The Responsible Investor Podcast

With attacks on shareholder rights on both sides of the Atlantic and widespread rollbacks, rescissions and retractions of sustainability commitments, the relationship between investors and their portfolio companies is increasingly turbulent. In this episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast, Dominic Webb speaks to Sallie Pilot, managing director of the Investor and Issuer Forum, a UK-focused initiative aiming to improve the interactions between investors and listed companies in the country. The pair discuss how to improve conversations along the investment chain, some of the pain points in the relationship and how to strike a balance between equity market competitiveness and investor rights and information needs.

Transition finance investment products continue to gain popularity among investors, according to recent ESG fund flows reports. Yet it is not always possible to establish whether capital is being funnelled into the critical activities needed to transform carbon-intensive sectors. In this episode, Navindu Katugampola, global head of sustainability at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, explores best practices on transition finance based on his experience overseeing the $1.9 trillion US fund manager's activities in the area. Key topics discussed include what to look for in company transition plans, regulatory and policy developments, and the climate transition's regional characteristics.

Asset managers are under pressure to respond to a wide range of client demands on sustainability issues, from stewardship to decarbonisation, while grappling with a rapidly changing policy landscape. In this episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast, Wendy Cromwell, who heads up sustainable investment at Wellington Management, tells Elza Holmstedt Pell how the US giant navigates this, and how conversations with asset owners are evolving. This wide-ranging interview digs into engagement expectations, US policy changes, addressing physical climate risks, and the intersection between sustainability and key global investment themes.

In recent years, investors have increasingly been trying to work out how to best address deforestation in their portfolios.  How has action evolved over the years? What has been the impact of changes in the regulatory environment, in particular the EU’s deforestation regulation? And to what extent, is it currently possible to set deforestation-free portfolio targets?  Responsible Investor’s nature reporter Gina Gambetta sits down with Graham Stock, senior sovereign strategist, emerging markets at BlueBay Asset Management, to dig into these topics.  Stock is also the co-chair of the Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation (IPDD). Launched in 2020, the initiative involves investors engaging with policymakers in Brazil, Indonesia, the UK, US and Europe.  He gives behind-the-scenes insight into how the IPDD came into being, what the experience has been like so far, and how he sees it continuing to evolve going forward.

Investors are urgently seeking to understand how their portfolios will be affected by physical climate risks in the wake of more frequent extreme weather and regulatory changes. Climate risk data, and the related topic of adaptation and resilience, has also been a key focus of Responsible Investor's editorial content this year. We most recently published deep dives on both physical risk data and risk management as part of our COP30 Report. In this episode, Khalid Azizuddin speaks to Nick Stansbury, head of climate solutions at the asset management arm of Legal & General, about the challenges of working with data on physical climate risk.

Just over two years ago, the European Commission launched the first step in the long road to reform of the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). On 20 November, the Commission's proposed amendments to the law were released. These will introduce concrete product categories and do away with both entity-level PAI reporting and the definition of "sustainable investment". In this episode, Dominic Webb talks to Anne Schoemaker, head of regulatory and investment selection solutions at Morningstar Sustainalytics, and Dennis Baas, head of sustainability strategists at Allianz Global Investors, about the review, how it may affect the market and the next steps for SFDR.

With 2050 on the horizon and a challenging political and economic environment for companies looking to hit net zero, engagement on climate change is more important than ever. As part of its new climate and investors focus, Responsible Investor has published a series of articles looking at the future of climate engagement ranging from how climate collaborations are evolving to engagement with hard to abate sectors and how investors are responding to an increasingly challenging environment. In this episode, senior reporters Dominic Webb and Gina Gambetta discuss their findings and how investors across the world are evolving their approaches to climate stewardship.

Climate engagement has been on investors’ agendas for more than a decade. So what progress has been made in that time? What have we learned about what works and what doesn’t? And, crucially, what does that mean for how we move forward? To explore these questions, our editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker sat down with sustainability and stewardship veteran Colin Melvin of Arkadiko Partners. As co-author of the Principles for Responsible Investment and founder of engagement specialist Hermes EOS, he has been at the forefront of conversations on climate and corporate action for 20 years. In this episode, he discusses climate engagement in the era of ESG backlash, the role of fiduciary duty, how to prioritise corporate engagements, and the dangers of separating sustainability from core investment practice.

Over the course of his three years as comptroller of New York City, Brad Lander has guided the city's pension systems in achieving their climate targets, divesting from fossil fuel companies and seeing significant success with shareholder resolutions on a range of topics. Lander, whose term will end in January, joins The Responsible Investor Podcast to discuss his proudest achievements in office, the future of shareholder proposals and whether he thinks responsible investment can survive Donald Trump's second term. After declining to run for re-election in order to make a bid for the mayor's office, Lander also discusses what advice he would give to his successor and what he still wants to get done during his remaining time in office.

At $96 billion in assets, the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System is one of the largest public pension funds in the US. As of this year, it is also one of the few to have been handed a legal mandate to manage climate risk in its investments. In this episode, Oregon state treasurer Elizabeth Steiner discusses the state's new legislation on climate investment, the challenges and trade-offs of steering a giant portfolio towards net zero, and the conversations the fund is having with portfolio companies and asset managers over their climate rollbacks. Steiner spent over a decade as an Oregon state senator before being elected treasurer last year. Her responsibilities include running the state's debt management operations and savings programmes, as well as managing its pension funds and other investments.

After a turbulent first half of the year following the release of the EU's sustainability Omnibus, Brussels is back in session and gearing up for a busy autumn of discussions and decisions on how to simplify a number of sustainable finance regulations. Formal negotiations between EU lawmakers are expected to kick off shortly on proposed changes to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), while a consultation on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) will close at the end of this month. It comes as the European Commission last month promised the US that it will make efforts to ensure its corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence rules do not impose “undue restrictions” on transatlantic trade. In this episode, senior reporter Fiona McNally – who has been on the ground in Brussels – talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about the biggest things to watch for as the future of EU sustainability and green rules are determined.

In this episode, we are joined by Amy O'Brien, global head of responsible investing at asset manager Nuveen. She joins us to discuss her new book, A Field Guide to Responsible Investing: Asset Management in the Age of Polycrises. Drawing from her three decades of experience in responsible investment, the book "takes readers on a journey of the evolution of responsible investing, how it works today, why it’s integral to investment considerations, and how we can finally get a grip on its efficacy." This episode covers data dilemmas, what critics get right – and wrong – about responsible investment, what might help bridge the divide, and Amy's thoughts on the future of the responsible investment industry.

Increasing geopolitical uncertainty and the USA's decreasing reliability as an ally has triggered a massive boost in global defence spending. As investment managers and asset owners look to capitalise on the new opportunities, this has led to a wave of fund launches and changes to exclusions policies across the market. In this episode, senior reporter Dominic Webb talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about the latest developments in the market, the regulatory backdrop and how ESG investors are changing their minds on defence. Recent RI defence-related coverage includes: French and passive investors make up most Article 9 defence investments UK government and business call on investors to review defence exclusions ESG exclusions not preventing European defence investments, say French investors Pressure grows on UK LGPS funds over Israel divestment Defence round-up: Sector ‘generally incompatible’ with use-of-proceeds bonds, says Principles chair

The past six months have been dominated by EU sustainable finance regulatory developments, following the bloc's push to simplify and roll back several of the rules issued under its 2019 Green Deal. On this episode, we are joined by Helena Viñes Fiestas, commissioner at Spanish regulator CNMV and former chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance. Having worked in sustainable finance for more than a decade, she talks us through her thoughts on the ongoing sustainable finance regulatory developments and what outcomes she is hoping for amid efforts to simplify the rules.

The UK's fund labelling regime under the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and the European Securities and Markets Authority's new guidelines on the use of ESG terms in fund names have have sparked a wave of renaming, mergers, closures and portfolio reshuffling. On this episode, we are joined by Hortense Bioy, head of sustainable investing research at Morningstar Sustainalytics. Bioy walks us through the most recent regulatory changes and what they mean for the EU and UK sustainable fund landscape. She also discusses the major challenges for asset managers looking to comply with the rules instead of renaming.

ESG shareholder proposals have come under increasing scrutiny over the past few years, with debates focusing around their alleged prescriptiveness and quality. Support for these proposals also fell sharply from the record levels reached in 2021 before stabilising last year at around 20 percent. Last year also saw ExxonMobil sue Dutch NGO Follow This and Arjuna Capital over a climate resolution. The lawsuit ended with the case being dismissed but Arjuna Capital had to promise never to file a resolution at the oil major again. And following the election of Donald Trump, filers predicted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would be more likely to side with corporates, increasingly allowing them to block ESG proposals. So with all of this in mind, how are experts feeling about what we have seen so far this proxy season? How has the SEC's approach to ESG proposals shifted in 2025 – in particular, what has been the impact of Staff Legal Bulletin 14M (SLB14M)? And of the AGMs that have happened so far, what trends are emerging? To dig into all of this and more, RI's AGM reporter Gina Gambetta sat down with two experts in the space. First up, Lindsey Stewart, director of stewardship research and policy at Morningstar Sustainalytics. And for the second part of the episode, Gina spoke with Damion Rallis, co-founder of ESG research and analytics firm Free Float. 

It is now a matter of broad consensus that the world will overshoot its 1.5C temperature goal, but that does not mean there is nothing to be optimistic about, according to climate finance expert Jakob Thomä. He should know a thing or two about this topic. Thomä led the development of the first climate scenario analysis tool at 2 Degrees Investing Initiative and currently leads a think tank which makes predictions about future climate policy. He is also a professor in practice at SOAS and maintains a column here at RI. He joins the latest episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast to talk about AI, why continued demand for oil might not translate into emissions, and why modelling social factors is "super crazy difficult".

It’s been just over one month since the European Commission announced its much-anticipated sustainability Omnibus plans, which would heavily water down the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and EU Taxonomy. The EU executive wants the changes to be approved and implemented at a very quick pace, and much has already happened since the February announcement. In this episode, senior reporter Fiona McNally – who has been on the ground in Brussels – talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about recent developments and initial reactions to the proposals ahead of some of the big negotiations expected in April. Drawing on conversations with sources close to the process, the discussion will dig into the details of the CSRD corporate disclosure framework and how its data points could be “significantly reduced”, as well as what investors will miss out on and how they’ve responded to the Commission’s plans.

In recent years, corporates have increasingly been trying to work out how to approach nature reporting. How has the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) aided firms in their efforts? And what are the initial insights from Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) reports regarding how corporates are approaching ESRS E4 Biodiversity and ecosystems? Stephanie Hime, founder and managing director of sustainability-focused consultancy Little Blue Research, is well placed to explore these questions. She helped develop the Capitals Coalition’s natural capital protocol and sector guides, and is also the project lead for the International Organisation for Standardisation’s standard on natural capital accounting. In this episode, Hime sits down with RI’s nature reporter, Gina Gambetta, to explore how corporates have been evolving their approach to nature reporting, what resources are available to help those getting started, and what key developments they should be aware of.

Asset owners across the UK, Europe and US are sharpening their focus on asset manager stewardship, and an increasing regulatory focus on stewardship outcomes and transition-focused products is leading investors to think harder about how they can demonstrate that their own engagements are having an effect. Jennifer Walmsley, associate director for corporate engagement at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), has more than two decades of experience in the area, having run the engagement team at EOS at Federated Hermes and headed up investor engagement for the Financial Reporting Council. She now oversees IIGCC's corporate engagements, including Climate Action 100+, the Net Zero Engagement Initiative and Nature Action 100. In this episode, Walmsley discusses how investors can measure the impact of their engagements, how to ensure engagement is a value add for company and investor alike, and how IIGCC is aiming to turn ineffective engagements at the collaborative initiatives it looks after into effective ones.

Global investments in renewable energy reached a new record of more than $700 billion in 2024, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. But this year has brought uncertainty and challenges on many fronts, perhaps most notably from the new Trump administration. The good news is that uncertainty is something the sector is used to, says Jérôme Guillet, co-founder of renewables advisory firm Snow, and there are many bright spots. At a time when oil and gas firms continue to roll back on their clean energy objectives, Guillet – who also writes a blog where he shares his views on energy policy and industry developments – explains why this is not a bad thing and he outlines how other major players like utilities are faring in the space. Other key topics include the potentially overestimated role of new nuclear, decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors, and to what extent sustainable finance regulations help drive green investment.

Net-zero as a concept is under pressure, and for investors to assess the best path forward, it is crucial to understand how companies and other holdings are managing this – and what efforts they are undertaking to navigate the transition. This is what the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) has helped investors with since its inception in 2017. Carmen Nuzzo, the executive director of TPI’s academic centre, tells The Responsible Investor Podcast there are notable developments in what investors are asking for to help guide their investment and engagement activities. Nuzzo talks to RI deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about where the companies that the TPI Centre assesses are improving and where there are blind spots. She also discusses the increasing focus on emerging and developing economies and her view on the global regulatory rollback, as well as the rising use of AI in climate reporting, the next steps for transition plans and the TPI Centre’s research expansion plans.

With big asset managers rushing to exit climate initiatives and ESG opponents taking centre stage in the US, responsible investment is under scrutiny as never before. What does this mean for up-and-coming asset owners with sustainability ambitions? This is a key question for Dan Mikulskis, CIO of People's Partnership, one of the fastest-growing workplace pension providers in the UK. In this episode, he talks to RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker about how sustainability fits into the investment strategy of People's Partnership. The discussion explores the evolution of responsible investment over the past 10 years, from a neglected niche to the heady days of 2021, followed by political backlash and a tighter focus on impact and implementation. Key topics include the challenges of devising a responsible investment policy, asset owners' response to ESG rollbacks by asset managers, and the opportunities for pension funds to leverage their influence to drive the sustainability agenda.

Three years ago, in the run-up to COP26, financial institutions rushed to sign up to the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). A renewed focus on fiduciary duty, however, combined with concerns about the real-world impact of reducing portfolio emissions, is now prompting asset managers to rethink strategies and methodologies for net zero. Daisy Streatfeild has seen the issue from both sides of the fence. In 2021, she helped set up the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative (NZAM) during her time at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC). Today, as sustainability director at emerging markets-focused asset manager Ninety One, she is grappling with how to ensure net zero remains relevant from the industry perspective. In this episode, she talks to RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker about the heady days of NZAM’s founding, the recent high-profile departure of Baillie Gifford from the initiative, and how investors can meet the needs of both clients and the climate. Key topics also include transition finance, climate adaptation and the challenges of net zero in emerging markets.

After an autumn of devastating floods in Florida, Spain and southern Italy, the need to protect populations from the impacts of climate change has shot up the agenda for policymakers. Nature can play a crucial role in climate adaptation, from protecting coastlines from rising sea levels to slowing or reducing water run-off upstream of urban centres. In this episode, veteran investor Eoin Murray talks to RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker about the opportunities for developing "natural infrastructure" in the UK. Key topics include the challenges of mobilising large-scale investment for nature restoration, how to ensure buy-in from farmers and landowners, and the need for policy support.

The global UN biodiversity summit delivered on the buzz – and had a huge private sector turnout. The overall outcomes, however, have been widely described as “a mixed bag” on the positive end of the scale, while many called it underwhelming. But investors did not leave Cali empty handed, with a flurry of announcements on nature transition plans, investment products, collective engagements and many discussions on scaling up private finance to help meet global biodiversity targets. In this episode, nature reporter Gina Gambetta talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about key developments for investors and shares insights from conversations with many of the market participants on the ground at COP16. The conversation also highlights what responsible investor community delegates thought was missing from the discussions. For example, several market participants RI spoke to thought they were too focused on disclosures.

Mining is a notoriously dirty and dangerous business – so much so that it has often been shunned by responsible and risk-averse investors. In recent years, the Brumadinho dam disaster and the Juukan Gorge scandal have provided ample evidence of the environmental and social risks associated with the sector. Yet it is crucial to the energy transition. According to the Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030, around 300 new mines will be required to supply the minerals for the batteries, solar panels and wind turbines that will power the green economy. This means investors can no longer ignore the sector, says Adam Matthews, chair of the commission and chief responsible investment officer at the Church of England Pensions Board. In this episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast, he talks to RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker about how investors can work together and with the mining industry to ensure that the ramp-up required for the energy transition is managed to minimise the impact on workers, communities and nature. With more than 10 years’ experience of engaging with the industry, plus first-hand knowledge of mining in some of the world’s most remote and dangerous regions, Matthews is uniquely qualified to comment on a key challenge for ESG investors.

When Responsible Investor talks to investors about transition finance, capital expenditure almost always features. Folksam’s chief economist Marcus Svedberg told RI earlier this year that studying capex flows is a good indicator of where companies are going, and that ideally “you want to be overwhelmed by how much they are investing in new technologies, technologies of the future”. And there are some positive signs. For example, so far in 2024, companies have reported around €250 billion of taxonomy-aligned capex, up from €191 billion in all of 2023. But while a company’s investments, or plans to invest, in transitional and decarbonising activities will be crucial to analyse whether or not it is transitioning, it is looking unlikely that investors can expect to be overwhelmed by a large number of their holdings. For example, just 1 percent of the 1,027 high-emitting companies assessed by the Transition Pathway Initiative have set goals to align capital expenditures with decarbonisation targets, according to the investor-backed body’s latest State of the Transition report. In this episode, RI deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell and feature writer Paul Verney discuss transition finance and capex based on insights from recent investor conversations. Additionally, Elza and RI reporter Fiona McNally give initial updates from the first day of discussions at the PRI in Person conference in Toronto. [TIME STAMP 24:05]

Transition finance is the fastest-growing area in sustainable investment. Over the past two years, the amount invested in transition-focused funds in Europe doubled as inflows into traditional ESG funds stalled. The appeal of transition finance is obvious. It offers sustainability-minded investors access to a broader range of sectors and companies than “pure green” strategies, while at the same time potentially achieving more real-world decarbonisation. But what does transition finance actually involve? Is it compatible with net-zero goals? Which industries, instruments and regions offer the best opportunities for returns? And, in the absence of regulatory clarity, do investors in the segment risk being accused of greenwashing? In this episode, RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker discusses the rise of transition investing with Jenn Hui-Tan, chief sustainability officer of $800 billion manager Fidelity International. Topics covered include the hunt for high-quality data, how to assess corporate transition plans and investment opportunities in Asia, as well as the concept of a Just Transition and the shift in focus towards policy engagement.

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has put simplicity and consumer testing at the centre of its efforts to roll out fund labels to improve transparency of sustainable investment products. For managers that are in the middle of applying labels to their funds, the process has in many ways proved more challenging than first expected – so far, only two funds have publicly announced that they have secured a label. The FCA has recognised this, and this week pushed back the deadline for compliance. In this episode, Responsible Investor senior reporter Dominic Webb talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about how investors are grappling with the process and expectations for the months ahead. Drawing on insights from conversations with key UK investors, the discussion delves deeper into the strategies of early movers, key challenges in applying the labels, but also why many investors, broadly, are happy with the FCA’s approach.

After two years of rising commodity prices, surging energy sector profits and intensifying anti-ESG rhetoric in the US, it is easy to get the impression that investors are losing their appetite for sustainability. But industry veteran Lee Clements, now head of applied sustainable investment research at FTSE Russell, says reports of the death of ESG investing have been greatly exaggerated. In this episode, he talks to RI editor Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker about the numbers behind the headlines, looking at how fund flows have evolved over the past four years, which strategies and sectors have proved most resilient, and why investors should welcome the end of the "ESG hype". Key topics include the outlook for transition finance [time stamp 14:01], how sustainability funds traditionally fare at times of market meltdown [24:00], and the sustainability case for tech stocks [26:58].

Fast fashion’s climate issues get little investor attention, with household names largely absent from collaborative engagement initiatives and stewardship reports. This is despite the flurry of challenges associated with the fashion industry, which produces huge amounts of waste and is responsible for an estimated 8-10 percent of global emissions. But with an increasing regulatory focus on greenwashing and supply chains, as well as the controversial expected IPO in London of instant fashion giant Shein, the sector’s sustainability issues could rise up the agenda of investors. In this episode, Elza Holmstedt Pell and Gina Gambetta discuss why fast fashion is struggling to decarbonise and – drawing on insights from market participants – outline examples of what investors are (or could be) asking of their holdings in the sector. [Time stamp: 01.17] Also in this episode, Lindsey Stewart, Morningstar Sustainalytics’ director of stewardship research and policy, talks to Elza about his observations on asset manager behaviour in the 2024 proxy season, and gives his views on recent stewardship developments by US investment giants. [16:05] Finally, Gina sits down with RI features writer Paul Verney to talk about ESG proposal trends at AGMs this year – which new topics have emerged and how have they fared?  [29:31]

Exxon Mobil is taking legal action against activist investors, the UK has relaxed the rules for firms looking to list in London, and companies are holding their annual meetings behind closed doors. For Jen Sisson, the new CEO of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), these developments are all part of a worrying erosion of shareholder rights in multiple jurisdictions around the world. In conversation with Responsible Investor's editor, Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, she explains how and why ICGN is pushing back against this trend, the issues with dual-class shares and virtual AGMs, and why good governance is key to tackling environmental and social issues.

Hundreds of financial institutions with more than $100 trillion in capital have signed up to reach net zero by 2050 or earlier, and many investors have committed to 2025 interim targets. In this inaugural episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast, Elza Holmstedt Pell and Paul Verney bring you insights from conversations with investors about how likely these targets are to be met. The discussion covers progress made towards the goals and key hurdles investors say they are grappling with – including legal and reputational concerns – and what this could mean for net zero as a concept for financial institutions. Also in this episode, RI reporter Fiona McNally cuts through the headlines on the first wave of adoption efforts of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards – with insights from chats with market participants – and our senior reporter Khalid Azizuddin provides an explainer of the hugely popular temperature scores metric.

Introducing The Responsible Investor Podcast, where we'll delve into the latest developments and debates in sustainable investment. Hear our award-winning journalists and influential industry guests share their insights on topics such as net-zero, transition finance, biodiversity and nature, regulation, and ESG data and disclosure. To learn more and see all your subscription options, go to www.responsible-investor.com/podcast