The Green Dream

This interview is with George Bishay and Murray Ackman from the Regnan Credit Impact Trust team. In this discussion we demystify impact bonds, with some real life stories about the positive social and environmental impact that bonds can provide. George's investment management career spans over 30 years with Regnan's parent Pendal and its predecessor firms. He has also worked across numerous fixed income, credit and money market portfolios in fund management, credit analysis and dealing roles in that time. George holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Business, and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.Murray joined Pendal in 2020 to provide fundamental credit analysis and integrate ESG research across credit funds. Before joining the team, Murray worked as an independent consultant measuring ESG for family offices and Private Equity firms. Prior to this Murray was a Research Fellow at the Institute for Economics and Peace where he led research for the Institute on the Sustainable Development Goals, violent extremism and engagement with business. He has also worked as a management consultant and for a welfare organisation. Murray holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations, a First Class Honours degree and a Bachelor of Law from the University of New South Wales.We hope you enjoy this discussion with George Bishay and Murray Ackman of the Regnan Credit Impact Trust. You can check out Regnan and this fund at regnan-credit-impact-trust. See also:- the-social-bond-that-found-an-affordable-house-for-mum-to-be-kaitlyn - impact-investors-helped-stacey-and-luna-find-low-cost-housing- women-like-nasima-are-finding-a-career-path-with-help-from-regnan-investorsWe wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment

This interview is with Tim Crockford, who leads the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions team. In this wide ranging discussion we cover Trump 2.0, investing in climate adaptation as well as mitigation, smart grids, water leaks, AI, EV's, innovative Indonesian banking, and other positive impact investments.  Tim co-founded the Hermes Impact team in 2016 and managed the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund from its launch in 2017. He joined Hermes in 2009, later becoming lead portfolio manager of the ESG-integrated Hermes Europe ex-UK Equity Fund. Before that, he was an analyst at both Sourcecap International and Execution Limited. Tim was raised and educated in Malta, graduating from the University of Malta in 2006 with a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree.We hope you enjoy this discussion with Tim Crockford of the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions team.  You can check out Regnan and this fund at regnan-global-equity-impact-solutions-fund. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging.  

I always enjoy my conversations with the team at NorthStar Impact Funds, and this interview with Claudia Kwan is no exception. Claudia has a thoughtful and passionate perspective on impact investing - it's not about ticking boxes or keeping up appearances, it's about solving real-world problems by investing in innovative companies offering practical, viable solutions. We get to the heart of Impact Investing, which fundamentally is about creating positive impact whilst making an investment return. Refer Impact case study on SciDev hereClaudia has over 15 years of experience as a business and investment professional with extensive experience in stock research. Prior to joining NorthStar Impact, she was a Senior Investment Analyst with Morphic Asset Management, and also had roles at Smithtan Asset Management in Hong Kong, Morgan Stanley (HK), Management Consultant in China, and Saltbush Funds management.Claudia has a Bachelor of Business/ Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from University of Technology, Sydney.I hope you enjoy listening to this interview with Claudia Kwan of NorthStar Impact Funds (Note that NorthStar was formerly known as Inspire Australian Equities, and I interviewed Founder and CIO Kerry Series back in December 2021, if you'd like to go back and listen to that episode.   You can check out their website at: northstarimpact. Link to DISCLAIMERS We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.   

An Ethical Investment Week 2024 interview: 'What type of ethical investor are you?'It's been 3 years since we had a chat to Australian Ethical about their ethics, and they have grown substantially since then. Today we're excited to interview Persephone Fraser, who is the (Acting) Ethical Stewardship Lead at Australian Ethical. In addition to the Stewardship role, she performs ethics research to define AE's sustainable investment universe. She is responsible for assessing investments against the Australian Ethical Charter, evaluating the impacts of industries and investments on people, animals and the planet.   She is also responsible for policy advocacy and strategic engagement work streams and communications, with her focus areas being climate change, including high emitting and hard to abate sectors like built environment, and transition facilitating activities like transition minerals and hydrogen. Before joining Australian Ethical in 2020, Persephone worked in research across the Climate Justice Initiative, Common Capital, Reconciliation Australia, and the Greens. I'll clarify an acronym mentioned: M&A –stands for ‘Mergers and Acquisitions', which describes the consolidation of multiple companies and their assets through a range of financial transactions – for example, via a takeover or sale of a business.We hope you enjoy this discussion with Persephone Fraser of Australian Ethical. We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. You can check out Australian Ethical at australianethical.com.au, and detailed infomration about their ethical charter and criteria here. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment. 

Today's interview is with Madeleine Huynh, ESG Analyst and Assistant Equities Analyst at Perennial Partners. This is our second Green Dream interview on the Better Future Fund, with the first being a discussion with Damian Cottier in September 2022 called ‘Aligning Profit with Purpose', if you'd like to go back and have a listen. In this discussion, as well as talking about the fund holdings I wanted to focus on the work that is being done behind the scenes on reducing emissions, combatting modern slavery and prioritising women's leadership, at both board and executive levels.  Maddie joined the Perennial Better Future team in 2021. Prior to joining Perennial, she undertook a cadetship at UBS Investment Bank and rotated across their equities and global banking divisions. Maddie holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney. She is passionate about pursuing strong, consistent investment returns for investors, while driving improved social and environmental outcomes for the community.We hope you enjoy this discussion with Maddie Huynh of the Perennial Better Future Trust. You can check out the Better Future Trust at better-future-fund. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment. Also here's the link to the Alison Roman recipe that Maddie mentioned! salted-butter-chocolate-chunk-shortbread    We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. 

In this discussion with Tom King of Nanuk Asset Management we venture into the heart of the nuclear debate. Nuclear energy is an enigma…on paper, it presents itself as a low-emission ‘knight in shining armour' solution against climate change. However, as we delve into the details, we confront the stark realities – the main challenges are the huge financial burden and the formidable competitors in the form of low cost renewable energy sources. We explore whether nuclear power is the solution we've been seeking, or merely a diversion from more economical and efficient renewable alternatives. It's time to strip away the facade and examine the true cost of our choices in the pursuit of net zero.Tom King joined Nanuk in 2009 and is a director, chief investment officer and portfolio manager with the team. He has approximately 20 years' investment industry experience in equity funds management, investment banking and private equity. Tom holds a first class honours degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. Topics mentioned in the discussion:·        The NuScale Power cost blowout:  small-modular-nuclear-reactor-that-was-hailed-by-coalition-as-future-cancelled-due-to-rising-costs·        Craig Reucassel on ABC iview: fight-for-planet-a-our-climate-challengeI hope you enjoy this interview with Tom King of Nanuk Asset Management. You can check out Nanuk's website at: www.nanukasset.comFor more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au and Ethical Investment Advisers www.ethicalinvestment.com.au.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging.  

Today, our focus turns to property. Andrew Cole is Head of ESG at Charter Hall, a prominent Australian property group that is once again highly rated 2023 Global Real Estate Benchmark (GRESB) rankings. GRESB is widely considered to be the leading ESG assessment for real estate, providing a reporting framework for property portfolios and measurement  of sustainability performance. It assesses an eye watering 7.2 trillion USD of gross asset  value under management across  74 countries, and it offers an assessment of like for like environmental performance at the asset and entity level for property energy, emissions, water and waste. So how does Charter Hall achieve such a high sustainability ranking compared to global peers? In this episode, we discuss some of the various ESG initiatives which contribute to Charter Hall's high sustainability ranking compared to global peers. We'll explore how their commitment to sustainability isn't just greenwash, but is embedded in the company's culture.Andrew joined Charter Hall in 2021 from Lendlease where he worked for more than 14 years. Prior to this, Andrew worked with the NSW Department of Planning, supporting sustainability policy for residential homes and industry engagement. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Andrew Cole. Check out the Charter Hall website at www.charterhall.com.au For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

It's been two years since my first chat with Nick Edgerton – and it's clear that creating positive impact is still at the core of his decision making, and also that he still has his infectious enthusiasm for sustainable investment. Nick is a Portfolio Manager with the Sustainable Funds Group at Stewart Investors. Nick joined the team in 2012, and he is the lead manager of the Worldwide Sustainability strategy. Previously, Nick worked as an analyst, consultant, public servant, and academic in sustainability and economics. You can find my first interview with Nick, ‘Antarctica, Coconuts, Microbes and Yoghurt', on the podcast webpage. I hope you enjoy this interview with Nick Edgerton of Stewart Investors. Check out the Stewart Investors website at www.stewartinvestors.com For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au   We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” Arthur Ashe. Welcome to a special episode of The Green Dream, where we dive deep into the heart of this year's Ethical Investment Week theme: "Building a sustainable legacy." Our guest today is the inspirational Claire O'Rourke. She is a campaigner, communicator and behavioural change expert working to transform Australia into a global leader in climate solutions. She is also the author of the new book, 'Together We Can.'In this episode, we'll explore how Claire's work aligns perfectly with the core ethos of Ethical Investment Week. Her book is more than just a read; it's a toolkit in which she diagnoses the problems we face, undertakes extensive research, interviews many people, and then presents solutions in a easily digestible format. Claire's insights and dedication to creating a more sustainable world will undoubtedly leave you feeling empowered to take meaningful steps towards building a sustainable legacy of your own.So, settle in and get ready to be inspired as we learn about transformative change and empowerment with the indefatigable Claire O'Rourke.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. Links: ·        Claire's website (& book ‘Together We Can') ·        Ethical Investment Week and the Ethical Adviser's Co-op·        Tony Seba's Rethink X For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    

This episode is fairly unique, because we're talking about a new film release and ethical investment stock picks in the same conversation, and that's because our interviewee has two careers – one in film, and one in investment.  Mark Forstmann has written and produced a new film called Climate Changers, which follows Tim Flannery's search for leadership on climate change. In it, Tim travels the world meeting leaders past and present in the hope of finding answers to his questions about the future. It is currently being  screened at selected film festivals, with a full release in September/October this year.  Mark is an Independent Investment Analyst and is currently a member of our Ethical Advisers Funds Management (EAFM) Investment Committee, so we took the opportunity to discuss some current investment examples within our Mid-Cap Australian Share portfolio. Please note that this is general information only, and not specific investment advice. Mark has 28 years' experience in investment markets including equities, currencies and fixed interest. Mark has worked with ethical fund managers such as Hunter Hall, Future Super and Morphic Asset Management, and served on the Board of the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Sydney University.In his second career, Mark Forstmann is a producer, director, and writer with experience ranging across drama and documentary. A graduate of Australian Film, TV & Radio School, his first feature as writer-director, MONKEY PUZZLE, won awards at several international film festivals, including the Best Environment Film at Shanghai International Film Festival.Mark refers to recent carbon dioxide emissions  - refer to CO2 emissions - Our World in Data for a detailed reference. Finally, I'd like to explain a financial term that Mark refers to: EBIT (or EBITDA): this is an acronym for 'Earnings before interest and tax' (for EBIT) or the slightly more elaborate 'Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation' (in the case of EBITDA). In short, it shows how much operating expenses are eating into a company's profits, and the higher the EBITDA margin, the less risky a company is considered financially. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Mark Forstmann. We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and EAFM and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest, EAFM and ethicalinvestment.  

David Blood is considered by many to be one of the pioneers of sustainable investment management. Almost 20 years ago in 2004, David created Generation Investment Management alongside Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States, and they now manage around $43bn USD.  We don't normally talk about performance on this podcast, but I will make an exception for this fund. Since inception of the Generation Global Share Fund in October 2007, 15 and a half years, the fund has returned 9.9% pa, almost 3% better than the benchmark, which has returned 7.05%. This is an important example - don't let anyone tell you that active managers can't beat the index, let alone sustainability funds! Note that this is a slightly different format to our usual interviews (thus the slightly longer intro!). It's from a presentation that David gave in Sydney, titled ‘Sustainable investing (done right) is capitalism at its best'. Firstly, David gives an autobiographical intro for about 15 minutes. He talks about his unexpected pathway into finance, corporate culture, and the fact that all businesses create impact - and it's critical that we measure that impact. This is an important point, because Generation doesn't like to label what they do as ethical ESG, or impact investing per se – instead they consider a company's overall impact, and measure it to get a feel for the positive outcomes they can generate. He acknowledges that they compete against mainstream funds – but they are focused on investing sustainability, and being advocates for sustainability. The second half of the discussion is David being interviewed by Julia Harley, an Ethical Adviser's Co-op Adviser with a firm called Ethinvest in Sydney, and the MC Graham Rich.David points out that on the current trajectory, we will miss all 17 of the UN SDG targets, as well as the attempt to limit global warming to 1.5c. He highlights the need for urgent change and the fact that we can't rely on governments to do it. Generation invests with the mission to seek transformational change to drive to a net zero, prosperous, equitable, healthy and safe society. They wants us to change the way we think about capital – we need to put a price on impacts inlcuding emissions, pollution, and so on. Previously, David spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs including serving as CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. David received a BA from Hamilton College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Finally, I'd like to explain two terms that David refers to: -        ‘Alpha' is the excess return of an investment relative to the return of a benchmark index.-        Fiduciary Duty is the concept that those who manage other people's money act in their beneficiaries' interests, rather than serving their own interests (David discusses the idea that ‘Not considering sustainability means that you are not fullfilling your fiduciary duty – this is a key issue that many of Australia's largest Super funds have been struggling with in recent years') I hope you enjoy this presentation by David Blood. For more information about Generation see: generationim.com For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

There's not many fund managers that can say they can trace their origins back to a pub in Melbourne in 1840, 183 years ago! At that time, a group of eight people formed a friendly society to look after the health and wellbeing of its members. Since then, Australian Unity has continued to grow as a member-owned company, offering their members and customers health, wealth and care services.Matthew Moore is the Head of Responsible Investment and Stewardship at Australian Unity. He joined them in January 2022 from Uniting Financial Services, where he held the role of Head of Ethical Investments, having oversight of over $1.7 billion in assets under management, and responsibility for building and managing that organisation's responsible investment program. He was part of the team that issued the first SDG Bond by a Not for Profit in Australia. He is a long-standing member of the Altius Asset Management Sustainability Advisory Committee, currently Chair. He holds Master of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics degrees. In this discussion we cover the origin of ethical investment and social impact bonds, Australian Unity's creation of a highly regarded ‘Wellbeing index', dealing with modern slavery risks, creating a Reconciliation Action Plan, and a range of other areas. I'll break down some of the acronyms that are mentioned in the discussion – and links to explanations are provided in the show notes: UN SDG's; SDA: Specialist disability accommodation, HPT: Healthcare Property Trust & PIF: Property Income Fund, REIT: Real Estate Investment Trust, DD: Due Diligence; Semi/Supra BondsI hope you enjoy this conversation with Matthew Moore. You can find out more about Australian Unity here.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

In today's ruthless world of organised crime, the best criminals aren't foolish enough to steal money out of banks. They wear tailored suits, carry briefcases, and discreetly slip money into banks. In ethical investment we often talk about ‘ESG', ie the Environmental, Social and Governance impacts created by an investment. Environmental and Social impacts are pretty easy to understand and quantify, but the ‘G' often takes a back seat. How do we assess whether a company is run ethically, and ensure that it acts in the best interest of its stakeholders? Nathan Lynch's book, The Lucky Laundry, highlights how unethical practices can have a devastating impact on a company and its shareholders – and where some of Australia's biggest banks went wrong. In this discussion with Nathan, we delve deep inside this hidden world to explain how dark money has infected the lives of ordinary people - and tainted Australian democracy. He opens the curtain on the hidden world of financial intelligence, where crooks and spooks play a cat-and-mouse game inside the world's black money markets. Since being published in late 2022, The Lucky Laundry has already been longlisted for a 2022 Walkley Award and earned the Nathan the 2022 Financial Crime Fighter Award.To borrow from the blurb - Australia is awash with dirty money. It flows through our economy, keeps banks running, powers big business, puts coffee on restaurant tables, seeps into clubs, pubs, sport, the art world and anywhere that value is moved. It infiltrates real estate, costs billions in policing, and takes a terrible toll on Australian lives. What law enforcement agencies might lack in legislation and political will, they make up for with sheer resourcefulness. When they can't get at the masterminds and bigwigs, they have honed tactics that intercept the flow of illicit cash and aim to drive a wedge between crooks and their ill-gotten wealth.Nathan Lynch is a writer and international speaker who has spent two decades investigating the hidden world of dark money that fuels organised crime, corruption and violent extremism around the globe. His work peels back the layers of complex financial crime schemes. He is certified by the US Department of Justice's elite CCIPS Cybercrime Laboratory and is a program expert with the Financial Services Volunteer Corps, which provides support to developing countries to help them combat the scourges of money laundering and other serious financial crimes. Nathan has trained police, government officials and bankers across Asia and the Middle East on the techniques the world's criminals use to conceal and clean their dirty money.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Nathan Lynch. You can purchase Nathan's book at Amazon – Lucky Laundry. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

Founded in 1998, Impax Asset Management (Impax) is a London based specialist asset manager, investing in the opportunities arising from the transition to a more sustainable global economy. Impax has pioneered sustainable investment and today is one of the largest investment managers dedicated to this area. Impax seeks to invest in higher quality companies with strong business models and governance that demonstrate sound management of risk whilst being able to adapt intelligently to changing conditions (See Video link: The Next Economy – The Sustainable Economy).    In this interview I discuss Impax's Sustainable Leaders Fund with Sinéad Rafferty, Senior Investment Specialist at Fidante Partners. In addition to writing market insights and thought leadership, Sinéad presents to advisers and clients across various investment strategies and asset classes. She has 18 years' experience in the investment management industry across equities, fixed income, alternative assets and derivatives and also worked as a futures and options trader for a number of years.  She has a Bachelor of Commerce, Masters in Finance and is a CFA Charterholder. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Sinéad Rafferty of Impax. You can check out Impax at https://impaxam.com. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

In Ethical Investment Week 2022 we are highlighting the important work that is being done behind the scenes to create positive impact and improve corporate behaviour. So in this episode I am talking to Alex Hillman - a long term client and ethical investor, who works at ACCR. The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility are a philanthropically funded shareholder activist group. Self described as a Corporate Watchdog, they believe that limiting global warming to well below 2°C is in the interests of shareholders. Their mission is to deliver changes to the strategies of major listed companies, in Australia and globally, to decrease absolute, real world emissions, in line with the best available science. They do this through research and shareholder advocacy.In this discussion with Alex, we talk about Woodside, Santos, Origin, BHP and AGL, and also how investors can get involved in making a difference with shareholder activism. Alex has spent over a decade working in oil and gas, including five years as Woodside's climate change advisor. This has given him an understanding of the energy transition, LNG business models and technology, asset and company forecasting, climate policy, and climate reporting. Since starting work with ACCR, he has developed a keen interest in how climate change should be included in financial statements.I hope you enjoy this special Ethical Investment Week 2022 discussion with Alex Hillman of ACCR . We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging.  For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    You can check out ACCR here:ACCR: https://www.accr.org.au/ACCR's Shareholder Hub: https://hub.accr.org.au/AGL's Loy Yang Mine Closure: https://www.accr.org.au/news/agl-finally-reads-the-room-brings-forward-loy-yang-closure-by-10-years/SMH Business Article - Woodside: https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/ex-woodside-insider-rejects-gas-industry-s-clean-fuel-net-zero-claims-20220211-p59voq.html 

What are cave dwelling Troglodytes? Is it a coincidence that places of cultural significance often seem to be in resource rich areas, for example the planned Yeelirrie Uranium mine? Why should your Financial Adviser be aware of these issues? Join us for this special Ethical Investment Week 2022 interview with Kado Muir.   It's a year since my last podcast discussion with Kado, and a lot has happened in that time. In response to the Juukan Gorge incident, the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance was formed. In late 2021, Kado helped produce a Toolkit for Investors, designed to contribute to the protection of First Nations cultural heritage which is unique to this country and part of the common legacy of all Australians. Also, since Juukan Gorge, progress has been made in other areas - such as the Taskforce on Nature Based Financial Disclosure. In short, there's a lot happening which will assist both cultural heritage and biodiversity. Kado and I discuss this progress, along with exploring what companies can do to effectively engage with Aboriginal culture.  I hope you enjoy this discussion with Kado Muir.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.  Links:Its-not-worth-wiping-out-a-species-for-the-yeelirrie-uranium-mineTraditional-owners-lose-their-fight-stop-uranium-mine-waMourning-an-aboriginal-deathWhat-are-the-seven-sisters-songlines

Damian Cottier,  Portfolio Manager of the Perennial Better Future Trust (IMPQ),  says that Sustainable Investing is about more than just avoiding ‘Sin' stocks. It's about exploring what truly constitutes a truly sustainable investment and ensuring there is a strong alignment between profit and purpose.It's also about allowing investors access to the transition to a more sustainable and better future. A case study that we talk about is Calix, an industrial solutions company dedicated to solving global sustainability challenges. Their projects include separating carbon dioxide in the lime and cement production process (an industry responsible for around 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions), as well as partnering with Australian companies – for example working with Pilbara Minerals on the electrification of the lithium refining process.  Damian joined Perennial in 2002 and he has accumulated considerable experience during this time as a senior analyst in small, mid and larger cap stocks. Prior to joining Perennial, Damian worked as a lawyer in Sydney and Hong Kong in corporate law, mainly dealing with governance issues and mergers and acquisitions. He has law and commerce degrees from the University of NSW.I hope you enjoy this discussion with Damian Cottier of the Perennial Better Future Trust. We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. You can check out the Better Future Trust at https://einvest.com.au/impq. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    

WHEB Asset Management is not really a household name here in Australia, and nor are many of the companies that they invest in. Yet for many years, the WHEB team has made it their mission to invest with a focus on creating positive impact, which they have done successfully. Their 2021 impact report has just been released (WHEB-Final-Impact-Report-2021) and I would encourage you to check it out because it really leads the market in demonstrating the positive impact created by the fund, and importantly also mentions some of the areas where the outcomes aren't yet perfect. It's this transparency that makes WHEB stand out as a Fund Manager dedicated to ethical and sustainable investing. Victoria MacLean is an Associate Fund Manager who works with WHEB's team to generate investment ideas, research opportunities, and make stock recommendations based on in-depth analysis of companies and markets. Prior to joining WHEB, Victoria worked at Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) for over 10 years, with her last role as Investment Director. Victoria is a CFA Charterholder and has a Master's degree in Public Administration from the London School of Economics, and a degree in Law from the University of Edinburgh. Victoria also serves as a co-chair of the CFA Special Interest Group for Impact Investing, participated in ASI's diversity network, and was involved in numerous young professional & women's initiatives in finance.  I hope you enjoy this discussion with Victoria MacLean of WHEB Asset Management.    We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. You can find WHEB at  pengana.com/our-funds/wheb and www.whebgroup.com. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    

PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC) is one of the largest fund managers in the world, managing more than $2 trillion (USD) in assets for investors and focusing on active fixed income management. In this interview I discuss PIMCO's ESG Global Bond fund with Tina Adatia, executive vice president and product strategist in PIMCO's London office. Previously, Tina was an account manager focusing on the Middle East and North Africa region.  She joined PIMCO in 2004, has 17 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree in economics and actuarial science from the University of Southampton. The global bond market is larger than equity markets in size, so it is a crucial area for ethical investors seeking positive impact. Described as a pioneer in developing the green bond market globally, PIMCO's size and scale puts them in a position to be able to lead the industry and drive positive change. In this discussion we talk about the ESG Global Bond fund's focus on financing positive projects and investing in climate leaders - including reducing carbon emissions, better treatment of workers, and provision of basic services in developing countries. The fund's carbon intensity is 72% lower than the index - in real world terms, this is equivalent to taking over a million cars off the road for a year.  I hope you enjoy this discussion with Tina Adatia of PIMCO.    We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. You can check out PIMCO at www.pimco.com.au/en-au. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    Disclaimer:All $ amounts referenced are in USD and source citations are PIMCO unless stated otherwise.   ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONThis material may contain additional information, not explicit in the prospectus, on how the Fund or strategy is currently managed.  Such information is current as at the date of the presentation and may be subject to change without notice.DATAData has been provided for illustrative purposes and are not indicative of the past or future performance of any PIMCO product. Charts may not be to scale and users should take this into consideration when conducting analysis.ESG Socially responsible investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized, or judgment exercised, by PIMCO will reflect the beliefs or values of any one particular investor.  Information regarding responsible practices is obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting, which may not be accurate or complete, and PIMCO is dependent on such information to evaluate a company's commitment to, or implementation of, responsible practices.  Socially responsible norms differ by region.  There is no assurance that the socially responsible investing strategy and techniques employed will be successful.  Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.Disclaimers continued: www.justinvest.net.au/esg-global-bonds-pimco-disclaimers

In this episode I interview the author of a book called ‘The Rich Greenie, financial strategies for living well while saving the planet'. Stuart Barry is the owner and Senior Adviser at Tas Ethical, a Hobart firm which is part of our Ethical Investment Advisers licensee group. Stuart has almost 40 years experience in the industry, is a Certified Financial Planner and holds a Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business. He has actual hands-on experience in the complexities of the global financial markets, having worked in Hong Kong and South Korea for investment firms, as well as here in Australia. Stuart was a co-founder of the Ethical Advisers Co-op back in 2008, and was fundamental in establishing ‘Leaf Ratings' - Australia's first ethical super fund ratings system for consumers, which was the subject of our last episode.We talk about two of my favourite topics – work/life balance and travel (which is ironic as I was at home with Covid as I recorded this). Stuart has a busy family life (he is a father of 4), and as well as managing Tas Ethical, he still finds the time to volunteer for a range of organisations. His career has involved taking a year off twice, plus taking many extended travel breaks, including cycling from Canada to Mexico, backpacking in South America, trekking in Nepal, and much more. We also talk about The Rich Greenie, and unleashing your power as a consumer – a power that most people are unaware they have, but one that is capable of creating panic in the investment community…I hope you enjoy this discussion with Stuart Barry of Tas Ethical!  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.  You can check out The Rich Greenie at richgreenie.com. For more information about Stuart and Ethical Investment Advisers see: ethicalinvestment. For James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see justinvest.    

Have you ever wondered about super and investment funds that claim to be ethical or sustainable, but you suspect they might not be true to label? In today's episode I talk with Chris Lang about Leaf Ratings, which aim to eradicate green (& ‘rainbow') washing! You can find the web page at www.leafratings.org. Leaf Ratings are based on surveys done by Financial Advisers in the Ethical Advisers Co-Operative, and they aim to rate a fund in terms of its suitability for an average ethical investor. Each super and investment fund gets a rating out of 5, with a 2 page pdf attached - which you can click on to access the fund overview, ethical concerns and good points of each fund. The rating only considers the ethics of each fund and does not include any analysis of fees, performance or financial suitability. So who better to talk to about these ratings than Chris Lang, who is the Lead coordinator of the Co-op's Leaf-Ratings working group. Chris is an Adviser with Ethical Choice in Hobart, and is part of our Ethical Investment Advisers team. Chris graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Financial Planning, with distinction. He was accepted into a highly competitive national graduate program, and has worked as an adviser in Tasmania since. I hope you enjoy this discussion and encourage you to check out www.leafratings.org if you haven't already.We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.  For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers  see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  

In this discussion with Greg Liddell,  Director of Responsible Investments at BetaShares, we talk about the active management of passive funds that is going on behind the scenes by the BetaShares team. The sustainability focused Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) that we focus on in this interview aren't actively traded, but are run like index funds, with an ethical overlay. However for Greg & the BetaShares Responsible Investment Committee, they actively deal with a range of issues relating to the companies held in these portfolios, and will engage with those companies via dialogue and voting to make their voice heard. For example we discuss General Insurers and the way they deal with extreme weather events such as the recent floods on the east coast, controversy at video game manufacturer Activision Blizzard, and a range of other issues such as mining cobalt in the Congo, Board diversity, animal welfare and reducing emissions...not to mention why they don't currently hold Tesla!  I hope you enjoy this discussion with Greg Liddell of BetaShares.   You can check out BetaShares at www.betashares.com.au.  For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.  

Andy Gracey describes Australian Ethical's funds as more than just “feel good” investments, having won a number of awards over the years. They are long term focused, and seek opportunities in growth areas with a sector specialist approach, whilst guided by their ethical charter (as I discussed with Stuart Palmer in Episode 3 of this podcast). Andy has worked in investment management for over 20 years. In 2003 he set up his own equities research business undertaking research services for a number of ASX listed companies and institutional investors, before joining Australian Ethical in December 2004. Andy assumed full portfolio management responsibility for the Australian Ethical Australian Shares Fund in April 2008, although he has been responsible for the small cap component of the Fund since August 2006, and he has been portfolio manager for the Australian Ethical Emerging Companies Fund since inception 6 years ago.   Andy graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies (Economics and Finance with an honours degree in Finance) in 1991.I hope you enjoy this discussion with Andy Gracey of Australian Ethical Investments (recorded just as the Omicron Covid variant was starting to spread).  You can check out their website at: www.australianethical.com.au. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.  

In this discussion with Kerry we explore Impact Investing: a style of investment dedicated to intentionally doing good and contributing to solutions. We discuss the ‘ABC' of ethical investing and explore the idea that capitalism rewards companies that make positive contributions both socially and environmentally. We talk about taking the measurement of impact to the next level, as well as a range of topics including regenerative agriculture and food, investing in renewables in Australia and thinking like a private equity investor. Kerry has advised or invested in equities since 1992. He co-founded Perennial Investment Partners in 1999, which achieved strong investment performance and reached $20 billion in assets under management within eight years. Subsequently, he was Head of Asia Pacific Equities at AMP Capital, and an Investment Director for HSBC Asset Management. Kerry founded 8IP in 2009 and is a Director of the firm. He is the CIO of the Inspire Australian Equities Impact Fund, which he launched in 2017. You can check out their website at: inspireaustralianequities. In his spare time, he was also the Chair of ‘Time Out' Magazine Sydney for 8 years!I hope you enjoy listening to this interview with Kerry Series of Inspire Australian Equities.  For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.    We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. 

In this interview I talk to a fellow Financial Planner, my colleague Karen McLeod. Career wise, we have a fair bit in common - like myself, she is an Authorised Representative of Ethical Investment Advisers, is a member of our Investment Committee, is accredited by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) as a Certified Financial Adviser, is a member and former Chair of the Ethical Advisers' Co-op, and has made the FS Power50 list of the 50 most influential Financial Advisers in Australia.  Karen has run her own practice in Brisbane since 2009 and is actively involved in all issues related to ethical investment, in fact you will often find her in the media discussing topical ethical investment issues. In 2010, she was appointed a board member for the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), a position which she still holds. She also sits on their Certification and Governance Committees. Karen is also a Certified Financial Planner, and holds a Bachelor of Business degree. You can find Karen at: www.ethicalinvestment.com.au  In this discussion we try to cut through the jargon, and explain how issues like modern slavery, engagement, divestment, stewardship, and greenwashing apply in the real world of ethical investing for clients. We also get an insight into why Karen chose to focus on investing ethically for clients, and how she helps investors make greener choices, which are authentic and true to label.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present & future. 

Hello and welcome to our special Ethical Investment Week (EIW) podcast! The theme for EIW 2021 is Wayfinding for ethical investment. In its simplest definition, wayfinding is about observing the natural world in order to work out your location, orient yourself towards your destination, set a course to get you there, then dynamically respond to signs as you journey. Wayfinding is as relevant for our times as it has been throughout history. By drawing upon ancient wisdom, modern wayfinders hold insights that can make a big difference for ethical investors and a sustainable future. On that basis, who better to talk to about rich Aboriginal cultural traditions than Kado Muir! Kado is Chair of the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance and the National Native Title Council. He is a Ngalia Traditional Owner and a Wati – a Goldfields Aboriginal cultural and community leader, and an anthropologist/archaeologist with many years' experience working in Aboriginal heritage, language preservation and maintenance, traditional ecological, education and native title research. Kado also operates a number of businesses including an Aboriginal art business, a Sandalwood company, and a heritage consultancy business. He is a long-time activist for bilingual and two way education, environmental and cultural heritage protection and promoting alternative community based enterprises, especially through his PhD university partnerships for research on Wealth in First Nations.On 24 May 2020, Rio Tinto destroyed a site that represented 46,000 years of culture and history for the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples of the Pilbara in Western Australia. The blast devastated a place of personal, community, national and international significance. People around the globe responded with shock and outrage. In talking to Kado, there's so much more to the story than this incident. Perhaps it's the straw that broke the camel's back, but we have so much work to do to understand cultural heritage protection. What is Free, Prior and Informed Consent? What do know about the sites we are destroying? I learnt a lot from Kado, and I couldn't let him go without giving us a dreamtime story – so make sure you stick around to the end for that! You can find Kado on LinkedIn & http://www.kadomuir.com.au To learn more about ethical investment week, please visit www.ethicaladvisercoop.com.au   For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. 

This interview is with Kate Temby of Affirmative Investment Management. I was keen to talk to an Impact bond manager to demystify the world of bonds, particularly those that can help communities or transform infrastructure in a sustainable way. We explain some of the jargon, talk about ‘Waci' budgets, and discuss how it's possible to create a positive social and environmental impact with bonds, without comprising returns. Their global bond fund holds about 110 bonds, representing over 2,000 projects across 136 countries. Kate has 29 years' industry experience, including Co-head of Asia Pacific Institutional Sales, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Research Sales at Goldman Sachs JBWere (NY), and Financial Risk Consultant at PWC (Melbourne/Toronto). She has a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University Australia, and is an Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate.  Affirmative Investment Management (AIM) is a global fixed income manager focused on delivering mainstream market returns with impact. AIM is the world's first fund manager to dedicate their investment strategy to impact bonds, including labelled green bonds, social bonds and sustainable bonds. AIM's innovative formula is a fusion of mainstream portfolio management and sustainability, providing positive solutions to global challenges. AIM's focus is to promote robust verification and reporting, along with active engagement, whilst ensuring repeatable performance and sustainable impact. Established in 2014, AIM is 100% owned by its employees and headquartered in London, with offices in Washington and Sydney. You can check out their website at: affirmativeim.com I hope you enjoy this discussion with Kate Temby.  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we're recording on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.

In this podcast I interview Dr Stuart Palmer, the Head of Ethics Research at Australian Ethical. Stuart evaluates the impacts which companies' products, services and operations have on people, animals and the environment. So if you ever wondered why a particular company is or isn't in Australian Ethical's portfolios, Stuart is your man. He is the gatekeeper of Australian Ethical's charter, a list of 23 principles that have been part of the company constitution since 1986. The charter not only guides all of their investments, but also underpins all elements of Australian Ethical's business…it effectively filters out companies that don't match their ethical criteria. So in order to better understand this process, we did an ‘ethical Q&A' - I threw some stock names at Stuart, and asked him clarify whether that company was ‘in' or ‘out', based on ethics! This is part one of a two part discussion with Australian Ethical – in our second interview, we will be looking at the decision making processes around stock picking, once the ethical filtering has been done. Australian Ethical is an award winning ethical wealth management company based in Sydney. Australian Ethical has over $6 billion in funds under management and over 66,000 clients. It is one of the fastest growing super and investment funds in the country by both number of members and funds under management. 10% of Australian Ethical's profits fund the Australian Ethical Foundation and its Community Grants program. The company was a founding B Corp in Australia, and the first publicly listed company in Australia to achieve B Corp status. You can check out their website at: www.australianethical.com.auI hope you enjoy listening to this interview with Stuart Palmer of Australian Ethical. For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au   We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we're recording on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. 

 I recorded this interview whilst the 2021 Tokyo Olympics were underway, which was fitting because Tom King won a gold medal for sailing at the Sydney Olympics and was later awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to sport. It's not uncommon to apply skills acquired in the sporting arena in the business world, and Tom talks about there being some particularly strong parallels with sailing and investment. He says that sailing at the top level becomes "a decision making game played in a very dynamic environment against a large group of competitors". So it seems he is in the perfect role as Nanuk Asset Managements' Chief Investment Officer, and one of the firm's Portfolio Managers! He joined Nanuk in 2009 and has approximately 20 years' investment industry experience in equity funds management, investment banking and private equity. Tom holds a first class honours degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne.  Nanuk Asset Management was established in 2009 to develop world-leading expertise in the investment opportunities and risks associated with environmental sustainability and resource use efficiency. Their focus is global and they invest in listed companies associated with the broad themes of clean energy, energy efficiency, industrial efficiency, waste management, pollution control, food & agriculture, advanced & sustainable materials, water and healthcare technology. They are active, fundamental investors with a valuation based and research driven investment approach. Their portfolios are sustainably-themed and they incorporate positive and negative screening, ESG factors and values-based norms into their decision-making process. Nanuk is an independent firm, privately owned by its founders and with staff located in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and London. You can check out their website at: www.nanukasset.comI hope you enjoy listening to this interview with Tom King of Nanuk Asset Management.  For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au  We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.

It was great to have this chat with Nick Edgerton – his enthusiasm for sustainable investing is infectious, and whenever I talk to him I get the feeling that there's no cutting corners in terms of creating positive impact economically, socially and environmentally. It was a wide ranging discussion, from Antarctica, to coconuts, yoghurt, EV's, taxes and a lot in between – I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did! Nick is a Portfolio Manager with the Sustainable Funds Group at Stewart Investors. Nick joined the team in 2012, and he is the lead manager of the Worldwide Sustainability strategy. Previously, Nick worked as an analyst, consultant, public servant, and academic in sustainability and economics. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, and a Master of Science with Distinction in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh. Stewart Investors Sustainable Funds Group describe themselves as a small team of passionate investors managing investment portfolios on behalf of clients with a focus on high-quality companies that are well positioned to contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable development. You can check out their website at www.stewartinvestors.comFor more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future.