Is ESG dead? And if so, who killed it? September 19, 2024 ESG has become increasingly politicised. Has it reached the end of the line? Asks Neil MacLeod
Why is the Bar Standards Board politicising our profession? September 11, 2024 The Bar Standards Board’s plans to introduce a professional duty to advance DEI will turn chambers meetings into maoist struggle sessions, says Andrew Lomas The Bar Standards Board (BSB) – the body that regulates barristers in England and Wales – has recently proposed to replace a barrister’s core duty to not unlawfully discriminate with a [...]
Meet the fund managers: Sticking by ESG as it falls out of fashion September 2, 2024 In this weekly series, investment reporter Elliot Gulliver-Needham sits down with a fund manager for a Q&A. This week, we’re hearing from Yolanda Courtines, manager of the Wellington Global Stewards fund. What makes the fund stand out from its competitors? We have 35 to 45 names in the portfolio, with a history of high returns [...]
Blackbaud: CSR and ESG has evolved with focus on authentic impact August 20, 2024 City A.M. sat down with Andrew J. Troup, the director of corporate giving and engagement strategy at Blackbaud, to find out what he anticipates the future of social impact will look like.
JLEN Environmental Assets sells off £68m in assets to pay debts and launch share buyback August 15, 2024 JLEN Environmental Assets Trust has sold off half of its anaerobic digestion portfolio to Future Biogas for £68.1m. The trust, which invests in environmental infrastructure assets, sold the facilities at their June valuation. After the deal, it will continue to own the other 49 per cent of its anaerobic digestion portfolio. Future Biogas is a [...]
Meet the fund managers: ESG investing across the globe August 12, 2024 In this new weekly series, investment reporter Elliot Gulliver-Needham sits down with a fund manager for a Q&A. This week, we’re hearing from Geir Lode, lead portfolio manager on the Federated Hermes Global Equity ESG fund. How does your fund stand out from others in the same market? As a firm and as a team [...]
The Debate: Should B Corps cut ties with fossil fuel companies? July 25, 2024 City A.M.’s weekly feature takes the fiercest water-cooler debates and pits two candidates head to head before delivering The Judge’s ultimate verdict. The Debate: Should B Corps cut ties with fossil fuel companies? Is it delusional to pretend that fossil fuel companies meet the B Corp standards, or is it unrealistic to shun companies like [...]
Is America’s ‘woke backlash’ a warning? July 22, 2024 With Microsoft scrapping a DEI team and Elon Musk moving to Texas, is the tide turning on the ‘woke’ agenda – and should businesses pay attention? Asks Eliot Wilson When America sneezes, Britain catches a cold. It is an idea that became popular after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, when the fall in New [...]
Blackrock needs to ‘face up’ to role in promoting ‘dangerous ESG placebo’, ex green investment chief argues July 14, 2024 Writing in City A.M. over the weekend, Fancy, who was formerly chief sustainable investment officer at Blackrock criticised Larry Fink for his "vacuous promises" on ESG.
Blackrock must face up to its failures on ESG July 13, 2024 With multi-billion dollar greenwashing scandals unfolding across America, the ESG industry is facing a severe reckoning, says Blackrock’s former chief sustainable investment officer Tariq Fancy On April 18, this newspaper published an interview I gave entitled “ESG is dying – but that might be a good thing.” It traced market events since I began arguing [...]