Introduced in 2011, ESG matters, produced by our ESG team, is an Environmental, Social and Governance magazine publication that analyses, examines and provides insights on the broad and often complex range of ESG issues that investors have to increasingly face. During 2015, three editions of ESG Matters were published:
Issue 9: The Millennials: Shaping the future of food
Our lead article investigates how the tastes and preferences of the social media savvy Millennials are driving food producers to innovate quickly in order to maintain market share. Expected to have a greater spending power than the Baby Boomers, the Millennials demand for healthy and quality products simply cannot be ignored.
Issue 10: A better perspective: Beyond the short term
In this edition, we investigate a number of different issues from fracking in the USA to how to meet growing consumer demand in a world of finite resources. Our lead article was written by our Global CEO, Elizabeth Corley. She examines the importance of adopting a long-term lens in a world where businesses are becoming increasingly short sighted. Additionally she highlights the role that asset managers play in providing stewardship and guidance to these investee companies.
Issue 11: Climate Special Issue: Sink or Swim
This special edition of ESG matters focuses on Climate Change topics and issues ahead of the Conference Of Parties, COP21- 30 November to 11 December 2015. The conference will see 40,00 participants, including leaders and academics from around world, coming together to try to reach a meaningful agreement on and action plan to tackle climate change. Additionally, our guest author Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, discusses how the risks associated with climate change can undermine the longevity of investments worldwide.
To find all our ESG Matters editions, please follow this link.
In 2015, the ESG team created a model to display the operational footprint on the environment and the society of issuers held in any of our equity portfolios across the globe.
This model allows us, by aggregating the companies in a portfolio and weighting them in proportion to the amount held to show the total ESG portfolio footprint and compare it with a benchmark and highlights the “worst performers” to shed light on the companies bringing down the score in an individual metric.
Driven by our conviction that insight and understanding are the keys to investment success, we place high importance on the value of research and the sharing of intellectual capital through the whole organization. Through a wide range of academic and investment research, Allianz Global Investors aims to equip its clients to make better informed SRI investment decisions.
Different research articles such as “Stranded assets: what are the risks to investors?”, “Power to the People” or “Sustainably accumulating wealth and capital income” were also published during 2015.
Our AllianzGI team and the research papers they produce have been quoted or referenced in a number of external articles and literature.
Please follow this link to find all our research articles.
AllianzGI risklab is a specialist investment and risk advisor of Allianz Global Investors. Based on a rigid framework that aims at total portfolio returns, risklab creates long-term investment solutions.
risklab uses the latest scientific research on financial engineering and capital markets theory as a basis for the development of innovative products and investment strategies.
Access to a global network of academics and experts ensures that we can deliver solutions to our client’s most complex investment and risk problems.
A recent white paper from AllianzGI’s risklab on ESG portfolio risk found that ESG factors are seemingly a significant source of investment risk for investors who want to diversify into growth assets such as developed market equity, emerging market equity and corporate bonds. It also found that ESG factors should be integrated into investment research in order to minimize extreme risks, particularly in emerging market equity.
Dr Steffen Hoerter
Co-Head Investment, Consulting and Portfolio Analytics, AllianzGI Global Solutions Risklab, Munich
“Our ESG investment advisory services aim at a seamless integration of ESG into the investment strategy and portfolio of our fiduciary management clients in Europe, in particular large corporate and public pension funds.
For ESG experienced, we deliver ‘better-practice’ policy frameworks.
We believe that in order to fulfill the prudent person principle, the effects of an ESG strategy should be quantified as far as possible. Investment, Risk and Liquidity targets of a fund need to be harmonized with ESG.
Investment, Risk and Liquidity targets of a fund need to be harmonized with ESG.
As part of our advisory we quantify ESG on the level of Strategic Asset Allocation as well as on the level of specific asset classes such as Equities and Corporate Bonds.
It is our conviction that for investors and asset owners, ESG is an important lens towards a truly holistic risk management strategy. Hence our investment advisory is backed by state-of-the art research which analyzes the financial materiality of ESG. In 2015, we published various innovative studies. “Integration of climate change risks into strategic asset allocation” highlights the financial materiality of carbon risk. The publication features two innovative approaches, how climate risk factors can be processed in an extended SAA analysis. This research was co-developed with Allianz Climate Solution who input the climate risk assessment for a wide range of asset classes and regions.
There were two more studies published in 2015. “ESG in Equities” and “ESG in Real Estate” aim to determine the relevance of ESG factors for the performance and risk of these asset classes. Both are meta-studies that make use of recent, selected high quality academic research.”
Sustainable and Responsible Investing is full of terms and acronyms. This glossary is designed to help you understand some of the more common SRI investment terms and principles you may encounter.
Bozena Jankowska Director, Global Co-Head of ESG, Global Sector Coverage: Consumer Staples and Information Technology
Ms. Jankowska is a Director and the Global Co-Head of ESG with Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2000. With over 15 years of industry experience, Bozena has overseen the development AllianzGI’s ESG capabilities and is responsible for managing and directing the firm’s global ESG Team, responsible for ESG research, stewardship and engagement activities which support both specialist SRI funds and ESG integration into AllianzGI’s fundamental research and investment processes. In 2006, Bozena was responsible for the design, launch and management of the Global Ecotrends Fund which became a significant global fund franchise reaching assets under management of EUR 1bn. Bozena was Chair of the UK SIF Analyst Committee and a member of the UKSIF Leadership Committee. She is representing Allianz Global Investors on the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Investment Leaders Group and the UNPRI Listed Equity Steering Committee. She previously worked at John Laing PLC as their business and environment advisor. Bozena has a B.Sc. in environmental science from the University of Sussex and an M.Sc. with distinction in Environmental Technology from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. In 2009, she was named as a Financial News Rising Star in Fund Management. She holds the IMC designation.
David Diamond Director, Global Co-Head of ESG
Mr. Diamond is a director and Global Co-Head of ESG with Allianz Global Investors, which he joined in 2008. As a member of the firm’s ESG team, he is responsible for all engagement-related activities, including corporate governance and proxy voting. Mr. Diamond has 18 years of investment-industry experience. Before joining the firm, he worked at Amundi as the head of shareholder engagement and a senior sustainability analyst; at Crédit Lyonnais Asset Management as an SRI analyst; at Paribas Asset Management in marketing; and at BNP Paribas Asset Management as a European equity analyst. He has a B.A. in art history from Williams College and a joint master’s in management and Diplom-Kaufmann from ESCP-Europe. He represents investors on the boards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and was previously a board member of the French Social Investment Forum (FIR).
Jeremy Kent, CFA 50% PM support for Global Sustainability Fund, 50% Global Sector Coverage: Chemicals
Jeremy Kent is an ESG analyst and portfolio manager associate with Allianz Global Investors, which he joined in 2008. He has analytical responsibilities on the ESG Research team for the industrial sector and is the back-up portfolio manager for the Global Sustainability strategy. Mr. Kent has five years of investment-industry experience. Before joining Allianz Global Investors, he founded and operated a small business. Mr. Kent has a B.A. in entrepreneurial management from California State University. He is a CFA charterholder and holds the IMC designation.
Marissa Blankenship ESG Analyst, Global Sector coverage: Financials
Marissa Blankenship is an ESG analyst with Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2011. As a member of the firm’s ESG team, she is responsible for conducting sustainability research on the financial sector. Marissa has 14 years of investment-industry experience. Before joining the firm, she worked as an associate in the equity-strategies group at Hall Capital Management. Ms. Blankenship also conducted sustainability research on a wide range of sectors, companies and funds at Truestone Impact Investment Management and Incofin Investment Management. She has a BS in Economics from the University of California, Davis, an MSc in Latin American Economic Development from the University of London and is currently completing a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge. Marissa holds the IMC designation.
Henrike Kulmann ESG Analyst, Global Sector coverage: Consumer Discretionary, Transportation & Logistics, Palm Oil
Ms. Kulmann is an ESG analyst with Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2011. After more than three years of working in our Hong Kong office responsible for conducting ESG research and coordinating proxy voting as a member of the Asia Pacific Proxy Voting Committee, Henrike transitioned to the Frankfurt office in late 2014. She continues to be part of the ESG team with a research focus on the consumer discretionary sector, transportation & logistics and palm oil. She is a member of the European Proxy Voting Committee and the AllianzGI Multi Asset Sustainability Council which reviews portfolio holdings and target fund selection of multi asset SRI strategies. Henrike has more than 4 years of investment-industry experience and more than 7 years of overall experience in the ESG field. She previously worked at Deutsche Post DHL in environmental-strategy management and corporate-responsibility evaluation. Henrike has an M.A. in political science, with a focus on business communication and economics, from Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany.
Marie-Sybille Connan ESG Analyst, Global Sector coverage: Energy, Metals & Mining, Media and Telecommunications
Marie-Sybille Connan is an ESG analyst with Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2008. As a member of the firm’s ESG Research team, she is responsible for the energy, media and telecom sectors. Marie-Sybille was previously a fund manager and credit analyst with the firm. She has 16 years of investment-industry experience. Before joining the firm, Marie-Sybille was a senior credit analyst at Fortis Investments and Aviva Investors; before that, she worked at Natixis AM as a fund manager and equity analyst, focusing on IT and software. Marie-Sybille has a master’s in finance from the ESC Montpellier Business School. She is a member of the French Society of Financial Analysts and a graduate of the Centre de Formation des Analystes Financiers.
Mathilde Moulin ESG Analyst, Global Sector coverage: Health Care & Industrials (machinery, professional services and aerospace and defence) and non-corporate issuers.
Mathilde Moulin is an ESG analyst with Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2007. As a member of the ESG Research team, she has responsibility for the Industrial and healthcare sectors as well as non-corporate issuers. Mathilde has nine years of investment-industry experience. Before joining the firm, she was a senior consultant at Eurogroup. Mathilde has a master’s degree in management from HEC Business School. She is also a member of the jury for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI)/French SIF European research prize.
Robbie Miles, ACA ESG Analyst, Global Sector Coverage: Industrials (equipment and construction), Tech & Utilities
Robbie is an ESG analyst with Allianz Global Investors, which he joined in 2014. He has analytical responsibilities on the ESG Research team for both the industrial & utility sectors. Robbie qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC and holds a BA in Environment and Business from the University of Leeds.
Eva Velasco Global Equities and SRI Product Specialist Associate
Eva is a Product Specialist Associate for the Global Equity team. She is also part of the Global ESG team at Allianz Global Investors, which she joined in 2014. Before joining the firm, she was a Financial Analyst at Daimler AG. She holds a BS in Business Administration from the Carlos III University of Madrid.
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The views and opinions expressed herein, which are subject to change without notice, are those of the author at the time of publication and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the issuer.
This communication is issued by Allianz Global Investors GmbH, www.allianzgi.com, an investment company with limited liability, incorporated in Germany, with its registered office at Bockenheimer Landstrasse 42-44, 60323 Frankfurt/M, registered with the local court Frankfurt/M under HRB 9340, authorised by Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (www.bafin.de). Allianz Global Investors GmbH has established a branch in the United Kingdom, Allianz Global Investors GmbH, UK branch, 199 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3TY, www.allianzglobalinvestors.co.uk, which is subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority (www.fca.org.uk). Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.