Pri Podcasts

In this episode of the PRI podcast, we discuss implementing net zero commitments in listed equity portfolios.Joined by Anna Cala, Assistant Vice President, ESG, ClearBridge Investments, and Maia Becker, Senior Director, RBC Global Asset Management, we explore: Net zero ambition & commitments Challenges and issues on the path to net zero Steps taken towards achieving these targets The role of divestments in achieving net zero targets Download full transcript. 

In this week's podcast, we look at the social licence of infrastructure investing. Joined by Gwen Colin of Vauban Infrastructure and Antoine Tréboz of ALiS, we explore: ·       How the social licence delivers better infrastructure projects for investors and their stakeholders ·       How to conduct effective stakeholder engagement Find the transcript here: https://bit.ly/3FQ5sAn  

 In this episode, Sebastien Akbik, Corporate Governance Analyst at the PRI spoke with Kiran Aziz, Head of Responsible Investments from KLP and Daniel Mulé, Policy Lead, Extractive Industries Tax and Transparency from Oxfam America.  They discussed the importance for responsible investors to consider tax both from a risk mitigation and positive impact perspective. The speakers also discussed the increasing momentum on tax, including the shareholder proposals on tax transparency filed by Oxfam America and KLP.     Find transcript here: https://bit.ly/3YMKuJ8           

Many governments are turning to labelled sustainable bonds, and Latin American sovereigns have been particularly innovative. The PRI’s latest podcast delves into the issuer and investor perspective, and the different types of bonds coming to the market. In this podcast we discuss: The state and evolution of the sovereign sustainable bond market How Latin America have approached this market and how Columbia, Mexico, and Chile have been the leaders in this space. Weighing up use-of-proceeds labelled bonds versus sustainability-linked bonds It features Esther Law, who is a Senior Investment Manager in Emerging Market Debt at Amundi and César Arias, the former Director of Public Credit and National Treasury at the Ministry of Finance of Colombia. Find podcast transcript here : https://bit.ly/3Xx5XGm 

In this episode, the PRI’s head of fixed income, Carmen Nuzzo speaks with Adam Heltzer of Ares Management and Faith Rosenfeld of HPS Investment Partners, to discuss how private debt investors are incorporating ESG into their investment practices.    With this, they discuss the ESG opportunities for private debt and private equity investors to collaborate and the regulatory implications on reporting with limited partners. 

In this special episode of the PRI podcast, we shine the spotlight on COP27. Host Liz Barnes speaks with Habib Abdur-Rahman, Head of ESG at Investcorp, and Prudential's Liza Jansen, Head of Responsible Investment at Prudential, and member of the UN-Convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance. With just a week to go until the highly anticipated climate conference, they discuss their expectations for COP27, the role of investors in scaling up actions to deliver on a just transition to net zero, and how blended finance can be leveraged to mobilise capital into where finance is needed the most.

In this new podcast, an investor and a bank discuss which ESG data they use for securitised product analysis and how it differs from other asset classes.

In the tenth podcast of a series on the ESG in Credit Risk and Ratings Initiative, Sixtine Dubost (PRI) speaks with Erika Wranegard (Lombard Odier Investment Managers) and Michael Ferguson (S&P Global Ratings) about the ESG information provider landscape and the usefulness of the product and service offering for fixed income investors. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3f3e24d

In this episode of the PRI podcast, Jasper Cox, Investment Practices Analyst at the PRI, speaks with Christian Leveque, Municipal Portfolio Manager and Strategist at Payden & Rygel, and Ruth Ducret, Senior Analyst, Municipal Research at Breckinridge Capital Advisors   State and local governments in the US have a critical role to play in tackling environmental and social challenges.   In turn, the investors who lend to these administrations through buying municipal (muni) bonds can contribute to the solutions. Some muni bond issuers have also started selling labelled bonds that earmark proceeds for green or social projects.   This podcast explores how sustainability outcomes can be factored into muni bond investment decisions, and what the role of labelled bonds is in this market. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3AC6zBh

Join the PRI’s Bonnie Groves and guests John Hoeppner, LGIM America, and Aeisha Mastagni, CalSTRS, in this episode of the PRI podcast.     John and Aeisha discuss this year’s AGM season and the trends that will shape future proxy seasons. They tackle voting on new and complex shareholder resolutions and the role of universal owners in addressing systemic risks.  Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3JpLi0G

In this new podcast, PRI’s Carmen Nuzzo speaks with an originator and an investor  to discuss the benefits and the challenges of structured products with green or social labels. They are growing rapidly but are not always genuine.

In this episode Laura de Ornelas, PRI’s Empowering Asset Owners Director, speaks to Jenny Kvaskova and Tim Manuel from Aon. They explore the insights into Asset Owners’ responsible investment practices, particularly how they differ across geographies and Asset Owner segments.   Jenny shares the methodology and techniques used to bring the PRI’s reporting data to life. Tim Manuel shares from his experience in supporting Asset Owners in their responsible investment journey, explores the challenges they face, and gives insight into how the industry is solving these.   Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3utVKOc

In this episode of the PRI podcast, Jasper Cox, Investment Practices Analyst at the PRI, speaks with Lupin Rahman, Head of Emerging Markets Sovereign Credit at PIMCO, and Jarrad Linzie, Global Head of Fixed Income Index Research at MSCI.   Indices help shape investment decisions, whether investors track them passively or use them as a benchmark for performance. Therefore, the index providers incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into a growing number of their products are key actors in the responsible investment ecosystem.   When designing ESG indices for government bonds, there are certain differences compared with corporate indices. This podcast explores these distinctions, as well as the purpose of ESG sovereign debt indices and potential areas for future development.   Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3bAXNcG   Interested in the resources discussed in this episode?   Bringing together sovereign debt investors and index providers: https://www.unpri.org/sovereign-

In the ninth podcast of a series on the ESG in Credit Risk and Ratings Initiative, Sixtine Dubost (PRI) speaks with Lisa Abraham (Brown Advisory) and Florian Grandcolas (EthiFinance) about TCFD’s recommended disclosures and their incorporation in credit risk analysis.   Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3te1A63

In this episode of the PRI podcast, Jasper Cox, Investment Practices Analyst at the PRI, speaks with Camilla Ogunbiyi, Senior Sovereign ESG Analyst at Nordea Asset Management, and James Lockhart Smith, Vice President for Markets at Verisk Maplecroft. Sovereign nations are the ultimate guarantors of human rights, making the bonds they issue a logical focus for responsible investors. However, investors face unique challenges considering this topic in government debt. This podcast discusses the link between human rights and borrowing costs, how to find and use data on human rights, and engaging with countries on the subject. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3EL5J5Z

In the eighth podcast of the series on the ESG in Credit Risk and Ratings Initiative, Carmen Nuzzo, PRI speaks with Barbara Mattos, Moody’s Investors Service and Jod Hsu, NN Investment Partners about deforestation and how it can affect credit risk analysis. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3wTFyIp

In this episode of the PRI podcast, the PRI’s senior lead in listed equities, Michal Bartek speaks with Steve Lydenberg, a partner at Domini Social Investments. They reflect on the key developments in responsible investing in decades past, discuss the nature of challenges that listed equity investors currently face and explore what it takes for listed equity asset managers to show leadership. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3iqlrsA

This podcast explores how the US opioid crisis plays out at the local level, with repercussions not just on lives lost and healthcare costs, but also US municipal bonds and the cost of local authorities’ funding. Leading the discussion are the PRI’s Carmen Nuzzo, Head of Fixed Income, and Katherine Ng, Head of Research. They’re joined by Eric Friedland, Director of Municipal Research, Lord Abbett, and John Hund, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Georgia. Interested in the resources discussed in this episode? Opioid abuse affects municipal access to capital: https://www.unpri.org/pri-blog/opioid-abuse-affects-municipal-access-to-capital/8827.article Sub-sovereign debt resources: https://www.unpri.org/investment-tools/fixed-income/sub-sovereign-debt Fixed income resources: https://www.unpri.org/investment-tools/fixed-income PRI academic research: https://www.unpri.org/sustainability-issues/research Find the podcast transcript: https://bit.ly/3Iwl4s6 

In this episode of the PRI podcast, the PRI’s senior lead in listed equities, Michal Bartek speaks with Edris Boey of Maitri Asset Management. They reflect on the key developments in ESG incorporation in APAC region, discuss what it takes for investment organisations to be or keep up with the leaders in the field. Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3AptNJr

In this episode, the PRI’s Simon Whistler talks with Chris Clubb from Convergence and Nadia Nikolova from Allianz Global Investors on the role of blended finance in driving more sustainable investment in emerging markets. They discuss the challenges and opportunities blended finance provides for institutional investors, and why it can be such an important tool delivering more investments that will speed progress towards Net Zero and the SDGs.   Find the podcast transcript here: https://bit.ly/3qcd0ow