Nicole Gehrig speaks with Tamara Close, CFA, Senior Director of ESG Advisory for the Petra Funds Group, about the ongoing evolution of sustainable finance and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices within the institutional investment landscape. Tamara reflects on her career path, including her time at PSP Investments, and shares key insights into the shifting perceptions and integration of ESG issues into mainstream investment strategies. The discussion covers how institutional in...
Jun 09, 2025•30 min
Dr. Steve Waygood, Chief Sustainable Finance Advisor at Aviva Investors, shares insights from his 25-year journey in sustainable finance. He discusses the evolution from ethical investing to system-level stewardship, the under-pricing of climate risks in financial models, and the vital role of public policy in aligning markets with sustainability goals. Packed with real-world examples and forward-thinking advice, this episode is ideal listening for anyone interested in the future of finance and ...
May 12, 2025•38 min
Mark Campanale, founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, talks with Paul Moody, Managing Director of Global Partnerships and Client Solutions at CFA Institute, about the growing risks tied to fossil fuel investments. Mark explains the concept of the carbon bubble—the gap between the carbon in global reserves and what the climate can safely absorb—and what it means for investors, regulators, and financial markets. We explore stranded assets, shifting energy economics, and why renewables and EVs ...
Apr 07, 2025•35 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story, host Nicole Gehrig, Director of Global Industry Standards at CFA Institute, discusses the importance of integrating nature-related risks into investment strategies with Mel Peh, CFA, an independent consultant for the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). They explore how nature-related risks, such as biodiversity loss and deforestation, can impact financial performance and the steps asset managers and owners can take to miti...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min
Join Paul Moody, Managing Director at CFA Institute, as he sits down with Dr. Ma Jun, President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS) and founder of CASI (Climate Action and Sustainability Initiative), for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of sustainable finance. In this engaging episode, Dr. Ma Jun shares his journey from shaping global sustainable finance policies to launching CASI, a groundbreaking initiative aiming to educate 100,000 professionals in Emerging Market...
Feb 21, 2025•30 min
In this episode of "The Sustainability Story," host Deborah Kidd, CFA, and Roman Kramarchuk, Head of Climate Markets and Policy Analytics at S&P Global Commodity Insights, delve into the significance of Article 6 adoption at COP29 and its implications for the role of carbon markets in achieving net-zero goals. Roman shares insights from his extensive experience in public policy and emissions and environmental markets. Their discussion also explores the use of carbon taxes versus carbon marke...
Jan 23, 2025•32 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story podcast, host Nicole Gehrig welcomes Dr. Carmen Nuzzo, executive director of the Transition Pathway Initiative Centre (TPI Centre) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The conversation centers around the TPI Centre's mission as the academic partner of the global investor initiative, highlighting the TPI tools, which provide independent, authoritative research and open-access data on corporate, bank, and sovereign entities’ progress ...
Dec 10, 2024•33 min•Ep. 54
Host Deborah Kidd, CFA talks with Monika Freyman, CFA, Vice President of Sustainable Investing at Addenda Capital, about the challenges asset owners and asset managers face when aiming to protect portfolios from the financial impacts of climate change. Monika shares practical advice on developing a comprehensive investment policy, measuring and managing the complexities of climate risk, and balancing climate goals with fiduciary duty. She emphasizes the importance of adhering to fiduciary duty f...
Nov 23, 2024•35 min
Host Nicole Gehrig welcomes Dean Hand, Chief Research Officer at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). They delve into the critical topic of impact investing, clarifying its definition amidst common misconceptions in the investment marketplace. Dean shares insights on the GIIN's role in promoting impact investing and its commitment to developing effective practices that address global challenges. The episode highlights the importance of investing with the intention to generate positive and...
Oct 07, 2024•32 min
Listen in as Dr. Jane Thostrup Jagd, Director of Net Zero Finance at We Mean Business Coalition, and Josina Kamerling, Head of EMEA Regulatory Outreach at CFA Institute, discuss the necessity of integrating sustainability departments within companies, particularly in collaboration with financial teams. The challenge lies in ensuring that knowledge about sustainability extends beyond mere compliance and reaches all levels of the organization. There is a call for greater openness from financial pr...
Sep 07, 2024•21 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with Dr. Aniket Shah, Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainability and Transition Strategy at Jefferies Group, LLC. Aniket leverages his work across academia, public policy, and financial markets to provide unique insights into the energy transition roadblocks and the three keys to overcoming them. He shares his insights on profiting from investment opportunities in climate technologies and why climate adaptation i...
Aug 26, 2024•26 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story podcast, Nicole Gehrig, Director of Global Industry Standards at CFA Institute, is joined by Lindsey Stewart, CFA, Director of Stewardship Research and Policy at Morningstar Sustainalytics. Together, they explore key themes in the realm of stewardship. Lindsey shares his insights on how institutional shareholders are approaching proxy voting and engagements that focus on environmental and social issues. Key topics covered include say on climate votes, ...
Jul 08, 2024•32 min
In this episode of "The Sustainability Story," co-host Josina Kamerling welcomes Nels Italo, Director of Product Strategy for Regulatory Solutions at FactSet. They delve into Nels' diverse background, from working in signals intelligence in the US Navy to becoming a corporate M&A attorney before focusing on financial service regulations. The conversation highlights the complexities of global financial regulations and the challenges faced by investors in understanding diverse accounting stand...
Jun 07, 2024•21 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, interviews Paula DiPerna, author and Special Advisor to the CDP. In her book, Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets , Paula offers a compelling argument for the need to assign economic values to nature’s essential resources. Paula takes us on a journey through history, world travel, case studies, and financial theory to demonstrate...
May 07, 2024•38 min
Josina Kamerling and Leena Linnainmaa, Secretary General of Directors' Institute Finland, and Chair of ecoDa’s Advocacy Committee, have a conversation on the impact of the proposed new EU rules on corporate governance and due diligence on European companies and their board of directors.
Apr 07, 2024•25 min
In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Andres Vinelli interviews Marcos Buscaglia, an economist and author of Beyond the ESG Portfolio: How Wall Street Can Help Democracies Survive. Marcos discusses the impact of capital markets on funding democracies and autocratic regimes, emphasizing the importance for investors to consider democracy amidst global democratic decline. He highlights the interconnectedness of countries and how a democratic decline in one nation can have repercussions ...
Mar 13, 2024•24 min
This episode of the Sustainability Story explores the world of impact investing in real estate, with a specific focus on affordable housing. Host Andres Vinelli is joined by Jeff Brenner, President and CEO of IMPACT Community Capital, an investment advisor dedicated to advancing opportunity in under-invested communities. They discuss the origins of IMPACT and its mission to make investments that have a positive impact on communities. They also delve into the challenges and opportunities in the a...
Feb 14, 2024•31 min
In this episode, host Josina Kamerling has a discussion with Thierry Philipponnat, Chief Economist, Finance Watch, about the banks’ efforts to building a sustainable economy and the challenges of the net zero transition for banks.
Jan 24, 2024•36 min
2023 was a year of milestones for regulations and standards to improve sustainable investment transparency, comparability, and credibility. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with James Alexander, chief executive at UKSIF. They discuss the new UK regulation for sustainable investment product labels, the IFRS international corporate sustainability disclosure standards, and the establishment of harmonized definitions for key responsible investment terms by t...
Jan 05, 2024•36 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story podcast, Andres Vinelli is joined by Harriet Waters, the head of environmental sustainability at the University of Oxford. Harriet shares the highlights of Oxford's sustainability journey and explores the lessons learned that can be applied to other organizations. She discusses her personal journey into environmental issues and how she became involved in the field. Tune in to learn about Oxford's sustainability strategy and gain valuable insights for y...
Dec 06, 2023•36 min
In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Sandy Peters is joined by Brian Tomlinson, a managing director in Ernst & Young's financial accounting and advisory services practice. They discuss the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and its impact on non-EU-based multinationals. While the extraterritorial nature of the EU's reporting requirements may be known among policy experts, it is less understood by US companies and investors. The episode delves into the potential im...
Nov 20, 2023•41 min
As the world economy transitions from high carbon to low carbon, the largest global investment in history is underway. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks climate bonds, transition, and policy with Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO working to mobilize global capital for climate action. Learn how bond investors can both drive change and profit from a world that is rapidly evolving, and why Sean says the policy action he’s see...
Nov 08, 2023•28 min
Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach EMEA at CFA Institute, and Rob Bauer, Professor of Finance at School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, and co-author of the paper “Private Shareholder Engagements on Material ESG Issues,” discuss the main findings of his research and how private engagements can address financially material ESG issues while contributing to firm performance. Read the full report here: https://cfainst.is/3F9YbdT...
Oct 11, 2023•31 min
In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Andres Vinelli interviews Dr. Spencer Glendon, founder of Probable Futures—a nonprofit organization focused on climate science accessibility from the CFA Institute Climate Risk and Returns conference. Dr. Glendon, an expert on climate change with a background in finance and economics, shares his journey and the importance of climate literacy. He explains the importance of climate literacy and how it intersects with environmental issues. Tune in t...
Sep 13, 2023•44 min
In this episode of the Sustainability Story, we tackle two areas of mass confusion in the world of sustainable investing: what should be done about the divergence in ESG ratings, and what works and doesn't work in impact investing. Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with Dr. Julian Kölbel, Assistant Professor in Sustainable Finance at the Center for Financial Services Innovation at the University of St. Gallen and Research Associate at MIT Sloan, where he co-founded the Aggregate Confusion Project. Julian...
Aug 31, 2023•27 min
Are you ready to crack the code on sustainable investing? We promise a plethora of insights in our thought-provoking conversation with Brian Minns, CFA, the Managing Director of Responsible Investing at University Pension Plan Ontario. Fusing his engineering acumen with financial expertise, Brian is at the forefront of driving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values in investments. Not only will you hear about his transformative journey from engineer to finance guru, but he also revea...
Jul 19, 2023•26 min
Discover the ins and outs of sustainability regulations in the EU with Patrik Karlsson, a senior policy officer at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), and Josina Kamerling, head of regulatory outreach for CFA Institute for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region at CFA Institute. Gain valuable insights into the Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and its implementation, as well as the ongoing consultation on some changes to the requirements. Patrick sha...
Jun 21, 2023•27 min
How can capital markets drive meaningful change in the fight against climate risk? Join Paul Andrews, head of Research, Advocacy, and Standards at CFA Institute for an insightful discussion with our esteemed guest, Mindy Lubber, President and CEO of Ceres, as they unpack the importance of integrating sustainability into capital markets and the economic implications of climate change. Mindy emphasizes the crucial connection between climate risk and financial risk, and the role of investors in mit...
Jun 07, 2023•13 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Join our 3 CFA Institute hosts, Andres Vinelli, chief economist, Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach, and Deborah Kidd, Director of Global Industry Standards for new episodes starting in June 2023.
May 22, 2023•49 sec
We talk with Cindy Rose, Head of Responsible Capitalism, Liontrust Asset Management. We discuss some of the definitional and terminology issues challenging the sustainability and ESG world. We also talk about the materiality of sustainability data and how asset managers can develop a materiality framework, to take a systematic approach to focusing on the sustainability metrics that matter.
Sep 21, 2022•57 min
