Finally, the year has started. The Nordic season’s first event, Skagen’s New Year investment conference took place and we were there, to provide you with a summary on the overarching theme “Finding value in uncertainty“. As always the program was amazingly well curated. Surprisingly, though, there was very little talk about sustainable investing. If anything, “uncertainty” should call for “sustainability” as a possible remedy, shouldn’t it? That sustainable investing was so remarkably absent could mean one of two things. Perhaps it is so mainstream now that investors don’t need to hear about it, or investors are so tired about it that they just don’t want to hear any more. Another sign that the year has started is the publication of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023. Interestingly, there, sustainability must be a topic because the top 4 risks this year are dedicated to climate and biodiversity.
In the Snap, Julia, for one, definitely doesn’t think the time has come to relax on that front. To the contrary, she is resolved to sharpen her spikes, inspired by Dr Ellen Quigley (and Larry Fink). Meanwhile, the Laundromat talks about the extension of the deadline for a three European Supervisory Authorities‘ Call for Evidence on the subject of greenwashing.
“Failing to arrest high inflation in a timely manner would jeopardise the green transition more fundamentally and that a restrictive monetary policy stance today will benefit society over the medium to long run by restoring price stability,” said Isabel Schnabel, a Member of the Executive Board of the ECB at the International Symposium on Central Bank Independence at the Riksbank in Stockholm this week.
We had time to catch up with two movers too, Credit Suisse promoted Karim Sayyad, co-author of “Where the Money Tree Grows” alongside Sasja Beslik, to the newly created position of “Director & Head of Climate Transition”. Back in Stockholm, sustainability veteran Karin Reuterskiöld talked to us about her new position as Partner at Forever Sustainable.
Also in the news, Norges Bank Investment Management announced the establishment of a new Climate Advisory Board including 4 external members: Harvard Prof. Jody Freeman, OGCI Executive Committee Chair Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, the Nature Conservancy‘s CEO Jennifer Morris and Oliver Wyman Partner Huw van Steenis. We also noticed the launch of AXA IM‘s new WF ACT Plastic & Waste Transition Equity QI fund.