Alecta’s head of real assets Axel Brändström took the helm a year ago. Charged with building out the real estate allocation in one of the most tumultuous years for the asset class on record, his eye is on e-commerce opportunities and allocations to assets not linked to GDP.
The siege on the US Capitol has revealed asset owners may be investing in companies that work with or fund extremist groups. To protect their organisations, their stakeholders, and their savers from such risks, asset owners should consider revising their ESG frameworks to include disclosure and accountability policies on corporate political spending.
Two of the world’s largest asset owners are putting pressure on Amazon to reveal exactly how it is protecting its workers from COVID-19. It’s a move indicative of the investor mood to focus attention on human and labour rights among investee companies, with a particular spotlight on the tech sector.
Accounting for sustainability in the measurement of outcomes is the next frontier in government policy, and has the potential to significantly uplift the contribution investment organisations can make to a more sustainable world, writes David Bell.
Differentiating responsible investment quality among products, services and provider capabilities is mission-critical for investors dependent on the ‘real world’ outcomes that underpin future investment opportunities. But how do they do that? Susheela Peres da Costa suggests a functional framework for responsible investment.
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