Good Future

This week on the podcast I'm excited to be joined by Hampus Jakobsson, his career to discover climate-tech has been a wild ride so far and he has a great knack for story-telling, so I'm sure you're going to enjoy this one. Hampus is based in Sweden, and he started out as an entrepreneur, bouncing from Sony-Ericsson to Blackberry, building software in the early days of mobile phones, and as he grew to appreciate the incredible power of capital to make big changes in the world, he was slowly drawn to investing. He resisted opportunities to switch to VC for a long time, but eventually he shifted his views, and he ended up working with some of Europe's most progressive VCs, but in 2019, when he suggested they explore climate-tech investing, they shook their heads, despite having invested in a swag of wildly innovative startups, they couldn't get their heads around the idea of investing in climate. Since then, things have changed dramatically, and climate-tech has emerged as one of the fastest growing themes in early-stage investing. Hampus Jakobsson went on to launch his own VC fund, it's called Pale Blue Dot, and has so far invested in some 40 startups, across a range of themes and business models. In this episode Hampus is really generous with his stories and his insights. He explains his methodology and process for identifying those outlier founders that have, not only an audacious business idea to change the world, but also, the tenacity and grit to push past the obstacles and execute on it. Hampus has had a dizzying career so far, but after listening to this one, I'm sure you'll agree that he's just getting started. He has energy, and a sharp intellect and a passion for climate solutions that's infectious. So with that said, let's get to the episode. You can find all the show notes and links on the website at Johntreadgold.com. Enjoy the show!

We've long heard the arguments for how and why Australia should be a leader in renewable energy and decarbonisation, and finally, in the 2024 budget, we saw the Treasurer take decisive action, and chart a course for Australia to become a clean energy superpower. Of course we're not there yet, but on the show today I'm joined by Tim Buckley, an esteemed climate commentator who says the latest batch of government funding is a decent down-payment, on a clean-energy future for Australia. I'm excited to have Tim Buckley with us today, there's no-one better to help us decipher the climate outcomes from the latest budget. Tim is the founder and director of Clean Energy Finance, a think-tank that's laser-focussed on research and advocacy to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Australian economy. He's worked in finance for more than 30 years, and was previously the Australasian Director of the global Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Early in his career he worked at Macquarie group in equity research, and since then he's been Head of Equity Research in Singapore at Deutsche Bank, and Managing Director, Head of Equity Research at Citigroup. You can find all the show notes and links on the website at www.Johntreadgold.com Plus, that's where you can sign up to my newsletter, your regular feed of impact investing and climate-finance news, as well as fresh startups and investment deals. Sign up, and follow along. Enjoy the show!

Today's guest is Clara Barby. She's been a central player in the impact investment sector for decades. Early on she worked at Acumen, she then moved on to Bridges Fund Management, and she's currently Senior Partner at Just Climate which was spun-out of Generation Investment Management, the sustainable investment firm launched by none other than Al Gore. Along the way she's also helped develop standard setting organisations like the Impact Management Project (the IMP) and the global sustainability accounting body, the ISSB. Clara's resume really is quite staggering. There were lots of avenues and tangents that we could have gone down, so we really just scratched the surface today. We speak about the advancements in the world of ‘Climate-impact investing' in terms of both the climate-tech companies that are creating disruptive new industrial technologies. But we also get really practical as we explore the emissions measurement models they use at JustClimate to look forward, and forecast, the ‘emissions avoidance' potential of a company. This moves beyond the typical approach of relying on backward looking measures of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. It represents important progress in GHG accounting, and has huge potential as a driver of returns as it unearths exciting new leaders in the new climate-led industrial revolution. You can find all the show notes and links on the website at www.Johntreadgold.com Plus, that's where you can sign up to my newsletter, your regular feed of impact investing and climate-finance news, as well as fresh startups and investment deals. Sign up, and follow along. Enjoy!

On the podcast today I have Anjali Nelson, she's General Manager of Operations at GreenCollar, an environmental markets developer that's leading not only Australia, but the world, in developing nature-based solutions to combat both climate change and biodiversity loss. This is the fourth episode in our series of conversations exploring opportunities to ‘invest in natural capital.' And it was a great opportunity to unpack the structures and benefits of carbon credits, but more importantly, to hear about how this market based mechanism is evolving, to offer benefits beyond just carbon removal, and steer capital towards the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. GreenCollar has been a pioneer in the space for a long time now, and they're not slowing down, developing new products and methodologies like Reef Credits, and the new Nature Plus biodiversity credits. And of course GreenCollar is the sponsor of this series. I've followed the progress of this company since its early days when the team earned the backing of some heavy-weight impact investors. It was a moment that shifted my perspective, showing me that environmental markets are both a vital part of the clean energy transition, but also, a potent business sector, with huge growth potential. They proved me right on both counts, and it's great to have them on board as a partner. You can find all the show notes and links on the website at www.Johntreadgold.com. Plus, that's where you can sign up to my newsletter, your regular feed of impact investing news, as well as fresh startups and investment deals. Sign up, and follow along! Enjoy the show!

Today we're approaching the topic of investing in biodiversity, by speaking to Nigel Sharp, he's a farmer, but he's also a businessman and a fund manager. And over the past two decades he's been a pioneer in the ‘Business of Biodiversity'. Nigel is a pioneer in this space, the Tiverton investment vehicle has developed a whole range of agricultural projects on land holdings all over Australia, and all with the regeneration of biodiversity at their core. But that's not all. He seeded the Dragonfly venture fund, to support early stage climate-tech and regen-ag startups. And, he founded the Odonata Foundation, an environmental charity working to save species from extinction. Now before we dive into the episode I want say a big thank you to the sponsor of this series, and that's GreenCollar. GreenCollar is a developer and innovator of environmental market solutions, they recognise the power of putting a financial value on nature, as an incentive to drive sustainable land management, cleaning up our waterways and avoiding further loss of biodiversity and animal species. Since launching more than a decade ago, the company has become Australia's largest developer of nature-based carbon credit projects, and they're pushing the market forward with schemes like ‘Reef Credits', which target improved water quality at The Great Barrier Reef. And their latest innovation is NaturePlus, a new form of biodiversity credits that aim to protect and restore ecosystems around the world. They're measuring biodiversity outcomes on the ground, with a scientifically rigorous and verifiable methodology, that puts a value on natural capital, to enable investment in the conservation of high value ecosystems. Reach out to the team at www.GreenCollar.com.au to find out more. Plus, you can find all the show notes and links on the website at www.johntreadgold.com. And you can also sign up to the newsletter, to get the notifications on the latest podcast episodes, as well as practical insights about the evolution of impact investing. Enjoy!

The past decade has seen huge progress in the way companies analyse their exposure to carbon emissions, but far less effort has been put into understanding the complex interactions companies have with nature, and the risks this poses for investors and the health of our environment. If we're to have a hope of reaching net-zero, we need to reverse the trends of biodiversity loss and incentivise companies to assess the risks and opportunities around natural-capital. On the podcast today we have the perfect guest to discuss this topic, I'm joined by Tony Goldner, he's the CEO of the TNFD, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, an organisation that was established to try and solve this very problem. The big news is that this week Tony and his team have published the final version of the TNFD Recommendations. It's a framework that will give companies and investors alike a clear and uniform model for putting nature on the balance sheet. Tony's worked at the helm of the TNFD since it was founded two years ago. He's originally from Australia, he now lives and works in Europe, and he's had a fascinating career that spans foreign affairs with DFAT, he's worked in global finance, he's been a consultant, and now he's pulling it all together to convene a mix of stakeholders across the globe and across industries. It really was a thrill to speak to Tony on such a big week for the TNFD, the recommendations have only been live for a few days, and so in this conversation I did my best to offer a broad overview of the final recommendations, and practical actions to help us integrate them. And of course this episode is part of a broader series that's exploring how we can shift our economy to be ‘nature-positive', so be sure to subscribe so you can follow along. And a company that's been central to the ‘nature positive' mission is GreenCollar, which has come on board to be the sponsor of this series. GreenCollar is a developer and innovator of environmental market solutions, they recognise the power of putting a financial value on nature, as an incentive to drive sustainable land management, cleaning up our waterways and avoiding further loss of biodiversity and animal species. Since launching more than a decade ago, the company has become Australia's largest developer of nature-based carbon credit projects, and they're pushing the market forward with schemes like ‘Reef Credits', which target improved water quality at The Great Barrier Reef. And their latest innovation is NaturePlus, a new form of biodiversity credits that aim to protect and restore ecosystems around the world. They're measuring biodiversity outcomes on the ground, with a scientifically rigorous and verifiable methodology, that puts a value on natural capital, to enable investment in the conservation of high value ecosystems. Reach out to the team at www.GreenCollar.com.au to find out more. And, you can find all the show notes and links on the website at www.johntreadgold.com. And that's where you'll also find the Good future newsletter. Your source of insights and updates about the world of impact investing. You'll stay up to date on trends, you'll get access to the latest podcast episodes, and you might just get an early lead on the most exciting and high impact companies and funds. Enjoy the episode!!

On the show today we have Rachel Lowry, she's Chief Conservation Officer at WWF. In this episode she explains why investors need to care about the growing biodiversity crisis, and the challenges of measuring and conserving natural capital. It says a lot about the sustainable investment movement that finally, conservationists and financial services are working together. To identify hotspots of risk, and establish sustainable models of capital allocation that can drive positive, measurable outcomes. Rachel is a passionate environmental advocate, but more than that, she's focussed on solutions, and in this episode we dig into the practical actions that all investors can take to better align their portfolios with the goals of our economy becoming ‘Nature positive' by the end of the decade. This is the first in a series of episodes exploring the concept of ‘natural capital', and to get us there, we have the support of a new Good Future sponsor, GreenCollar. GreenCollar is a developer and innovator of environmental market solutions, they recognise the power of putting a financial value on nature, as an incentive to drive sustainable land management, cleaning up our waterways and avoiding further loss of biodiversity and animal species. Since launching more than a decade ago, the company has become Australia's largest developer of nature-based carbon credit projects, and they're pushing the market forward with schemes like ‘Reef Credits', which target improved water quality at The Great Barrier Reef. And their latest innovation is NaturePlus, a new form of biodiversity credits that aim to protect and restore ecosystems around the world. Reach out to the team at GreenCollar.com.au to find out more. You can find all the show notes and links on the website at johntreadgold.com. And that's where you'll also find the Good future newsletter. Your source of insights and updates about the world of sustainable investing. You'll stay up to date on trends, you'll get access to the latest podcast episodes, and you might just get an early lead on the most exciting and high impact companies and funds. Enjoy the episode!

We're moving from theory to practice with Ben Krasnostein and Dr Jodi York from Kilara Capital. They're an impact investing powerhouse and today, we're digging into the models and frameworks they employ, but more importantly, how their impact approach can help to both drive-down greenhouse gas emissions, while also boosting financial returns. Ben is founder and managing director of the investment management firm, Kilara Capital. He was born and bred in Melbourne, and after a stint in legal practice he found himself drawn towards business, investing and doing deals. He opened the doors to Kilara in 2017. And Dr Jodi York is Chief Impact Officer, she joined the team in 2020. She's originally from San Francisco and she found herself in Melbourne via a stint in New Zealand. These two are the ideal guests for this, the third episode in my podcast series exploring the current inflection point that's seeing impact measurement and management frameworks harmonise and consolidate and for investors that means it's now easier than ever to use impact principles when allocating capital. Kilara has recently published its inaugural impact report, and we'll dig into the very progressive models they used to compare their impact performance to a global baseline. As well as the impact hurdle that commits the firm to reduce C02e emissions by 15%, with a hit to the firm's carry if they don't achieve it. This was a really great conversation, packed full of practical insights about leading impact practice in Australia. And to go even deeper on the topic: this episode will be part of my IMM Special Report that's coming soon, so sign up to my mailing list at www.Johntreadgold.com, so you don't miss it. A quick disclaimer, nothing in this podcast is financial advice. Please do seek your own professional advice before making investment decisions. Enjoy!

In today's episode we've got Sarah Gelfand on the show, she's Managing Director of BlueMark, an impact verification business that was spun-out of consulting firm Tideline. She works with the world's leading impact investors, to verify their impact results across both their management practices and their impact performance. And most recently she authored a report called ‘Raising the Bar', which attempts to improve the quality of impact reports, which is vital, as there's more being published than ever. Sarah has her finger on the pulse of leading practice in impact measurement and management. Her clients are some of the world's leading impact players, and as a consultant she gets to ‘look under the hood' of all sorts of investors that are all at different stages of their impact journey. She offers lots of great insights in this conversation, helping us understand how various impact frameworks fit together, the importance of being guided by a central strategy, as well as her hopes for the emergence of more reliable impact data to help us move beyond rhetoric and to drive better impact performance. This was the second episode in my series of discussions exploring the current state of Impact Measurement and Management, and how the harmonisation of leading frameworks represents a powerful inflection point. I'll pull all of the key insights together into a special report that will be released in due time. To be sure you don't miss it, sign up to my newsletter on my website www.johntreadgold.com that's where you'll find the show notes, as well as more details about me and my business. Enjoy the episode!

We talk a lot about impact investing on this show, and while we tend to focus on the deals and the companies, we often gloss over the more challenging process of impact measurement and management. Right now is an important time to explore these issues, because the structures of impact investing are at an inflection point. The market has realised the importance of using consistent systems, and the frameworks are starting to consolidate, they're harmonising. Today we have Dean Hand on the show to help us explore impact measurement and management, she's Chief Impact Officer at the GIIN (the Global Impact Investment Network), and she's had long experience with impact reporting, both at the GIIN, which is a pivotal player in developing these impact measurement and management systems. In this episode Dean explains both the origins and the utility of the leading frameworks that the GIIN manages. But we also explore the broader alphabet soup of frameworks, standards and principles that are out there. And, on this important topic, I want to take the research further. So I'm going to take the insights from this episode with Dean, and from the next few episodes with other leading practitioners, and pull it all together into a special report. It'll have input from global leaders in the space, with case-studies highlighting leading practice in the market. It should be out soon, but if you don't want to miss it sign up for my newsletter, and you'll get it in your inbox as soon as it's released. You can sign-up on my website at www.johntreadgold.com and of course that's where you'll find all the show notes from the podcast, and all my other various writings and work. Enjoy!

If there's one person you want to speak to, to get the lowdown on everything impact investing in Australia as well as round the world, it's Rosemary Addis. She's been a guest on the show before, and it's great to have her back to talk about everything from Australia's new government, the growing pains facing ESG investing, how impact will integrate with the global disclosure rules, as well as her new venture, Mondiale Impact. Rosemary has been pivotal to the development of sustainable finance, she co-founded Impact Investing Australia, she's our representative on the G8's Social Impact Taskforce, and she has her ear to the ground on the trends and innovations in this rapidly developing world of impact finance. For all the show notes jump on to my website at www.johntreadgold.com And if you'd like to leave a review, iTunes is the best place for that, because it helps more people find the show. Enjoy

This episode is a little different, because Cory Ames interviews me. Cory hails from San Antonio in Texas, he hosts the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation podcast, and when he invited me back onto his show, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share it with you all. To offer a different perspective on my work, my ideas, and how the Good Future podcast has evolved. You'll hear a lot more of my voice in this episode than usual, but I did try to turn the questions back to Cory, to dig into the social enterprise sector in the US and understand the opportunities and challenges he's seeing to drive positive change, through business and innovation. Now this is a different format for me, so please do let me know what you think. I'm always open to feedback, so feel free to send me an email, all the details are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com. I'm really eager to hear from you all, you can also reach out to me on my personal LinkedIn page, as well as the Good Future Instagram account. Enjoy!

This week, I'm speaking to Reece Proudfoot, he's Head of Innovation & Impact Investment at WWF Australia. That's right, the charity with the Panda as it's logo, that's worked hard for decades on conservation and saving animal habitats. They're going beyond their projects in the field and they're also investing in systems change by supporting high-impact enterprises. And that's what we're all about here on the Good Future podcast, I'm your host John Treadgold, and I'm asking the big questions about the business of sustainability, the new economy, and how your spending and investment decisions can have an impact. Reece found his way to WWF as a campaigner, but he knew all too well the challenge of raising awareness as the world has grown noisier, as well as raising money when people have so many worthy causes in front of them. Like all good startup founders, he made a pivot, and helped launch Panda Labs, WWF's impact accelerator program. Since them they've seeded and grown enterprises like OpenSC, a supply chain platform that tracks food sources on the blockchain. And more recently, the business ImpactIO, which brings people together around a central challenge, and then links project leaders, with both supporters and investors. Their most recent Challenge is called Innovate to Regenerate and it's a partnership with Damon Gameau who has released a new short film, all about bringing people together to Regenerate Australia. Now I'm sure you'd hear Reece talk about it, so let's get into it. All the links and show notes are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com, and if you'd like to leave a review, which would be greatly appreciated, you can do that over on Apple podcasts. Alright here's my conversation, with Reece Proudfoot, here we go!

Rachel Halpern is the newly installed Head of Sustainable at asset consulting firm Jana. Now asset consultants like Jana have an important role for big investors like super funds and insurance companies. They analyse and recommend which investment managers would be a good fit for their portfolios. And now, with the addition of a head of sustainability, it becomes very clear that ESG and Impact are essential considerations for institutional investors. It was useful to explore the business of asset consulting, to understand the role it plays in advising Australia's biggest investors, and how they're integrating sustainability issues into their analysis. When we dug into Rachel's background it becomes clear why she's a great fit for this new role. And we discussed the skills that are most useful if you're trying to shift your career towards ESG and the new world of sustainable finance. Have a listen, I really enjoyed this one. You can find all the links and show notes on my website at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy my conversation with Rachel Halpern.

Liza McDonald is head of Responsible Investment at Aware Super, one of Australia's largest super funds, which means she and her team are not only responsible for the retirement savings of millions of Australians, but they also have shareholdings in companies all over the world, which gives them an opportunity to engage, and maybe even influence these companies to make positive change. Aware Super is not only leading in being one of the largest funds in Australia, it's also leading in terms of its approach to sustainability. They committed to net-zero last year, they've divested from coal, and they're expanding their impact investment footprint. I spoke to Liza about all these topics and more. She was generous in helping us understand her investment and analysis approach, as well as her philosophical view of using investment capital to drive change. We also dug into how Aware Super works with outside fund managers. We discussed the criteria they look for in terms of ESG and sustainability, and their plans to bring more of it in-house. And, a small update on some of the numbers mentioned in the conversation. When we discuss Aware's Impact investment portfolio the current status is 14 assets, valued at $2.9 billion. I really enjoyed this one: I hope it offers insights to both the retail crowd, who are looking for a super fund that's aligned with their values, as well as institutional investors who are keen to understand what Aware Super looks for in their ESG mandates. You can find all the links and show notes on my website at… www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

Sally Mccutchan has been a vital leader and catalyst for the growth of impact investing in recent years. After a career in investment banking and consulting, she took on the role of CEO of Impact Investing Australia, an organisation dedicated to catalysing growth in the sector. We go deep in this one, we discuss Sally and the team's hard work to try and get an impact wholesaler off the ground in Australia. That's a work in progress, and Sally explains the huge opportunity there. But we also look forward, and dig into the exciting news that Sally will be bringing the hugely influential Bridges Fund Management to Australia. They're already raising their first private equity fund, and running the impact ruler over companies poised for growth. Bridges was originally founded, in the UK, by Sir Ronald Cohen and Michelle Giddens, they've both been guests on the show previously, so you can wind back and hear more about their journeys and the work they do. So let's get into it. You can find all the show notes on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com, and, if you enjoy this one please do jump onto Apple Music and leave me a review, because that will help more people find the show. Enjoy!

This week is the final episode in this series of conversations that explores impact investing in listed equities. Impact investing has a long history in private markets, but when it comes to investing in public companies that are listed on a stock exchange, it's a lot harder, to measure your impact, and to influence the companies you're investing in. Seb Beloe was an early guest of the show, and he's back to tell us more about his fund, which is called the WHEB Sustainable Impact Fund. He's head of Research at WHEB Asset management, and he's a deep thinker about companies and their impact on the world. We go beyond talking about metrics and frameworks, to explore the nature of the companies that are leaders in the space. And, when it came to the prickly issue of additionality, the discussion went deep, Seb has some very clear views on the issue. And, I'd like to introduce you to the sponsor of this series and that's, the ACCR, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ACCR engages with companies as a shareholder, advocating for them to improve their environmental and social practices, and in the process make the company more sustainable. You can get all the show notes at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

We're continuing our series that explores how an investor can have impact in listed equity markets. Impact investing has a long history in private markets, but when it comes to investing in public companies that are listed on a stock exchange, it's a lot harder, to measure your impact, and to influence the companies you're investing in. Tim King is here to talk about his approach to impact at Melior Investment Management. Tim is chief investment officer, he has deep experience in wrangling equity markets, and as you'll hear today, he's applied his broad research and analysis skills to measuring impact and driving positive change. Melior certainly focus on identifying the most high impact companies in Australia, but they also appreciate the importance of leading large, well-known companies in their transition towards impact, in adopting renewable energy, and re-aligning their corporate purpose beyond the narrow metrics… of financial reports, and towards broader societal outcomes. The sponsor of this series is ACCR, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ACCR engages with companies as a shareholder, advocating for them to improve their environmental and social practices, and in the process make the company more sustainable. It's no easy feat, but through a modest holding of shares, and with the help of a high-performing team, they put forward shareholder resolutions that focus on positive social and environmental outcomes. They're a group of pragmatic lawyers and finance experts, and by utilising shareholder resolutions, they approach some of Australia's biggest companies in a forum they can't ignore. Now to put a resolution forward, at least 100 shareholders in a company must come together. So, if you hold shares in ASX-listed companies and want to be involved in holding them to account on their environmental and social impacts, then let ACCR know about it. Head to www.accr.org.au/shareholders to get involved. They're independent, not-for-profit and they're taking action for more sustainable businesses in Australia. Alright, let's get going, here's my conversation, with Timothy King. Enjoy

Impact investing has a long history in private markets, but when it comes to investing in public companies that are listed on a stock exchange, it's a lot harder, to measure your impact, and to influence the companies you're investing in. Today, I'm speaking with Tim Crockford, all about the Regnan Global Equities Impact Solutions Fund. Tim is head of Equity Impact Solutions, he's based in the UK, and he has a unique approach to analysing companies, and to measuring impact. He and his team go to remarkable lengths to explore not only companies of interest, but examining the market, and indeed the complete supply chain that surrounds the problem they hope the company is working to solve. They use the problem as the baseline, and work to find the organisations that are best positioned to solve it. Tim is really passionate about this stuff, and I hope you get as much out of this conversation as I did. I'd also like to introduce you to the sponsor of this series and that's, the ACCR, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ACCR engages with companies as a shareholder, advocating for them to improve their environmental and social practices, and in the process make the company more sustainable. It's no easy feat, but through a modest holding of shares, and with the help of a high-performing team, they put forward shareholder resolutions that focus on positive social and environmental outcomes. They're a group of pragmatic lawyers and finance experts, and by utilising shareholder resolutions, they approach some of Australia's biggest companies in a forum they can't ignore. Head to www.accr.org.au/shareholders to get involved. Now Tim was kind enough to go into a lot of detail about his approach, and so I do need to emphasise that, as always, nothing in this podcast is financial advice. Please do seek your own professional advice before making investment decisions. All the show notes are at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

This month, I'm exploring how we can have impact by investing in public markets. Impact investing has a long history in private markets, but when it comes to investing in public companies that are listed on a stock exchange, it's a lot harder, to measure your impact, and to influence the companies you're investing in. My guests are all pioneering investment managers that all have their own strategies; and their foundational philosophies for pursuing impact are unique. This week, it's Kerry Series, and his fund the Inspire Australian Equities. Kerry's worked across the length and breadth of equities management in Australia, but it's launching his own equities fund that I feel he's found his groove. The firm is based in Sydney and they focus solely on the Australian Stock Exchange, they're doing pioneering work in identifying high-impact companies, while also engaging with them to do even better. So much so that they're the first Australian listed equity product to be certified as ‘impact' under RIAA's updated RI Certification, assessment framework. But First, I'd like to introduce you to the sponsor of this series and that's, the ACCR, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ACCR engages with companies as a shareholder, advocating for them to improve their environmental and social practices, and in the process make the company more sustainable. It's no easy feat, but through a modest holding of shares, and with the help of a high-performing team, they put forward shareholder resolutions that focus on positive social and environmental outcomes. They're a group of pragmatic lawyers and finance experts, and by utilising shareholder resolutions, they approach some of Australia's biggest companies in a forum they can't ignore. Now to put a resolution forward, at least 100 shareholders in a company must come together. So, if you hold shares in ASX-listed companies and want to be involved in holding them to account on their environmental and social impacts, then let ACCR know about it. Head to www.accr.org.au/shareholders to get involved. They're independent, not-for-profit and they're taking action for more sustainable businesses in Australia. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you get a lot of out of it. We dive deep into Kerry's investment approach, and so I do need to emphasise that, as always, nothing in this podcast is financial advice. Please do seek your own professional advice before making investment decisions. Catch the full disclaimer at the end of the episode. Enjoy

Danny Almagor has been a central pivot point of the Australian impact investment scene for more than a decade, and he's someone I've wanted to sit down with for a chat, for a long time. He's the founder of Small Giants, and Impact Investment Group. He's the husband of Berry Lieberman and he's just an all-round top bloke. Danny is an engineer by trade, but he's a spiritual explorer in practice. He's on a journey that I'm sure resonates with many of my listeners, and that's a quest to make the world of business… be more human. To share a line from a previous guest, it's about recognising we live in an ecology, rather than an economy. We covered a lot in this wide-ranging conversation, but most exciting was the news that Danny dropped on us, that he's launching a new impact investment firm. It's called Sentient. It will sit alongside IIG, but it will be a very different beast entirely. It's an exciting new concept, and it follows on from the tough year that Danny had in 2020, bother personally and professionally. You can find all the show notes on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com. Enjoy!

My guest today is Fabienne Michaux, she's Director at SDG Impact, it's an offshoot of the UNDP and it's focussed on harnessing impact investing to fund solutions to the SDGs. SDG Impact uses the intelligence and insights it has on the ground in less developed countries all around the world, to identify challenges and problems that are in need private capital investments. They're a bridge between projects on the ground, and investors, but, they've also developed a handy set of Impact Standards which help investors to make better decisions and hopefully, boost their impact. Alright let's get into it. You can find all the show notes on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com and, if you enjoy this one please do jump onto Apple Music and leave me a review, because that will help more people find the show. Enjoy!

On the podcast today I'm speaking with Vicky Lay. Vicky is a partner and Head of Impact at Artesian Alternative Investments. She's been a central architect of the firm's embracing, of their impact potential, and she's engaged with the startups they invest in. You see, Vicky was a founder herself, she knows the heartache of the valley-of-death, and the thrill of securing funding. And it's that skillset that she applies to mentoring founders, to helping them see their own potential, and to ditching their limiting beliefs. Artesian are specialist investors in two broad areas: fixed income and venture capital, and of course these are two asset classes that are ideally suited to an impact approach. Vicky explained some of the nuance of their strategies, as well as how they've managed to engage with institutional investors like super funds. I also took the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the mindset that Vicky brings to impact investing, and there's a really valuable section in there where Vicky maps out a key piece of advice that she offers to her CEO coaching clients to help them push past imposter syndrome and perform at their peak. You can get all the show notes on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com Also, you can leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, because that's the best way to get the show out to more people. Enjoy!

On the show today I have Christina Leijonhufvud, she's the CEO of BlueMark, a company founded by the impact investment consultancy Tideline. Now BlueMark has a very specific focus, and that's to provide third-party verification of the impact investment practices and performance of the world's leading impact practitioners. There's a dizzying array of impact frameworks available today, and more seem to pop-up everyday. This is progress, but as impact investment pushes into the mainstream, we face the paradox of success, it's the challenge of maintaining impact with integrity and pushing-back against impact washing. And this is where independent verification comes in. When the IFC launched the Operating Principles for Impact Management, they were well aware of this, and one of their 9 principles is actually a requirement for investors to undergo third-party verification. And so far, the large bulk of the signatories to the Impact Principles have gone to BlueMark for their impact audit. And with this rich source of impact data, Christina and her team have aggregated the results, and they've begun work on a Benchmark, for what the best Impact Investment methodologies look like and where there's area for improvement. You can find all the show notes on my website at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

My guest today is Phineas Glover. He’s head of ESG Equity Research for Asia Pacific, at Credit Suisse. He’s a leading source of up to date information on the environmental and social issues that are having material financial impacts on companies. It’s no longer just about earnings, or profit margins; the world’s biggest investors are now playing close attention to issues and themes beyond just the financials. I really enjoyed this one, Phineas explained what it is a sell-side research analyst actually does, and then we got into weeds about whether the term ESG has lost its meaning, and how we can better assess the long-term prospects and impacts of publicly listed companies. We went deep into the financial models, but also the philosophy of sustainability, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. All the show notes are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

On the show today I have Alister Coleman, he’s founder and Managing Partner of Folklore Ventures, they just rebranded, their focus is on helping founders launch exciting new ideas, and shepherding them towards becoming Folklore. Before diving into VC, Alister was a founder himself, doing the hard-yards to launch, build and eventually sell a software business. He knows well the commitment it takes, and the sacrifice, to give birth to a startup. And in our conversation he explained that it’s a very human process, that it’s not the markets, or the mechanics of the product, its human strength and frailty that makes all the difference. All the show notes are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com And if you had any feelings about this one, leave a review on iTunes, and that might just help other people find the show. Enjoy

It’s exciting to have reached episode 71 of the Good Future podcast, and, it’s a pleasure to welcome back Andy Kuper, who was a guest in the early days of the show. Andy is of course the founder and CEO of Leapfrog, a global private equity firm focussed squarely on having a positive impact in fast growing economies. The need to divert capital towards high-impact investments has only grown in the wake of the covid 19 pandemic, and that means Leapfrog have been busy. They’ve recently signed an unprecedented agreement with the Singaporean investment company, Temasek. It’s more than a deal, it’s a partnership, that will see the state-owned investment company commit half a billion dollars to be deployed as the cornerstone investment for a range of Leapfrog’s future funds. You can find all the show notes on my website at www.johntreadgold.com And if you’d like to leave a review, you do that in the apple podcast app, or wherever you listen. Enjoy!

Today’s guest is Andrew Gray, he’s Director of ESG and Stewardship at AustralianSuper, which is the country’s largest superannuation fund. And while the fund manages people’s nest-eggs, they have the challenging role of planning long into the future. Sustainability isn’t optional to them, sustainability is about long-term thinking, and avoiding risks, to try and make sure retirement is comfortable, and that the environment is still in good shape. Andrew has been with AustralianSuper for ten years, and before that he was at Goldman Sachs. His long experience has been welcomed on the global stage with his role on the Steering Committee of the Climate Action 100+ network. I’ve invited all sorts of investors and business leaders on this show, but after speaking with Andrew I realise I’ve missed the perspective of super funds, and so I’m going to work hard to include more voices form these big, influential organisations. So let’s dive in. Show notes are at wwwjohntreadgold.com Plus, you can also sign up for my newsletter. It’s a round-up of the most interesting news covering sustainable investment, and the evolution of finance. And it’s a good way to stay up to date on the latest podcast episodes. Enjoy!

Amid the corona virus crisis, charities saw a dramatic decrease in donations at a time their services were needed the most. My guest today is Paul Ronalds, he’s the CEO of Save the Children Australia, and he knows this challenge well. He’s long been an advocate for charities to evolve, and adapt to a new funding environment. It’s one reason his organisation has launched a pioneering Impact investment fund, which supports social enterprises through equity and debt funding. In this conversation Paul explained the intricacies of the Impact Fund they’ve launched, and we explored the lessons that the finance sector can learn from not-for-profits, and vice versa. As the finance sector discovers its power to make positive change, so too are charities recognising that financial stability requires a diversity of funding sources. But I want to led Paul do the talking, so please enjoy. All the show notes are on my web site at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy!

How can we influence big, public companies to think more long-term, and be better corporate citizens. Well, today I’m joined by Brynn O’Brien to answer just that question, she is Executive Director of the ACCR, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ACCR is a research and advocacy organisation that engages with companies on managing a whole range of issues; like climate, labour, human rights and governance. Brynn’s passion for these issues shines through in this episode, but so too does the technical rigour and the financial depth that she and her team harness to drive some big changes. With a legal background, Brynn gets to the heart of how corporate democracy works, or doesn’t work, and she rallies like-minded groups who are all driven by a shared goal; whether that be reducing climate risk, improving labor standards, or demanding greater transparency. It’s shareholder advocacy, founded on solid legal footings. You can find all the show-notes and links on my web site at www.johntreadgold.com And if you want to leave a review, itunes is the best place, or you can do it directly through the Apple podcast app. Enjoy!

Today we’re talking about Green Bonds, with Stephen Fitzgerald. Stephen is the founder of Affirmative Investment Management, a specialist firm that manages only impact bonds. Their pure-play approach makes Green Bonds, Social bonds and sustainability bonds available to more investors. Stephen has a lot of insights to share, from the early days of his career at Goldman Sachs to his roles with QBE, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and of course Affirmative. I really enjoyed this one, Stephen is a genuine guy, and he’s putting his deep understanding of financial markets to good use. All the show notes and links are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com If you have any comments shoot me an email, or leave a review on itunes. Enjoy

My guest today is Eric Rice, and in his role as Head of active equities Impact Investing, at Blackrock, he’s working to bring the rigour of impact investing to public markets. Blackrock is the world’s largest fund manager, they have more than $7 trillion of assets under management, so the potential to scale impact is massive. But, there are big questions around whether public companies can be held to account in the same way as private companies, and, whether a fund can maintain impact-with-integrity at such a large scale. Eric didn’t start out in finance, in fact, he was a diplomat. He then shifted to working as an economist for the World bank. He did a PHD at Harvard, and eventually he realised that it was in the world of finance that he could drive the most change. I hope you enjoy this conversation, it’s offers some deep insights into the cutting edge thinking around how to have impact in public markets, but also, I asked Eric about how Larry Fink’s highly influential letters have been translated into action across their range of portfolios and across their investment policies. Please do let me know what you think. Feel free to leave a review or comment on iTunes. Plus, you can find all the show notes on my website, at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy!

My guest today is Ben Thornley, he’s co-founder and Managing Partner of Tideline, a specialist consultancy for the impact investment industry. Ben works with the firm’s long list of clients to integrate impact and sustainability into various stages of the investment process. And they’ve recently spun-out a stand-alone business called BlueMark, which provides third-party impact verification services for investors across the spectrum. Ben’s a consultant, he expertly explained some of the nuance and details about how the world of impact investing has changed over the past decade, and the components that are of particular interest today. And, going back a few years now, Ben was the co-author of the seminal book titled, The Impact Investor: Lessons in Leadership and Strategy for Collaborative Capitalism. His co-authors were Jed Emerson and Cathy Clark who have both been on the podcast previously, so it was good to have Ben on the show, to add the final piece to the puzzle. As usual all the show notes are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com, and please send through any questions or comments. Enjoy

Matt Whineray is CEO of the New Zealand Super Fund, and the co-chair of the Sustainable Finance Forum. In this conversation we dug into what makes the NZ super and pension system unique, as well as how the organisation integrates sustainability. And, it’s a public fund, it’s a government body, and I wanted to know how the increasingly politicised issues of climate change and pollution are managed by Matt and his team. Matt also talked about his move from the private sector in Hong Kong and New York, and the challenges of shifting from the sell-side, to the buy-side. Have a listen, and let me know your thoughts. All the show-notes are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com, feel free to send through any comments, or leave a review on iTunes. And I must thank Carly from the Responsible Investment Association of Australia (aka RIAA) she made the introductions for me, and the organisation continues to be a great supporter of the show. RIAA has over 300 members managing more than $9 trillion in assets globally, they’re the largest network of people and organisations engaged in responsible, ethical and impact investing across Australia and New Zealand. Head to www.ResponsibleInvestment.org to find out more. Enjoy the show.

My guest today is Amit Bouri, he was one of the founders of the Global Impact Investment Network (known as the GIIN) back in 2009. Today, he’s the CEO, and he not only manages this key global institution, but he’s also steered the global direction of the field of impact investment. This was a radical new concept a mere ten years ago, the idea of investors measuring their social impact as closely as they measure their profits. But today, it’s prolific. Growth is strong, and it's proven that it can not only survive a downturn, but also contribute to the rebuilding. Amit was generous with the insights about his own background, as much as he was about how he sees the future evolution of this concept of impact, in all its forms. But enough from me, let’s dive in. You can find all the show-notes on my website, at www.JohnTreadgold.com, and if you have any feedback or comments, don’t hesitate to send me a message. I’m always keen to hear from my listeners. Enjoy

Jacqueline Novogratz is leading a moral revolution. She left a successful career in banking in New York when she was 25 to head to Rwanda with hopes of launching a microfinance fund. It didn’t go quite as planned, but she persevered. Along the way she worked for the World Bank and for Unicef, she founded leadership programs at the Rockefeller Foundation, and then in 2001 she founded Acumen. A not for profit that invests patient capital in businesses that provide critical goods and services to people living in poverty. Acumen has invested $128 million of patient capital to build more than 130 social enterprises across Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. These companies have leveraged an additional $611 million of invested funds, and brought basic services like affordable education, health care, clean water, energy and sanitation to more than 308 million people. Now that’s impact. Jacqueline really is a force of nature, she has a heart of gold, but she also has a steely focus on how to get a deal across the line. And I feel I’ve found a kindred spirit in Jacqueline, we’re both translators, straddling the worlds of finance and social development, trying our best to tell the stories of hope in a world that’s looking more chaotic by the day. I really hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. There’s so many really valuable insights here, especially towards the end when Jacqueline offers advice on how we can all shift our careers to have more purpose. All the show notes are at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy!

On the show today I have William Wu, he’s portfolio manager at Melior Investment Management, he teaches courses in sustainable investing at UNSW and he advises on boards of purpose-led businesses. Will and I have had some great conversations in the past, and it was a pleasure to take it further today. We discussed how you can have an impact when investing in public markets, how ESG is evolving and the changing ways investors can influence the companies that are playing a growing part in our society. Now Melior is only young and they’ve just completed their first impact report, so it was useful to understand how they’re starting out, where they hope to get to, and down the track we can check-in and get an update on progress. So let’s dive in. For all the show-notes and links you can go to my website at www.johntreadgold.com And, if you’d like to help spread the word about the show, please leave a review on itunes, it would be much appreciated. And someone else who’s helping spread the message is RIAA, that’s the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. They have over 300 members managing more than $9 trillion in assets globally. They do great work and they’ve come on board to help support a series of upcoming episodes featuring the leading names in responsible investing. Head to www.ResponsibleInvestment.org to find out all about it. Enjoy

Michael O’Leary was part of the team that founded BainCapital’s DoubleImpact fund, he’s been flying the flag for the evolution of finance for many years, and he’s published a book it’s called Accountable: The rise of Citizen Capitalism. Michael’s book manages the difficult task of talking about the new world of capitalism without being preachy. He brings together the nature and stories of the world’s biggest companies, and ties them to the many ways both investors and consumers are becoming increasingly empowered to influence and drive change at these companies. You can find a link to his book in the show notes, at www.Johntreadgold.com and that’s where you’ll also find the whole back catalogue of previous episodes if you want to hear from more impact leaders. Enjoy!

My guest this week is Sir Ronald Cohen. Ronnie has been a venture capitalist, private equity investor, and leader of the global impact investing revolution. He was co-founder and Executive Chairman of Apax Partners, And today, he’s the Chairman of the Global Steering Group on Impact Investing (GSG) which followed the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force. He’s Chairman and co-Founder of The Portland Trust, co-founder of Social Finance UK, US, and Israel, and co-founder of Bridges Fund Management. Plus, he’s written a book, it’s called Impact: Reshaping capitalism to drive real change. I’ve looked forward to this conversation for a long time. And right now, is a perfect moment to speak with Ronnie, partly because he’s published a book all about impact, but also, because of the revolutionary work he’s done in the contributing to the concept of Impact Weighted Accounts. It takes transparency to a new level and it has the potential to change the very foundations of accounting that we’ve depended on for decades. But we didn’t just talk about impact measurement, I wanted to know about the pivotal moments of Ronnie’s life when he left Egypt as a boy, to travel to England, and how that shaped his mindset. As well as his time at Oxford, Harvard, and the many stages of his career in finance. I got so much out of this one, and I hope you do too. Now for all the show-notes and links, jump onto my website at www.Johntreadgold.com And, you can leave us a review on iTunes, because that helps to spread the message of the show. And someone else who’s helping spread the message is RIAA, that’s the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. They have over 300 members managing more than $9 trillion in assets globally, they’re the largest network of people and organisations engaged in responsible, ethical and impact investing across Australia and New Zealand. They do great work and they’ve come on board to help support a series of upcoming episodes featuring the leading names in responsible investing. Head to www.ResponsibleInvestment.org to find out more. Enjoy the show

Rachel Etherington is a committed advocate for sustainable investing, she understands impact, ESG and the SDGs, but she’s also enthusiastic. Rachel is a specialist financial advisor at Crestone, she helps her clients manage their wealth inline with their values, but that’s only half the story. She’s on the board of the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, and she’s on the board of Future Super. Every time I speak with Rachel I come away a little bit wiser about the world of sustainability and finance, but more than that, I come away with a renewed sense of optimism. And today’s chat was no different. I really hope you enjoy it. For all the show-notes and links, jump onto my website at www.Johntreadgold.com And, you can leave us a review on iTunes, because that helps to spread the message of the show. And someone else who’s helping spread the message is RIAA, that’s the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. They have over 300 members managing more than $9 trillion in assets globally, they’re the largest network of people and organisations engaged in responsible, ethical and impact investing across Australia and New Zealand. They do great work and they’ve come on board to help support a series of upcoming episodes featuring the leading names in responsible investing. Head to www.ResponsibleInvestment.org to find out all about it. Enjoy the show!

Michael Traill is one of the founding-heroes of impact investing in Australia. He led a pioneering finance deal in 2009 which bought out the assets of the struggling child-care company ABC Learning. He revived the business as Goodstart Early learning, which remains Australia’s biggest child-care centre group. And a foundational story of impact investing in Australia. Since then the sector has grown, and last year the Federal government setup a taskforce to make recommendations about what they can do to help nurture impact investing. And in their wisdom, they made Michael the chair. The taskforce published an interim report at the end of 2019 and final recommendations were due to be released in the middle 0f 2020. But covid-19 put a spanner in the works, and the report’s been delayed. So, with lots of my listeners eager to hear about progress, I thought now would be a great time to invite Michael onto the show. As usual all the show notes are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com Enjoy

I have Viktor Shvets on the show today. He not only runs Macquarie Bank’s office in Hong Kong, but he’s also written a book. It’s called “The Great Rupture: Three Empires, Four Turning Points, and the Future of Humanity”, it’s an impressive read, it pulls together history, economics, geo-politics and psychology to try and map how the mis-steps of key empires, in the past, can help us prepare for a very uncertain future. Viktor doesn’t shy away from the big issues in his book, and we cover it all in this episode. He offers one of the best explanations I’ve heard for the origins and the impacts of the debt-bomb that’s been building ever since Alan Greenspan’s infamous Put, that began pumping money into the financial system, in response to the 1987 stock market crash. And while the debt continues to grow today, of course the big question is, when will the music stop? We go deep on this episode. We look at the History of China, it’s missed opportunities to globalize many centuries ago, and its rapid rise in the new information age. And, I quiz Viktor about whether our addiction to economic growth is compatible with a healthy environment. It seems clear that the financialisation of our world means we’ve pushed beyond the carrying capacity of our eco-system. So, can we step away from the brink, before it’s too late? All the show notes are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com, plus, a long list of book recommendations from Viktor. Enjoy!

I have the co-directors of the Yunus Centre at Griffith University on the show today. Ingrid Burkett and Alex Hannant have published a paper called Roadmap to Recovery and Regeneration, it recognises that right now is a pivotal moment for renewal. Ingrid Burkett has a masters in business and she’s a graphic designer. She uses design-thinking to drive innovation and entrepreneurialism across all aspects of social impact. She was previously President of the International Association for Community Development, and she was the Inaugural Social Design Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW and UWA. Alex Hannant has a Masters in Development, and his research is focused on social entrepreneurship. Alex was previously CEO of the Ākina Foundation in New Zealand, and he serves on the Board of B-Lab Australia and New Zealand. I really enjoyed this conversation, these two are clearly a great team, with complimentary skill-sets and a united vision for what they hope the Yunus Centre can achieve. All the papers and articles are at: www.Johntreadgold.com And if you feel the urge, please leave a review on iTunes, because it helps more people find the show. Enjoy!

John Elkington has been at the forefront of environmental research, advocacy and writing since the 70’s. He launched a consulting company called SustainAbility, long before the term had become the buzzword that it is today. He’s a writer, a speaker, and a provocateur. A lot of his work has been in corporate sustainability, helping companies adapt and innovate amid environmental and social change. Plus, he written a new book, it’s called Green Swans. It riffs on the concept of Black Swans, popularized by Nassim Taleb. But instead of representing unexpected catastrophic events, Green Swans represent an opportunity, for positive change. In this episode, we discussed: • The seismic shifts occurring in 2020, and the prospects for the decade to be one of huge change, “The exponential decade”. • Why incumbent industries resist change, even when they can foresee their own demise. • The importance of government to legislate for clean-energy. • And the sad reality that government’s may need to pay big dollars to keep fossil fuels in the ground (akin to how the slave-trade was ended). • Change comes from the edge of systems, disruptors aren’t going to be found in big-multi-national companies. • Is the human brain capable of dealing with a challenge like climate change? Or should we use artificial intelligence to take-over where we have failed? • John’s early years, and how he quit economics to pursue environmental management. • His work in corporate sustainability, and his role as ‘the grit in the oyster’, to drive change in organisations, where there are incentives to stick with the status-quo. • The power of science-fiction to predict the future. And the rise of Chinese sci-fi as the most prescient looking-glass. Enjoy, and be sure to let me know your thoughts over at www.johntreadgold.com

There’s plenty of uncertainty in the world right now, but optimism is returning. We’ve got a battered economy, and lots of people out of work, but for impact investors, that’s an opportunity. It’s a chance to build-back better. The Responsible Investment Association of Australasia, aka RIAA, have just released their Benchmarking Impact report for 2020. So I’ve managed to wrangle the CEO, Simon O’Connor, to come back on the show and tell us all about it. The report captures the full spectrum of work being done on impact investing in Australia. It looks backward to gauge performance, as well as forwards, laying out expectations of the country’s most progressive investors. Simon’s no stranger to the podcast, he’s been on before discussing his role as co-chair of the Australia Sustainable Finance Initiative. And he was very generous to jump on without much notice. Have a listen, and then jump onto the website at www.johntreadgold.com to find a link to the report. Enjoy!

Bronwyn King is not a fund manager, she’s a doctor. Nonetheless she’s led a personal crusade to help the finance industry to wise up about the true impacts of investing in smoking. And as of last year her team were responsible for getting a massive $1.3 trillion in pension dollars to be invested under tobacco-free policies. Cigarettes kill millions of people every year. And the unfortunate truth is that many Australians actually have money invested in these companies. Whether they know it or not, many super funds still have big holdings in big tobacco. Dr King is a true influencer. She speaks with confidence and conviction, she’s backed up by piles of research and she’s isn’t easily intimidated. She’s honed her pitch in board rooms, at the UN and even on the TedX stage. Bronwyn knows well the semantic gymnastics that can be played to dodge questions about how tobacco companies can make it into ESG funds. But this is not an issue that can be dealt with through engagement, there’s no healthy dose of smoking. And please note that this episode was recorded on the 4th of March, was well before the corona virus restrictions were in force. It would be the last time I was able to record in the studio. Hopefully, we’ll be back in there soon. For all the show notes, go to www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy!

I’ve wanted to have Phil Vernon on the show ever since I started this podcast. Phil was CEO of Australian Ethical investments for ten years before he stood-down last year. Australian Ethical has been hugely influential in the responsible investment industry, through leading the discussion on how to invest ethically, while also offering a superannuation option that makes you money for your retirement, and, ensuring the environment is in good shape when you finish working. They’re no charity, they’re a for-profit business, and under Phil’s control they saw the company’s market cap boom from $20 million to almost $300 million today. Phil’s the real deal. In the lead-up to the GFC he was deep in the world of finance, working in securitisation, and so he saw all too clearly the greed and excess that built into a debt bubble, that was always going to blow up. Phil saw the light and moved over to Australian ethical in 2009 where he helped build and shape an ethical approach to finance in Australia. He weathered the GFC, but with excellent timing, he stood down last year, and so avoided being a CEO amid a global health pandemic. That’s not to say he’s not been busy. We discussed his work with Beyond Zero Emissions, as well as his work with startups. And Phil will always be a strong advocate for building an ethical path for finance, for battling climate change and empowering people to invest in line with their values. The show notes are all on my web site at www.johntreadgold.com And if you’re keen to help spread the word, please leave a review on itunes. It’ll only take you 30 seconds, and it really does help spread the word. Enjoy!

Remy Briand is head of ESG at MSCI. It’s one of the world’s leading stock market index providers and they assess more than 7,500 companies on their ESG performance. Remy lives in Geneva and he’s an outspoken advocate for the importance of considering environmental, social and governance factors when making investment decisions. In the world of responsible investing, there’s one data point that’s quoted more than any other, it says: that over the past ten years, Sustainable investment funds have earned better returns than their mainstream peers. It’s great news, but today I want to go deeper. I want to look at how we define sustainable companies and how they’ve fared in the market crash brought on by the corona virus. Remy is a wealth of information and insights about the evolution of ESG investing. We don’t shy away from digging into the more technical details about sustainable investing frameworks, and both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I really learned a lot in this one. Remy pulled me up on a number of assumptions that I’d made. and It was really valuable to get a broader view into how we can extend the adoption of the ESG approach, and expand the breadth of metrics we use to gauge the performance of the companies we invest in. The show notes are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com, and be sure to head over to my LinkedIn page to continue the discussion. Enjoy!

Roger Montgomery is one of Australia’s leading fund managers, he’s an author, a regular economic commentator and he’s been watching the corona virus situation unfold… long before it hit the headlines. He’s the founder and CEO of Montgomery Investment Management, he manages money for individuals and families, and it’s great to get a chance to speak to him as we watch financial markets go through a historic correction, after a decade long bull run. For all my listeners out there, I wanted to bring you a deeper look at what’s going on, in the stock market, to get insights from experts who are at the coal-face, but also, to explore how sustainable investments and ESG funds have performed after a decade of strong returns. Now Roger shared his thoughts on the corona virus and its impacts. We dug into the government’s response, as well as how small businesses and the hospitality industry can be helped through this crisis. I also wanted to go deep on the period since the GFC of 2009 when interest rates were cut to zero. Since then interest rates and wage growth have stayed low. While asset prices have headed to record highs, and I wanted to know why. But also, where we go next, as central banks around the world have fired all their ammunition, and now have very few options to stimulate the economy. The show notes are on my website at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy

Alex Vynokur is the CEO and founder of Betashares, and he’s well placed to help us understand the market impact of the corona-virus, and what we can expect in coming months. Betashares is only ten years old, but it pioneered the use of ETF’s, or exchange traded funds here in Australia. And they have a suite of ethical and sustainable funds that they manage through their own investment committee. Alex is a business-man, and he’s a fund manager. He’s been deep in the Australian financial sector for a long time. So I value his views on the reaction that we’ve seen from the public, the government and markets, to the corona crisis. We talked about the impacts ETF’s have had on investing over the past decade, and also, how resilient they’ve proved to be in a major correction. Plus the decision making process for removing companies that don’t live up to their ethical and sustainability standards. All the show notes are at www.johntreadgold.com Enjoy!

Today I’m joined by Ant Moorhouse. He’s a champion problem solver who cut his teeth in the military, before discovering entrepreneurialism. Now, he’s back in Australia where he’s furiously re-tooling his social enterprise, EarthTech, to discover and fund the enterprises that are working on solutions to beat corona virus, and more long-term, to help boost the recovery of the businesses and communities that are most hard hit. Ant is a great storyteller, and he’s had a really rich life. What I took from this conversation is that the new breed of businesses, the digital natives, really have resilience and adaptability at their core. They’re agile, because they have to be in such a competitive industry, but that works well in a health crisis, amid a pandemic, where staff can shift to work online, and the wisdom of the crowd can be distilled to solve big problems. All the show notes are on my website at www.Johntreadgold.com Enjoy!