Stockholm (NordSIP) – NordSIP took the opportunity of the quieter post-Midsummer period to catch up with Swedbank Robur’s Julia Axelsson. Following a successful four-year stint as a writer, researcher, and journalist specialising in sustainable investment, Axelsson decided to return to a hands-on role in asset management when Swedbank Robur came calling. She started in her new position as co-portfolio manager on Swedbank Robur’s thematic multi-asset strategies alongside Malin Hallén in May 2024.
Having immersed herself in the full range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics during her time at NordSIP, Axelsson says she could not have considered moving to a firm that did not have a strong commitment to sustainability. Swedbank Robur’s CEO Liza Jonson has been at the helm since 2017 and was the recipient of the 2023 Sustainable Leadership (Hållbart ledarskap) Award.
Among the company’s achievements during Jonson’s tenure has been a halving of the carbon footprint of Swedbank Robur’s funds over the past five years and five-fold increase in the number of investee company dialogues. Swedbank Robur was also a founding member of the Nature Action 100 collaborative engagement initiative on biodiversity.
Axelsson believes her NordSIP experience is a useful complement to her prior investment industry track record with the likes of Nordea, Ålandsbanken, and Länsförsäkringar. “As a researcher and journalist, I have enjoyed the freedom of delving deep into each and every sustainability topic. Given the day-to-day requirements of an investment role, this is a luxury few can afford,” she explains.
Axelsson’s investigative experience with NordSIP therefore sits well with the strategy that she now co-manages, which is thematically driven. The megatrends that inform the strategy’s asset allocation are not exclusively sustainability driven but are nonetheless imbued with ESG considerations.
