Stockholm (NordSIP) – Earlier this week, global multi-asset manager CANDRIAM announced its commitment to align with and contribute to the achievement of net-zero by 2050. The news came hardly as a surprise, given the firm’s reputation for being a pioneer and leader in sustainable investments since 1996. CANDRIAM’s newly appointed Relationship Manager for Luxembourg and the Nordics, Gustavo Ljungberg, shares with NordSIP his first impressions of the ambitious responsible asset manager as well as his thoughts on sustainability.
“I was very happy to accept the new role, given CANDRIAM’s impressive responsible investment track record and clear ambition to grow in the Nordics,” says Ljungberg, who joins from a position as a Relationship Manager for Deutsche Bank/DWS covering the Norwegian market and Swedish Institutional clients. “CANDRIAM actually stands for ‘Conviction AND Responsibility In Asset Management’. The firm’s knowledge, teams and entire investment platform are based upon high ethical standards and strong values. As a millennial, I feel these values match with my own,” he adds.
Ljungberg has other reasons to feel passionate about sustainability, too. “I have the privilege of coming from a mixed background. I grew up in Bolivia, a country in the Amazon with rich wildlife. I want to make sure that we take care of this planet so that my children and their children will be able to see a place like the Amazon but also live in a society with high standards, embracing all the aspects of E, S and G,” he shares.
CANDRIAM’s new representative in the Nordics is highly aware of the multiple sustainability-related challenges investors are facing now. He points out data management as one of the biggest amongst them. “Data is crucial to ESG analysis and investment decisions. Both investors and asset managers rely on a handful of vendors with publicly available sources for ESG data. However, there is an inherent lag, so the data is often out of date. While regulation has improved data provision, there is still room for progress,” he explains.
On a recent trip to the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon, Ljungberg had a chance to witness first-hand the devastating effects of deforestation and tree burning. “Traditional data, however, does not necessarily inform investors which companies benefit from the farms and logging that lead to deforestation,” he laments. “What is needed is an experienced team that can objectively analyse ESG topics. And many Nordic investors have neither the capacity to have such a team in-house nor the ability to have an analyst review a situation on the ground,” he says.
Fortunately, Nordic investors can rely on industry leaders like CANDRIAM to provide both the expertise and information they need to make better-informed investment decisions. “We work with all the data vendors and have a global team of experts. It is precisely this expertise that adds value for our Nordic clients,” says Ljungberg.
As for his ambitions at CANDRIAM, Ljungberg has quite a clear idea of what he wants to achieve in his new position. “I want to be an ambassador for CANDRIAM and for our clients,” he says. “As Client Relationship Manager, I want to represent CANDRIAM as well as be an internal voice for the client. To be the best, we must continue to adapt to our clients’ needs and provide the right solutions. As Nordic clients are pioneers when it comes to sustainability, I am looking forward to building on existing relationships as well as working with new clients,” he concludes.
Photo courtesy of CANDRIAM
