Overview
This role offers a unique opportunity to join Asia's premier global asset manager with a growing global footprint. We are currently in the process of building a Global Sustainable Investment hub in Singapore, in addition to having significantly expanded our Global Sustainable Investment team in the last 12 months. We already have a strong track record in ESG, having, among others, joined the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, set a net zero 2030 target and become one of the first Asian headquartered investors to have received the UK Stewardship Code signatory status. With the firm’s ambitious global growth plan in place, this role offers broad exposure, extensive responsibilities, and the opportunity to work with seasoned ESG specialists.
It is also an opportunity to be part of a diverse, friendly, open and ambitious culture that values constructive dialogue and cognitive diversity.
This role is responsible for leading our firm’s climate change and broader environmental strategy across asset classes and regions. The successful candidate will be part of a newly established independent, Global Sustainable Investment team dedicated to developing and executing our unified global ESG strategy, and supporting our firm across investment, client and regulatory requirements. The role includes setting or improving existing climate change and broader environmental strategies, frameworks and processes, close collaboration with investment teams across regions, supporting client objectives and developing new green products. Successful candidate will work closely together with our growing team of seasoned ESG professionals. These include Regional ESG specialists, dedicated Integration, Stewardship, ESG Data and ESG Regulations specialists.
A key part of the role involves understanding market, client and regulatory expectations to shape our global and regional environmental strategies and frameworks and support investment teams in deepening their environmental risks and opportunities integration. It requires deep environmental background, along with investment acumen and understanding of evolving market developments in the ESG industry. The role also includes engagement with our client facing teams to enhance how we communicate with our clients and prospects as well as collaboration with Product Department to shape new green/sustainable products.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Work with Global Sustainable Investment and investment teams to deepen and expand our approach to climate change and broader environmental issues
- Advance our overall portfolio decarbonisation strategy
- Develop environmental solutions, strategies, frameworks and processes for investment and risk, to meet international client and regulatory requirements, covering areas such as climate change, biodiversity, water
o Drive our net zero and TCFD approach
o Develop a dedicated governance approach
- Create climate transition roadmaps for key sectors (particularly for hard to abate sectors) and markets aligned with our net zero goals. The roadmap will inform our interim targes, strategic decarbonisation risks and opportunities, and engagement with our portfolio companies
- Collaborate with Risk teams to support environmental risk monitoring
- Build our analytical capabilities, resources, articulation, impact measurements, and credentials on environmental topics
- Drive key environmental investment initiatives across the firm
- Support investment teams across asset classes and regions with: integration of environmental risks and opportunities, identification and support of environment-linked investment ideas, and strengthening climate readiness of our companies
- Stay ahead of best market practice, debates and evolving standards around environmental themes, with regard to our processes and products
- Collaborate with investment, ESG, and Product departments to develop environmental and green solutions for clients
- In collaboration with Global Stewardship Lead, broader ESG and Investment teams, lead our environmental engagements with companies. This includes, but is not limited to climate change, transition, biodiversity, and water. This also extends to providing technical expertise to collaborative engagements such as CA100+
- Collaboration with ESG Data Function to strengthen access to environmental data, analytics and tools that support investment decisions, as well as developing processes for monitoring, and reporting of ESG metrics
- Liaise with broader stakeholders including Sales, Client Services, and the Global Sustainable Investment to develop and execute environmental strategies
- Work with Investment teams and other key stakeholders to deliver regional inputs for external reporting including (but not limited to) responses to the TCFD, UKSC, UN PRI, and NAM’s annual sustainability reports
- Provide expertise on environmental matters, including contribution to prospect opportunities with Investment teams
- Deep understanding of global environmental trends, regulations, new analytical approaches, competitive landscape to evaluate and update our positioning, strategies and client solutions
- Contribute to the investment dialogue by conducting comprehensive research in certain environmental areas, including origination of articles and thought leadership pieces
- Establish and maintain environment-related training agenda for the Global Sustainable Investment, Investment teams and other key stakeholders
- Industry collaboration, including (but not limited to) regulators, investment associations and relevant networks, and stakeholders
- Become a recognised thought leader within the ESG industry
- Identify new opportunities for green and impact investing strategies
- Support the successful implementation of the firm’s global ESG investing strategy
Knowledge and Skills
- Self-motivated, with confidence to work independently with a degree of autonomy, but remains a team player and enjoys contributing to a broader entrepreneurial environment
- Pro-active, self-starter and problem solver
- Excellent people and influencing skills
- Clear, logical thinker with strong analytical skills who can prioritise effectively and deliver with clarity and impact
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience and comfort interacting with senior leaders and clients
- Accountable, with a strong sense of professionalism and integrity
- Experience driving results within a highly matrixed organisation
Experience and Qualification
- Minimum 6 years (preferably more) of work experience in finance or consulting with focus on climate change and environment; with strong preference for exposure to institutional clients
- Strong understanding of how climate factors impact the investment process would be advantageous
- Hands-on and in-depth knowledge of climate related topics and decarbonisation roadmaps
o This includes understanding science-based targets, decarbonisation pathways and evolving net zero
frameworks, standards and initiatives incl. SBTi, NZAMi, GFANZ, TPI, TCFD, PCAF
- Preference for investment experience at a sizable investment management organisation
- Demonstrated track record in issues around ESG investing, sustainability or impact investing and understanding of the rapidly evolving regulatory environment and client demands
- Familiarity with ESG data sets and ESG ratings providers
- Track-record of balancing multiple stakeholders, building consensus, and delivering results
- Successful experience managing project teams in a dynamic and changing environment
