The ESG Factor

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, chats with Ciarán Hughes and Evan Hughes , Directors of Ethico Ltd, a financial advisory firm that places ESG and sustainability at the core of the investment process.  Discussed in this episode is: Client engagement and sustainability preferences  Adapting to changing regulation The ESG Framework and misconceptions The need to do things differently How investment managers can help

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, chats with Ewa Jackson, Head of Sustainable Client Solutions, EMEA, at BlackRock.  Discussed in this episode is: Sustainability preferences and client portfolios Climate risk and net zero considerations Corporate stewardship and engagement ESG Integration & the spectrum of investment solutions Fund categorisation frameworks and SFDR Limits of Sustainable Finance and Stakeholder Capitalism

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, chats with Meggin Thwing Eastman, Managing Director, Editorial Director for ESG & Climate Research at MSCI Inc. Discussed in this episode is the origin of ESG ratings at MSCI, what they are intended for, understanding the methodology behind an ESG rating, what decision makers can infer from a rating, common misconceptions about ESG ratings, and the limits of ESG ratings.

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, chats with Pablo Berrutti, Senior Investment Specialist at Stewart Investors. Do sustainability and quality go hand in hand when investing? As an active investment manager, Pablo shares his insights on how they think about sustainability within their investment process and why it is important as a long term investor with a concentrated portfolio. Also discussed is: whether it can be challenging to find companies that could be characterised as sustainable, climate change, and the interaction between sustainable finance, sustainable investing and the end goal of sustainable development. 

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, chats with Samuel Grantham, CFA, Investment Director and Climate Transition Specialist, Global Credit at Abrdn.  Some of the points covered in the discussion are: What does the climate transition mean from an investment perspective The difference between climate transition and climate adaption Types of investment approaches and solutions The motivation for change driven by risk/return dynamics The challenge within our existing system dominated by short termism

Vincent McCarthy, Host of The ESG Factor podcast, discusses some of what will be covered in the new series. Topics will include the Climate transition, sustainability and quality as part of concentrated investment approach, incorporating sustainability risks into the investment process, and a discussion on the purpose of ESG ratings.  Vincent shares his thoughts on sustainability and ensuring a secure future, how investment management is evolving, the assumptions behind sustainable finance, and the upcoming regulatory change in Europe requiring advisors to discuss sustainability preferences with clients. Will clients care enough about sustainability? And will stakeholders be authentic when it comes to implementation? Questions remain...

A discussion with Mathew Waugh, Author of Climate Change and the Road to Net Zero. We discuss Mathew's science background and how he put it to use in equity research, to the writing of his book and why Net Zero makes sense for the planet and the global economy. Some of what we discuss includes: Overcoming the Malthusian Trap and the resulting impact.  Climate change: manageable change and unmanageable change. Net Zero: the balance between emissions in and out of the atmosphere. Electrification, eating habits, and why the transition is being underestimated.  System change and aligning to credible green politicians, companies and products.  Net Zero Blog - www.net-zero.blog

Vincent talks to Liam Lysaght and Harry Jankola, two of the co-founders of FiltraCycle , a sustainability startup based in Dublin, Ireland, that recycles cigarette butts, a major source of environmental pollution. Their mission is "to intercept millions of tonnes of pollution from damaging our environment, and to protect our oceans". Their recycled plastic - FiltraPlastic - Is "A Raw, Sustainable Alternative To Traditional Acetate Plastic". Still in their final year of University at Trinity College, Liam and Harry provide an example of young entrepreneurial spirit driven by the pressing need to find innovative solutions to the sustainability challenges we face.

What does the sustainability transition mean for the future of transport? Vincent talks to Alastair Bishop, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at BlackRock, about the transport revolution, the scale of disruption and the opportunity it represents. Could we have flying cars in 2050? 

Vincent talks to brothers Juan Fernando Ramos and Juan Carlos Ramos who are based in Guatemala City. [Vincent worked with Juan Fernando in 2017, for an impact investment firm in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.] They talk about how impact investing has evolved since 2017, economic development in Guatemala, the challenges the country faces and the purpose they have both found in the area of sustainability they have chosen to focus on. An enjoyable chat and a little bit of a trip down memory lane.