The investment case for ESG
February 2022, The Ivy Club, London
Echo was delighted to host its second breakfast ‘Question Time’ panel discussion, to consider the investment case for Environmental, Social and Governance.
There is currently a lively debate between those who believe all investments need to have cast-iron and irrefutable ESG credentials and those who think ESG has no place or impact in investment decision making. Our panel included individuals who are at the heart of this debate – as exponents or commentators.
We adopted a Question Time format to the meeting and used a series of principal themes to consider what role ESG should play in investment strategies:
- The jam in the ESG sandwich – Is it right that business should be left to fill the void of moral responsibility in society?
- Mayonnaise with purpose – Where does virtue lie and have Boards swung too far in their desire to be seeing to be doing good?
- Needle in a haystack - What are investors looking for when considering ESG as part of a new or existing business investment?
- Aggregate confusion - How should PLCs and private businesses best benchmark ESG – are the existing plethora of emerging standards fit for purpose?
- On the button or over the top - What real value is ESG bringing to investment portfolios – and are some ‘sustainable’ stocks overvalued?
Our high-level panel included individuals who each bring a different perspective to this debate:
- Matthew Gwyther (Panel Chairman), Ex-editor of Management Today and now a Partner at a social purpose Think Tank, Jericho Chambers
- Alan Livsey, Lex Research Editor, Financial Times
- Charles Wookey, CEO, BluePrint for Better Business
- Hannah Leach, Partner, Houghton Street Ventures and co-founder of VentureESG
- Tarquin Henderson, Director, ESG Practice, Echo Research