climate crisis is which could lead to investments and risks being mis-directed, according to Professor Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics at Oxford University.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Login