ESG investing

With large companies wising up to the importance of adopting and promoting sustainable business practices – and with the influence, affluence and expectations of Millennials set to peak over the next decade –  our guest contributor Will Oulton, Global Head, Responsible Investment, First State Investments, considers the impact on the investment industry, and the increasing need to balance social and environmental responsibility with positive financial performance.

Our Deputy Chief Investment Officer Justin Oliver, chats with Dan Mahony, Co-Head of Healthcare at active fund manager Polar Capital about the incredible pace of change driven by the pandemic and the healthcare investments trends emerging from it.

Patrick Thomas, Head of ESG Investments explains how you can reduce your carbon footprint through your investments.

One major investment theme of the last few years is sustainable investing: people wishing to express their beliefs and hopes in the way they allocate their money. In response, we have introduced our ESG Portfolio Service, to help our clients take a more responsible approach to investing.

There has been a significant growth and interest in investing on a responsible basis and the area is continually evolving. However, for investors, traditional ‘ethical’ investment solutions have tended to leave a limited choice of companies to invest in, compromising diversification and therefore investment risk/returns. ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing allows investors to take a proactive approach to investing responsibly but not at the expense of their risk/returns. 

Cancer statistics remain frightening, and while advances are being made, the outlook for patients is not good enough. We believe investing in oncology companies is a positive way to join in the solution to one of our society's great global problems.