Description
ESG is becoming a critical part of decision-making for investors and the perception that investing responsibly requires investors to accept lesser returns has firmly been put to bed by companies achieving attractive investment returns whilst making ESG strategies a core part of their investment remit. The range of investment companies offering ESG investment solutions provides potential investors with a wide variety of options.
Following the success of our ESG Webinar Series in November/December 2020, we will be hosting this year’s ESG Webinar Series on 16th, 17th and 18th November 2021. Each morning will focus on a different aspect of ESG with managers having the opportunity to present on their companies and how the specific aspects of ESG are embedded in their investment approach.
We are pleased to announce that Natalie Kenway from ESG Clarity will be providing opening remarks at the ESG Conference.
Watch this space for the speaker lineup as managers are confirmed.
Register using the below links:
16th November – Environmental Day
Environmental encompasses the effect that companies’ activities have on the environment – directly or indirectly and includes companies investing in solar and wind power, energy efficiency and battery storage solution.
17th November – Social Day
Social includes the impact that a certain company has on its social environment in the community, represented by companies investing in special needs social housing, care homes and accommodation for the homeless.
18th November – Governance Day
Governance alludes to the company’s corporate governance – for example, the composition and diversity of its Board of Directors, transparency policies for its public information, or its codes of conduct.
This event is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. Professional attendees will be accredited with 3 hours’ worth of endorsed CPD for each day attended.
Speakers
- Natalie Kenway (ESGClarity) - Opening Remarks
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Natalie Kenway has been a journalist covering the retail asset management industry for 15 years. She spent much of this time at Incisive Media where she worked her through the ranks to acting editor, but also spent time at Fund Strategy and Research in Finance. She joined Last Word Media as editor of ESG Clarity in February 2020 and was promoted to global head of ESG insight in January 2021. She has a particular passion for supporting greater diversity within the investment and savings sector.
More - Ben Ritchie (Dunedin Income Growth) - Social Day
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Ben Ritchie is Deputy Head of European Equities at abrdn and originally joined the company in 2002 as a graduate, having interned in 2000 and 2001. Ben graduated with a BA (Hons) in Modern History and Politics from Pembroke College, University of Oxford and is a CFA Charterholder.
More - Adrian Lim (Asia Dragon Trust) - Governance Day
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Adrian Lim is a senior investment manager on the Asia Pacific (ex Japan) team at abrdn. Adrian originally joined the company in 2000 as a manager in private equity, on the acquisition of Murray Johnstone, but transferred to his current post soon afterwards. Previously, Adrian worked for Arthur Andersen LLP as an associate director advising clients on mergers & acquisitions in the region.
Adrian graduated with a BAcc from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a CFA Charterholder.
More - Paul Bridge (Civitas Social Housing) - Social Day
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Paul is the Chief Executive Officer within the Social Housing team at Civitas Investment Management. Paul has worked in all aspects of Social Housing for over 20 years and is a senior industry figure. From 2008 to 2014, Paul was Chief Executive of Homes for Haringey, a Registered Provider, where he was responsible for 800 staff and 21,000 homes. The organisation was awarded ‘Housing Organisation of the Year’ in 2012 and gained Investors in People Gold. For eight years prior to this, Paul was a Director at Hyde Group, a major G15 Housing Association, which provides homes and services to more than 95,000 customers.
More - Ross Grier (NextEnergy Solar Fund) - Environmental Day
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Since joining the NEC Group in 2013 and now as Managing Director of NEC UK, Ross has led the M&A team to deploy over £700 million of assets, delivering 755 MWp of transactions across 91 assets for NextEnergy Solar Fund in very compressed timescales. He has developed a significant pipeline of solar PV assets and has led the team into constructing the first utility scale contracted solar assets in the UK at scale. Further to this, Ross created and stewarded NEC’s biodiversity programme and its delivery of market leading ESG successes within NESF; this remains a passion and ongoing focus.
Ross is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Fund. He began his career more than 10 years ago working as an analyst at ExxonMobil and then across the business spectrum from small and medium-sized and start-up businesses to FTSE 250 and government organisations.
More - Tom Williams (Downing Renewables & Infrastructure Trust) - Environmental Day
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Tom joined Downing as Partner in the Energy & Infrastructure team in July 2018. He heads up the team and has 20 years' experience as Principal and Director across the private equity and private debt infrastructure sectors. He trained as a solicitor before moving into private equity, where he carried out successful transactions totalling in excess of £13 billion in the energy, utilities, transportation, accommodation and defence sectors. Tom holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Royal College of Law and both a master's and bachelor's degree in law from Cambridge University.
More - Jean-Hugues de Lamaze (TortoiseEcofin) - Environmental Day
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Jean-Hugues is Managing Director, Senior PM, Head of Ecofin UK, now part of the Tortoise group. The US firm acquired Ecofin in November 2018. Jean-Hugues was previously a managing Partner at Ecofin, the leading utilities, infrastructure and energy transition investment specialist. He was also a Board Member of Direct Energie, France's 3rd largest energy operator (Total group) from 2012 to 2019. He co-founded UV Capital LLP as Managing Partner. He was previously at Goldman Sachs as Head of European Utilities research.
Jean-Hugues has over 30 years of experience of international equity markets, specifically in the utilities and infrastructure sectors, from equity research & strategy to investment management. He is Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Government.
More - Julia Dreblow (SRI Services) - Environmental Day
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Julia is a passionate advocate of the need for the financial services community to play its part in addressing climate change and other major environmental and social challenges. She has been working to expand sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) since long before it was fashionable – having first become involved in the early 1990s.
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She has run her own business, SRI Services, since 2010. Its focus is Fund EcoMarket, the ‘whole of SRI market’ fund information database tool – with related support. The website and linked app are designed to help financial services professional change the way people invest. SRI Services also helps others build sustainability into their propositions through data provision and consultancy. - Joe Bauernfreund (AVI Global Trust) - Governance Day
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Joe Bauernfreund is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Asset Value Investors. He is the manager of AVI Global Trust and AVI Japan Opportunity Trust and responsible for all investment decisions across AVI’s strategies. Joe has over 24 years’ experience in the finance industry.
Before joining AVI in 2002, Joe worked six years for a real estate investment organisation in London. He has a Masters in Finance from the London Business School.
More - Stuart Widdowson ( Odyssean Investment Trust - Governance Day)
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Stuart is the Managing Partner of Odyssean Capital, which he founded in 2017. He has spent the last 18 years investing in public and private UK small and mid-size corporates and a further two years providing investment advice in the same field.
Stuart began his career as a strategy consultant undertaking commercial due diligence and strategy projects for private equity and corporate clients. In 2001 he joined HgCapital and spent five years executing small and mid-cap leveraged buyouts in the UK and Germany, including working on a number of public to private transactions of UK quoted companies.
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This is a free event.