Frank Talk

Welcome back to our ESG Interview Series. In this episode we hear from someone who is much more personally involved in making an impact. Erin Summe started Thandeka Travel – which is a philanthropic travel company that connects at risk communities with people who can provide resources.  Erin’s journey takes her from Wall Street to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Liberia and many other destinations on the African continent. We discuss how we can all help raise awareness and much needed capital for people in need. 

Welcome to episode seven in our ongoing ESG Interview Series.  In this episode we speak with James Spidle of Breckinridge Capital Advisors about achieving ESG integration at both the firm and product levels.  We discuss the nuances of analyzing and scoring companies from an ESG perspective and how understanding potential ESG risks can add value to the investment process.

Welcome to the sixth installment in our ten-part ESG interview series.  In this episode, we speak with Trysha Daskam, who is the Director and Head of ESG Strategy at Silver Regulatory Associates.  

Trysha is an expert in policy writing and implementing regulatory controls,  interpreting SEC regulations, and developing compliance policies and procedures for investment firms. 

In this episode, we discuss legal, regulatory and compliance issues related to ESG Investing.

Welcome to the fifth installment in our ten-part ESG interview series.  In this episode, we speak with Jeroen Bos, who is Head of Specialized Equity and Responsible Investing and a member of the Management Team Investments at NN Investment Partners.  

In this episode, we discuss the practical aspects of ESG integration as well as responsible and impact investing, with an emphasis on established ESG data sources and the growing importance of alternative data in analyzing companies.

We are joined by Carol Jeppesen who heads the U.S. market for the UN supported Principles for Responsible Investment (or PRI for short).   We will discuss some background on the PRI as well as some common misperceptions when it comes to ESG investing.

PRI is recognized as the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment, supporting a global network of more than 3,000 signatories, representing over $100 trillion in AUM, with the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decision making and stewardship activities.

Welcome to the third installment in our ten-part ESG interview series.  In this episode, we speak with Cyrus Lotfipour, who is an executive director and Head of Models and R&D for MSCI ESG Research.

MSCI ESG Ratings aim to measure a company’s resilience to long-term, financially relevant ESG risks. 

They leverage artificial intelligence and alternative data to assess thousands of data points across 37 ESG Key Issues, focusing on the intersection between a company’s core business and the industry issues that can create significant risks and opportunities for the company. 

Each company receives a rating that gives investors a means of evaluating that company relative to its industry peer group and to itself over time.

Welcome to the second in our ten-part ESG interview series.  In this episode, we speak with Krissy Pelletier, who is a Partner and Impact Investing specialist at consulting firm, NEPC.

This is a wide reaching interview with a focus on defining ESG, learning how to work with clients to create an optimal Impact investment policy and how an investor can effectively analyse and  assess investment managers in this space.

We are launching a new interview series to discuss responsible investing from a variety of different perspectives - investment, legal, regulatory, consulting, quantitative, fundamental...and much more.

The first interview is with Jeff Cohen of the Sustainability Accounting Standard Board - or SASB for short.

His organization’s mission is to establish industry-specific disclosure standards across environmental, social, and governance topics that facilitate communication between companies and investors about financially material, decision-useful information.

Jeff gives us some historical perspective and explains how investors can use their multifaceted Materiality Map to evaluate companies in a consistent manner within specific sectors and industries.

If you’re under the age of 35, you might not be aware of how big Esports has grown in recent years…..and the industry's growth does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. Video games nowadays are not solely recreational….with global competition and million dollar prizes.  William Collis has literally written the book on Esports and is here to talk with us today.

Remote video calls have fast become a part of our personal and professional lives.  Kids do Zoom calls as part of their school’s quarantine curriculum, adults grab a virtual coffee with friends or have a virtual happy hour in the evening….not to mention all the work-related video calls that we do on a regular basis.  And this has led to some pretty funny and sometimes embarrassing blunders - all caught on camera.  Well, hopefully we can offer some help.  In this episode, Julie Hansen will give us some simple but effective tips to optimize your “on-camera” experience.