Gender Lens investing (GLI) considers how investment capital can be used to have a positive impact on the lives of women and girls. The term was coined by Joy Anderson (Criterion Institute) and Jackie VanderBrug (US Trust, previously at Criterion) in 2009, but the concept has been influenced by many women and men across the financial sphere. GLI is coming into sharper focus as Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) reporting becomes more prominent. Suzanne Biegel, a senior advisor at the Criterion institute, explains the 4 different dimensions of gender lens investing. Investments increase access to capital for female entrepreneurs and…
In this insightful article Keith Breslauer, Managing Director of Patron Capital, argues that ESG reporting faces an existential threat to its own existence.
There is mounting pressure for organisations to actively integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into their organisation strategy. Board of Directors across nearly every industry are expected to be competent in navigating the headwinds of ESG. Yet many companies’ board and executive leaders are still unsure on how to approach ESG and manage the communications with their stakeholders.
The world is changing. ESG is no longer a buzzword and has become mainstream. However, the need now is to ensure that the board of directors of an organisation – the very echelon of power that steers the strategy of an organisation – is ready to face the oversight challenges of ESG.
ESG has moved into the mainstream with significant urgency in recent years. However, the alphabet soup of acronyms, GRI, SASB, CDSB, IIRC, TCFD to name a few, in sustainability initiatives and options puts a damper in socialising its very need. This in turn leads to confusion while intimidating and overwhelming anyone wanting to grasp the basics.
Surveys show that business leaders and board members are generally well aware of global geopolitical volatility. This is not surprising. Firms who globalised their market footprint and supply chains in the last three decades must now operate in an increasingly antagonistic geopolitical environment.
To reduce the transmission of Covid-19, many people and organisations have adopted remote and digitalised styles of communication and work. The daily usage of smartphones, laptops, TVs and tablets has soared since the start of the pandemic. Research by the Statistica Research Department (2021) quantifies these trends, calculating that smartphone and laptop usage have both increased by 46% since Covid-19 hit the United Kingdom.
Sarah Neill, a marine biologist and one of the ESG Foundation’s Special Advisors, has recently been appointed the Marine Life Species Leader for Project Wild Gambia. In her new role she will oversee their marine research and feed back to the team on any latest developments in her specialist area, which includes the Atlantic humpback dolphin and sea turtle rehabilitation.
With COP26 almost upon us, the thoughts of some of the greatest minds of the planet will no doubt be all over our screens in the coming days. Which makes it slightly strange to be quoting hip hop legends Public Enemy in an ESG column. But few assessments would better sum up the state of the greenwashing issue at the moment than “Don’t believe the hype”.
