mallowstreet University Digital Investment Focus: Sustainability

Sustainable Investment and ESG considerations remain at the top of agenda for pension funds. Many have commented that ESG focused investment strategies have actually helped protect their funding positions in these volatile markets. 

The Investment Focus is designed to equip the trustees of defined benefit pension schemes to make world-class, informed decisions about the pension funds they sit on in a time of extreme uncertainty, stress and volatility. We will hear from two market experts who will share their experience from the past few months, answer questions live, and provide you with key insights to take away and apply to your pension fund. 

This morning session is accredited for CPD points by the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) and is exclusively for pension fund decision makers and their advisors. 

Speakers

Program

  1. Login & Access Meeting

    The Investment Focus will take place online via a ‘Zoom’ meeting (a widely used webcast meeting provider). We will provide further information, including an access link and password, to all attendees in advance of the event.
  2. Welcome & Introductions

  3. Rotating Investment Masterclass I: Winning the Covid peace: Why corporate purpose must be more than empty words

    Virtue is easy in the midst of a crisis and while there were notable exceptions, we saw most companies behave well as coronavirus erupted into our lives, creating a very human crisis. Andrew Parry discusses whether, as the economy rehabilitates, that initial sense of corporate solidarity with customers, staff, suppliers and communities will endure, or will we see the maximisation of profit come to denominate board room agendas once more? With $10 trillion of fiscal and monetary stimulus propelling stock markets higher, we are already seeing a disconnect between the experience of the real economy and that of markets. As redundancies mount and some companies use the cloak of the pandemic to restructure workforces, shareholders need be vigilant that the opportunity to hold companies to account for their actions is not lost. Promotion of ‘corporate purpose’ and a recognition of the benefits of the multi-stakeholder model were on the rise last year. Andrew asks whether shareholders can use their influence to ensure that real change is on the agenda rather than mere ‘purpose washing’.

    Speaker

    Andrew Parry, Head of Sustainable Investing, Newton Investment Management

  4. Questions & Break

  5. Rotating Investment Masterclass II: Plastic fantastic? The value evolution of a much maligned product

    Single use plastic packaging has provided many economic benefits to society but has created environmental impacts in the form of ocean pollution, carbon emissions and potential health risks. Public perception and regulation are rapidly moving against single use plastic consumption, which could redistribute the environmental costs of plastic packaging across the entire value chain. Although there is no silver bullet to solving this problem, in this session, MFS evaluates the efficacy of regulatory and technological solutions and assess their financial impact on a wide range of sectors including chemicals, packaging, consumer brands and waste management.

    Speaker

    Pooja Daftary, Research Analyst, MFS Investment Management

  6. Questions & Close of Investment Focus

  7. End