Wed 07 Dec 2022 - Investing to achieve net zero continues to be in the headlines and on the agenda of asset owners and asset managers around the world. As actuaries, we are often involved in helping clients invest to meet their liabilities, but what about investing to meet our liability to future generations who will have to deal with the impact if we do not curtail, and reverse, greenhouse gas emissions? Many initiatives have emerged to promote and support the transition to net zero, including a number of investment frameworks.
This webinar aims to explain the background to these initiatives, look at the organisations involved and consider what is required by some of the main net-zero investing frameworks.
The content of this webinar is drawn from a paper produced by the IFoA’s Net Zero Portfolio Alignment Working Group, to be published on the date of the webinar.
The target audience is actuaries who are not already involved in this area. No prior knowledge of the various concepts and acronyms involved is assumed.
Brandon Horwitz is Principal Consultant at NomBon Consulting, a boutique management consultancy as well as being a Senior Adviser and Non-Executive Director of Fund Boards Council, a membership organisation focused on investment fund board governance, transparency and value. He also chairs the Appointments Committee of the Financial Reporting Council’s Tribunal Panel. He also has experience as a Non-Executive Director of organisations regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), The Pension Regulator (TPR) and the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC).
Brandon’s previous roles in his 20-year career in financial services include launching the Vitality Invest proposition and being responsible for HSBC UK’s regulated financial advice proposition and conduct risk management for wealth management products. He has also worked as an asset management Technical Specialist at the Financial Services Authority, as an Investment Banker and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley and in investment consulting at Watson Wyatt.
Brandon is a qualified actuary and holds a M.Sc. in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics as well as a B.Sc. in Actuarial Science/Maths of Finance from WITS university. Brandon was also chair of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries’ (IFoA) Finance & Investment Board from 2014-2016 after joining that Board in 2009. He is an active volunteer for the IFoA, regularly chairing working parties covering areas including product regulation and investment governance including Net Zero investment portfolios
Railpen
James Turner is an Investment Manager at Railpen, one of the UK’s largest and longest established pension funds with assets of circa £30 billion. As a member of the private markets team, he focuses on originating, structuring and executing investments within both private markets and insurance-linked strategies. James has been involved in Railpen’s internal Climate Working Group as well as various investor initiatives exploring climate integration and net zero commitments in private markets.
Andy is Group Sustainability & Stewardship Manager at Royal London and carries 12 years of actuarial experience across life and pensions. Andy’s one of the few actuaries who sneaked in with a music degree and a few film and album credits to his name. He’s passionate about the role actuaries should play in understanding and mitigating the climate crisis, to benefit their clients as well as wider society. Outside work Andy spends his time wrangling young children, fitting in mountain biking where he can. He’d be glad to talk with any readers interested in exploring how or why they should integrate sustainability issues into their roles.