Editorial: HSBC brouhaha should kick off a worthwhile ESG debate May 23, 2022 It is ironic that in a speech criticising hyperbole, the now-suspended HSBC Head of Responsible Investing Stuart Kirk went to some effort to out-hyperbole even those who he sought to lambast. As a former journalist, Kirk will surely have known that criticising alarmist “nut jobs” was unlikely to do anything but stir a hornet’s nest. [...]
UBS appoints two officials to shore up its ESG unit May 9, 2022 Swiss banking giant UBS has made two appointments to its ESG team as it looks to shore up its clean energy credentials. Josiane Fanguinovény and Viv Sedov will join the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, according to the Financial News. The dealmakers will work on transactions related to environmental and social governance. FN reports many [...]
Saturday Sitdown: MovePlan’s EMEA chief on rethinking ESG as working policies are being rewired April 30, 2022 Over the last few years, ESG has become integral in any business strategy, and rightly so. It’s a deal-breaker not just for investors but also for those considering new roles. In fact, City A.M. recently reported how businesses with poor ESG credentials are struggling to attract talent, a sure sign of the importance of substantive [...]
What impact is “greenflation” having on commodities? March 24, 2022 | City Talk Under-investment in the supply of commodities across energy, metals and agriculture, as a result of policies to mitigate climate change, is limiting supply growth and driving prices higher. Commodities outperformed bonds and equities for the first time in almost a decade in 2021. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these trends looked set to [...]
City set for ‘dramatic growth’ of funds that combine ESG and Shariah as Islamic Finance underserves demand March 3, 2022 London could see a dramatic growth in the number of investment funds that combine ESG and Shariah compliance over the next two years, finance experts have told City A.M. today. Professionals working across a wide range of sectors in the Square Mile and beyond expect a dramatic growth in these funds, while half think a [...]
Weekend Exclusive: Lloyds banker turned charity guru Bernie Hollywood OBE on mental health in the City February 27, 2022 Londoner Bernie Hollywood OBE spent nearly a decade as a corporate banker at Lloyds Banking Group’s HQ at 25 Gresham Street in the City. These days, he is determined to make a difference: next year, the 63-year-old is rowing the Atlantic to raise funds for youth mental health. City A.M. caught up with him to [...]
The sky is the limit: Sustainable aviation does not need to be an oxymoron February 19, 2022 Aviation and sustainability don’t exactly go hand in hand. With aviation responsible for approximately 2.5 per cent of the carbon emissions that are warming the planet, according to the International Energy Agency, clearly something needs to be done. “Businesses and consumers alike agree that flying less is vital today than it has been in the [...]
EY to hire 1,300 new UK employees after launching climate focused EY Carbon business February 14, 2022 Big Four accountancy firm EY has set out plans to launch a new, climate-focused consultancy business which will see the firm hire 1,300 new UK employees. The auditor’s plans to launch its own ESG consultancy, EY Carbon, will see EY invest £100m, in line with plans to recruit 1,300 people over the next three years. [...]
Exclusive: Sceptical environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg on 50 years of misguided climate panic February 9, 2022 Bjorn Lomborg is President of the Copenhagen Consensus and Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. His latest book is “False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.” Writing exclusively for City A.M. today, Lomborg zooms in on half a century of what has been, [...]
Exclusive: ESG consultancy sector to swell to nearly £12bn in next five years, says industry insider February 7, 2022 Spending by companies on ESG and sustainability consulting is set to more than double over the next five years to a record £11.8bn, or $16bn, according to a new report that was exclusively shared with City A.M. today. The market will grow at a CAGR of 17 per cent, from around $6.24 billion at the end [...]