Do we have carbon tunnel vision? In this episode, we talk to Musidora Jorgensen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft UK, about the role psychology and AI play in sustainability, the importance of a company’s sustainability strategy and Microsoft’s own sustainability goals, including becoming carbon negative by 2030. Musidora also explains why their focus is not just on carbon and delves deep into how Microsoft is supporting sustainability efforts through technology, from building a planetary computer to gather data about the impact of the rising temperature on nature to creating ecological digital twins of rivers in collaboration with the UK water sector.

How can we bridge the gap in financial inclusion around the world and ensure women are financially independent? In this episode, we chat to Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women's World Banking, about what exactly we mean by financial inclusion, why women are a large focus for their financial inclusion efforts, and steps they are taking to achieve security and prosperity for women as well as inclusive economic growth for all. 

How have sustainable investment approaches evolved with the growing popularity of passive investing? In this episode, we talk to Aled Jones, Head of Sustainable Investment Solutions at FTSE Russell, about the range of sustainability metrics seen in different indexes and how they are evolving to meet ever-changing investor needs. From assessing company alignment to the Paris Agreement to a broader ESG approach aiming to reduce ESG risk exposure, Aled explains how these different approaches meet different investor priorities and why these priorities have shifted over the years.

We’re switching things up today with an episode from one of our other podcasts, Hedge Fund Huddle.

Are we scared of emotions? Or can they be harnessed for good in stressful trading situations? In this episode we speak to two long-time experts in the field of psychology who work with traders to help them optimize performance on the desk and off. Dr. Richard Peterson is a psychiatrist and the CEO of MarketPsych and Dr. Alden Cass is a licensed clinical psychologist and trading performance coach. Listen in as we learn how to achieve better performance during stressful times.

How can we improve efficiency and upscale carbon offsetting to meet sustainability goals? In this episode, we chat to Sheri Hickok, the CEO of Climate Impact Partners, about how they connect companies with carbon offset projects and climate solutions. Sheri explains the process and scale of carbon offsetting and talks about how diverse these projects can be. She also discusses the hurdles we need to overcome to halve carbon emissions and for Climate Impact Partners to meet their goal to reduce a billion tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

Why is climate change a systematic risk, and how could it impact investors? In this episode, we speak to Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) about IIGCC’s current role, mission and journey, as well as how Climate Action 100+ has catalysed the shift from target setting to implementation by engaging with companies. Stephanie also explains how IIGCC enables investors to address and manage climate risks, how much progress has been made in the past two decades, and the importance of detecting and combatting policy barriers that are stopping progress.

As the first of its kind, what does the future hold for London Stock Exchange’s new Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) framework, and how does it work? In this episode, we are joined by Richard Kelly, Co-founder of the Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company, and Claire Dorrian, Head of Sustainable Finance for the Capital Markets and Post-Trade Divisions of LSEG. Richard and Claire define what voluntary carbon market designations are, its main objectives, how the credibility of these carbon credits is verified, and what feedback the VCM designation has received. Claire also tells us how funds getting this designation may change in the future, and Richard explains how afforestation portfolios can create these credits and enhance biodiversity in the process.

What is really meant by “green” and what is a “green taxonomy”? Who determines what is a green product or service and what isn’t? And is it ever possible that we’ll get to a single global green taxonomy? You can’t have a conversation about sustainable finance and investing these days without understanding green taxonomy, so we’re lucky in this episode to be joined by Lily Dai, Senior Research Lead on the Sustainable Investment Research team at LSEG. Lily helps us unpack the answers to each of these questions, where the conversation on green finance really started, and where it needs to go from here.

Today, we’re chatting with Jenn-Hui Tan, Global Head of Stewardship and Sustainable Investing at Fidelity International. Over the course of his 15 year tenure at Fidelity, he’s watched as the definition of fiduciary duty has expanded as investors have begun to realize that the boundary of responsibility should not stop at the door of capital allocation, but should also include value creation. This specifically comes into play with the climate transition, and he takes us through the principles of long termism, the materiality spectrum and the complete stewardship toolbox. He also explains how stewardship is just one piece of the systemic change needed to solve the climate crisis.

We’re back! Starting this year off with our very own Helena Fung, Head of Sustainable Investment in APAC for FTSE Russell. Jane & Helena get stuck into the nuances of SFI in the APAC region. Find out how sustainable investing is framed country by country and how we’ve partnered with China’s largest insurance company, Ping An to bring ESG scores for all Chinese companies into our market leading ‘China Index Series’.