This month, we’re focusing on ESG, which has been in the headlines more than usual over the last few weeks.
The Headlines
Stuart Kirk, HSBC’s Global Head of Responsible Investment, has been raising eyebrows after a controversial speech at the FT’s Moral Money event. HSBC was quick to distance itself from Kirk’s comments about climate change, but while his views might be at the more extreme end of the spectrum, they’re certainly reflective of a slight cooling towards ESG across the industry.
For example, Blackrock recently indicated that they would likely vote for fewer climate-related initiatives this year, in favour of focusing more closely on supporting their client’s financial goals. It’s understandable to a point - asset managers' primary objectives will always rest with their clients. But with such voting power, they do have an added responsibility, both in terms of avoiding negative ESG impacts from a risk-management perspective and in encouraging companies to move towards more sustainable ways of operating.
Focusing on the practicalities of ESG, if you missed it you can watch our recent on-demand webinar, in which our Associate Partners Barry Chapman and Leo Chancellor talk to Levent Ergin, an ESG expert from Informatica, about the challenges around ESG data management and governance and what can be put in place to overcome them. Catch up with that here.
And to see how you compare with other companies in terms of your ESG and Data Management Experience, answer this simple survey.
Each month we send out a regular email summary of the latest headlines from across the wealth and asset management sector that have caught our eye. If this sounds like something that interests you, please sign up to our monthly headlines here.
If you’d like to talk about any related issues specific to you or your company, do get in touch.
