Stockholm (NordSIP) – The Nordic team of Allianz Global Investors (Allianz GI) just got bigger, adding Philip von Platen as Director of Business Development. Von Platen has gathered vast experience and built strong relationships with Nordic institutional clients working at Blackrock and, most recently, Invesco. Upon learning about the move, NordSIP reached out to him to hear more about his new venture and his thoughts on sustainable investing.
Von Platen sounds genuinely excited to join forces with his new colleagues at Allianz GI. “The biggest challenge is what also makes this job so great: bringing relevant ideas and industry-leading capabilities to some of the most sophisticated investors out there,” he says. “Our team strives to further expand Allianz Global Investors’ position as a trusted long-term partner to the Nordic investor community by being relevant, listening to our clients’ needs, and helping them achieve their goals,” adds the enthusiastic director.
After spending time abroad for studies and work, von Platen moved to Stockholm about ten years ago, joining Mercer as an investment consultant. “That is when I got introduced to the Nordic asset management industry,” he recalls. “Ever since, I have continued to work with institutional investors in the Nordics.”
Sustainability seems high up on von Platen’s personal and professional agenda and is one of the reasons he chose to join Allianz GI. “Our owner, the insurer Allianz, is one of the largest institutional investors in the world and has a rigorous and innovative framework around how to leverage their size to create change when investing their money,” he explains. “Great size and responsibility go hand in hand. I believe that’s the reason why we see so many Nordic investors wanting to join forces with both Allianz Global Investors and our parent company, Allianz, to take part in transforming the future of sustainable investing,” adds von Platen.
One of the ideas the new director at Allianz GI strongly believes in is investor cooperation. “Allianz, for instance, is a founding member of the UN’s Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance and thus shares a common goal with many other large asset owners,” he says. “However, it is the flexibility around how to reach these goals that will create innovative new ways to invest responsibly,” shares von Platen. “My personal take on driving sustainable investing into the future is to accept a large degree of flexibility with regards to how we should reach our common goals,” he adds.
Von Platen is optimistic about the future of responsible investing. “I believe the financial industry is on the right track. That said, there is so much more that can be done, and one needs to accept that responsible investing is a continuous change that will never reach an end destination,” he reflects. “It is important to let the skills of investment managers and the strength of asset owners mix with new ideas and curious mindsets. The Nordics have reached far in this respect, and investors here are not afraid to try new things in order to evolve and get measurable results,” concludes von Platen.
