We're all increasingly aware of the importance of working towards a sustainable future. And that includes how we invest on behalf of our clients in a transitioning world.
In order for this transition to be successful, it must also be balanced with prioritising investment performance and satisfying regulatory requirements. At the same time, the threat of greenwashing looms large whilst some question the extent to which ESG considerations are compatible with driving returns.
So, what's the current state of play? And how should we – as stewards of clients' capital – think about responsible investment and its role in delivering the best outcomes for our clients? We'll try and answer these questions and more through a practical agenda packed with insights from our responsible investment specialists alongside independent perspectives from external experts.
RegisterDeclan Curry
Declan Curry is a journalist and broadcaster, and has been reporting on business, the economy and politics for 30 years.
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:00 |
Registration |
| 11:00 – 11:05 |
Our shared responsibilityMichaela Collet-Jackson, Head of Distribution, EMEAResponsible investment matters – to us, our clients, and the world we live in. Michaela Collet-Jackson, Head of EMEA Distribution, outlines our focus on client orientated responsible investment solutions. |
| 11:05 – 11:30 |
Evolving together – Client perspectives on responsible investingModerated by Michaela Collet-Jackson, Head of Distribution, EMEALouisiana Salge, Head of Sustainability, EQ David Thompson, Chief Investment Officer, Zurich Insurance Natalie Winterfrost, Trustee Director, LawDebenture In this session Michaela Collet-Jackson talks to our clients about their RI journey – the challenges and opportunities together with insights into how they will evolve from here. |
| 11:30 – 11:45 |
Niche to mainstreamClaudia Wearmouth, Global Head of Responsible InvestmentClaudia Wearmouth, our Global Head of Responsible Investment talks about lessons learnt from her years as a practitioner in this area. What's the current state of play in responsible investment and where are we heading from here? |
| 11:45 – 12:15 |
Supply chain engagement - From risk to impactModerated by Vicki Bakhshi, Director, Climate Change StrategistLucinda Langton, Head of Sustainability, M&S Food Garrett Quinn, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Smurfit Kappa Exploring the power of active ownership with insights from a range of investee companies on how engagement can benefit both clients and the businesses we invest in. |
| 12:15 – 13:00 |
Lunch |
| 13:00 – 13:45 |
Exploring the S in ESGTammie Tang, Senior Portfolio ManagerEmma Gullifer, Fund Manager Alice Evans, Responsible Investment Strategist Sarah Forster, CEO and Co-Founder, The Good Economy Moderated by – Declan Curry, Journalist and Broadcaster How can we make a positive impact on people and communities through profitable investments? Perspectives on 'social' from a panel of internal and independent experts, including The Good Economy co-founder, Sarah Forster. |
| 13:45 – 13:55 |
Break |
| 13:55 – 14:15 |
Climate related SAA for insurance portfolios - Breakout session 1Manuel Adamini, Director, Senior Responsible Investment StrategistKavit Tolia, Senior Quantitative Analyst We explore what an evolution of traditional capital-aware asset allocation toward one accounting for climate risks & opportunities. We flag the challenges present climate-scenarios face from a climate-science point of view and what that implies for their usability for top-down SAA decisions. This is compared to what data and tools are available for a more bottom-up analysis, e.g. using Value at risk metrics. Conscious of the limitations of the existing toolkit, we highlight the positive results insurers can achieve as part of integrating climate related risks into their ALM process and sketch a way forward. |
| 14:20 – 14:45 |
Climate change and investing in biodiversity - Breakout session 2Vicki Bakhshi, Director, Climate Change StrategistJoe Horrocks-Taylor, Senior Associate, Responsible Investing Clients face obligations to improve portfolio climate risk analysis and reporting under TCFD regulations, and many have also taken on net zero targets. But does consideration of climate change help to manage risk – or does it introduce new uncertainties? Additionally, the emerging TNFD has gathered significant mainstream interest, we will touch on ways clients can start thinking about a nature-based strategy alongside their climate strategy. |
| 14:45 – 14:55 |
Break |
| 14:55 – 15:20 |
Pioneering a strong bond between social impact and consistent financial results - Breakout session 3Tammie Tang, Senior Portfolio ManagerLetty Byatt, Social Impact Analyst Our pioneering social bond funds actively allocate capital to address real social needs, using a broad range of bonds to target specific positive social outcomes. Join the Social Bond Investment team as they outline the evolution of the team’s social bond fund range – including looking at new global opportunities and discussing the principles of social alpha, the team’s investing methodology, and how they work with independent social partners to review, advise and monitor social impact. |
| 15:20 – 15:45 |
Sustainability in equities - Breakout session 4Jamie Jenkins, Head of Global ESG EquitiesNick Henderson, Portfolio Manager One aspect of fund management that increasingly differentiates active from passive management is the approach taken to managing ESG risk factors. Indeed, as ESG considerations become increasingly material to company valuations, efficient capital allocation, the delivery of positive real-world outcomes and ultimately the sustainability of long-term returns, are active managers better positioned to manage ESG risk factors than strategies that rely heavily or solely on screening? |
| 15:45 – 16:00 |
Break |
| 16:00 – 16:45 |
Keynote speaker |
| 16:45 – 17:45 |
Networking drinks reception |
Convene,
3rd Floor,
22 Bishopsgate,
London,
EC2N 4BQ
Bank (Central, DLR, Northern, Waterloo & City)
Liverpool Street (London Overground, TfL Rail, Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan)
Registration for this event has now closed. For any queries relating to the event, please email clientsupport@columbiathreadneedle.com.