ESG

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) is pleased to unveil the appointment of Co-CEOs, Estelle Parker and Dean Hegarty to take up the leadership of the organisation, marking an important step for RIAA with dual CEO representation in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Following an extensive global search, the RIAA board proudly announces the promotion of two distinguished executives within RIAA, who will jointly take over as Co-CEOs upon the departure of current CEO, Simon O’Connor in early December 2023. Over the past three years, Estelle Parker and Dean Hegarty have demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing a more responsible and sustainable financial system as Executive Managers at RIAA. Their leadership has been instrumental in RIAA’s growth and impact, placing the organisation in a robust position today. RIAA’s Chair, Ross Piper expressed, “The RIAA board is very pleased to announce the appointment of two proven and highly skilled executives as Co-CEOs. Estelle and Dean bring deep market knowledge, strong program delivery and commercial skills, as well as having demonstrated their leadership and expertise in responsible investment across our markets.”

NEW YORK CITY: CFA Institute, the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA), and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) have issued a new resource that aims to bring greater understanding and consistency to terminology used in responsible investment, specifically: • Screening • ESG integration • Thematic investing • Stewardship • Impact investing For each term, CFA Institute, GSIA, and PRI have outlined a definition, detailed explanation, a list of definitions that served as the primary inputs, and guidance for using the terms in practice. The paper is intended for investors, regulators, policymakers, and other market participants. The collaboration was inspired by calls from regulators for voluntary standard setters to develop common terms and definitions to ensure consistency throughout the global asset management and wealth management industries. Promoting the consistent and precise use of terminology contributes to efforts to address greenwashing.

Maple-Brown Abbott is a domestic, privately-owned boutique fund manager with approximately A$9 billion in assets under management. With origins dating back almost 40 years, Maple-Brown Abbott focuses on active management of differentiated listed equity strategies. As one of the earliest Australian managers to sign up to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, Maple-Brown Abbott has a long history of deep ESG integration which is core to each investment strategy.

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has taken a monumental step in advancing responsible investing in New Zealand by establishing the Aotearoa Collaborative Working Group. As the landscape of responsible investment in New Zealand has rapidly evolved over the past three years, RIAA’s proactive approach continues to reshape the industry, as it establishes the Aotearoa working group to collaborate and share leading practices and knowledge. With RIAA members now accounting for over 70% of the New Zealand market, and a substantial 64% of Kiwisaver funds invested in RIAA certified funds, the launch of the working group serves as a vital progression towards fostering a thriving economy, environment and society surrounding responsible investment.

Launch of the Responsible Investment Benchmark Report 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).

Responsible investment funds in New Zealand have overtaken traditional funds for the first time, reaching a record $183 billion in 2022, while traditional investments dropped 9% to $169 billion, a new report by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has revealed. The Responsible Investment Benchmark Report Aotearoa New Zealand 2023, researched in collaboration with EY, shows the responsible investment market now makes up more than half (52%) of the total managed funds market in New Zealand. Dean Hegarty, Executive Manager at RIAA said, “It’s only a few years since responsible investment was seen as a niche market. But the landscape has now turned on its head – today, funds not actively engaged in responsible investment are not just lagging; they’re stranded at the starting line of a race that’s already in full swing.”

With the election coming up, it’s critical that Aotearoa New Zealand doesn’t lose focus on sustainable finance.

Launch of the Responsible Investment Benchmark Report 2023 Australia by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).

New responsible investment report reveals, financial markets in Australia are embracing ESG and responsible investment, yet rapidly increasing standards risk some being left behind. The 22nd annual Responsible Investment Benchmark Report released by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has revealed that ESG considerations are now deeply embedded across investment markets in Australia. Read the full press release to learn about the key findings of the report.

Paul Gregory keynote speech & the role of third party verification in the fight against greenwashing