The world around us feels quite scary – whether it’s the rollback of sustainability practices, the rise in hate speech and oppression, or the ongoing wars - there are many things that can leave us in despair.

As sustainability professionals who are looking to tackle these issues, this landscape can be very challenging to navigating, often leading to burnout.  

In this episode, we have an open and honest discussion about how we can tackle burnout and retain hope for a better future, where financial systems support people and planet.

Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles welcome Geneviève Morin of Fondaction, to the Podcast to discuss how purpose drives their investment approach. 
 
 Imagine taking a challenging point in a country’s history – a time where there was severe recession, bankruptcies and high unemployment levels – and turning it into a new financial idea: a labour-sponsored fund set up by the people, for the people. 

Well, this is exactly what Fondaction has done. In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose Podcast, we speak to Geneviève Morin, CEO of Fondaction about how their purpose drives their investment strategy. We discuss an investment methodology that supports local economies, protects the planet and engages with civil society. We also cover the failures in the existing financial system – and how we can change it to align positive financial returns with positive social and environmental outcomes. 

n addition to its net zero by 2050 target, the UK Government has also set an ambitious target to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035.  In order to reach this target, many different sectors will have to come together – from governments, to corporates, to civil society and, of course, investors. 

In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and Charlotte O’Leary speak to Raza Ali of AlphaReal about how investors are both needed for and can benefit from the energy transition.  We dive into the role that private markets play in helping investors meet their financial objectives while also delivering impactful outcomes.  

Laasya Shekaran welcomes Lindsay Hooper of the University of Cambridge, to the Podcast to discuss why sustainable finance hasn’t delivered the progress needed.

Sustainable Finance has been around for a while, but we still haven’t seen enough progress to tackle the immense systemic issues we face. If we do not address these problems directly, we risk witnessing environmental and social destruction, ultimately leading to total economic collapse.

In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles speak to Lindsay Hooper, CEO of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), about why we haven’t made enough progress and how systems thinking can help tackle today’s most pressing challenges. We discuss the need for ESG and sustainable finance to be more accessible and inclusive, as well as the different actions that market participants can take to drive forward systems change. 

Laasya Shekaran and David Brown welcome Judith Mackenzie of Downing, to the Podcast to discuss investing in the UK.

Initiatives like the Mansion House Compact II and an increased focus on place-based investing all point to one clear government objective – channelling more pension capital into investments supporting UK growth. But what does that actually look like in practice? How can pension schemes invest in the UK in a way that delivers positive, impactful and sustainable outcomes for the UK economy?

In this episode, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and David Brown are joined by Judith Mackenzie, Partner and Head of Fund Managers at Downing to really dig into what the investible universe looks like in the UK and the pros and cons of investing in the UK against the backdrop of the current geopolitical climate. They discuss the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), the potential for mandating and the focus on different regions within the UK in this timely and topical discussion!

‘ESG’ has become increasingly politicised as a concept, and investors have seen a backlash towards this term.  This has been particularly strong in the US, given recent political developments, which has led investors to ask how they should be engaging with this part of the market.  

In this episode, our hosts Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles are joined by Will Pomroy, Head of Impact Engagement Equities at Federated Hermes to help investors answer these questions. 

They discuss what has led to the ESG backlash, what we can learn from it and how we can make sure engagement remains effective in this changing world.   

Disclaimer:

The value of investments and income from them may go down as well as up, and you may not get back the original amount invested.      
For professional investors only. This is a marketing communication. The views and opinions contained herein are those of Will Pomroy, Director, Impact Engagement & Sustainability and may not necessarily represent views expressed or reflected in other communications. This communication is solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities or related financial securities.
Issued and approved by Hermes Investment Management Limited (“HIML”) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered address: Sixth Floor, 150 Cheapside, London EC2V 6ET. HIML is a registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Distributed in the EU by Hermes Fund Managers Ireland Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registered address: 7/8 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, DO2 FT59.

Many investors, corporates and even countries have net zero targets – but how will they achieve these goals?  Carbon markets are inevitably going to part of the answer.   

In this episode, our host Laasya Shekaran is joined by Nick Gaskell and Fraser Green, Sustainable Investment Manager and Head of Natural Capital Investment at Aberdeen Investments. 

In a conversation that ranges from the basics of carbon markets, to understanding local communities and looking to the future, the team bring the discussion around to why asset owners should spend time understanding carbon markets and the opportunity set that exists for them in the UK!

In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose podcast, Laasya Shekaran and David Brown speak to Richard Tomlinson, CIO of LPPI – one of the UK’s local government pension scheme (LGPS) pools.

They talk about the many dimensions of diversity and how not all forms are visible. From personal reflections on their own backgrounds – to the importance of recognising class and social mobility as important elements of inclusion, this episode dives into what it means to value people with different perspectives.

They also tackle the backlash facing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), exploring how to respond constructively. The team share their views on gender equality and the need for men to be included in these conversations too. The episode closes by bringing the discussion back around to the pensions and investments.

Investment opportunities to support decarbonisation exist across the value chain and are particularly prevalent in private markets. In this episode of the Pensions for Purpose Podcast, Laasya Shekaran and Monique Stephens speak to Lindee Wong, Director of Climate and Biodiversity at Tikehau Capital, about how the just transition and biodiversity should be considered as part of the decarbonisation process, they also examine how the broader ecosystem needs to change to support the transition. 

Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles welcome Dan Mikulskis of People's Partnership, to the podcast to discuss the realistic influence of asset owners and how acknowledging the limitations can help unlock its full potential impact. 

In this Pensions for Purpose Podcast, hosts Laasya Shekaran and Richard Giles speak to Dan Mikulskis, CIO of the People’s Pension about how asset owners can best use their influence. 
 
They discuss the changes in dynamics being seen in the pensions market, including how the move to a smaller number of large, sophisticated asset owners could enhance their influence in the investment chain.
 
The episode also covers some of the stories that have hit the headlines recently – including the People’s Pension's decision to change the asset managers they partner with to ensure they work with managers better aligned with the People’s Pension’s stewardship beliefs. Dan explains the importance of firmwide alignment compared to simply product-level alignment, and how this contributed to their decision to move £28bn to different managers. They also discuss private market investing on the back of some of the announcements made by the People’s Pension about plans to increase their allocation to private market investments.