Q: Tell us more about your area of professional expertise.

A: I am working in an area called ‘ESG’ – environmental, social and governance research and sustainable investing. ESG responsible and sustainable investing encompasses a variety of different approaches, including screening, integration as well as engagement and active ownership. ESG factors offer investment managers added insight into the quality of a company’s management, culture, risk profile and other characteristics. ESG has moved from the fringes to mainstream investing. Nowadays, almost 1,500 investors and service providers with a total AUM of US$59 trillion (up from US$4 trillion at the PRI’s launch in 2006) are committed to adhere to the 6 UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI).

Q: What were the major obstacles to overcome?

A: A few years ago, ESG and sustainable investing was a niche area. There was, and is still, a great deal of confusion about definitions and I have made an attempt to identify common themes and differences between sustainable investing, impact investing, philanthropy and venture philanthropy, by co-publishing a book on the ‘Fundamentals of Modern Philanthropy’ (2014). Capacity building remains a challenge. When I worked for a major ESG research, ratings and analytics house, I always told our research, product and client service teams that we were still creating a demand, and were not yet servicing it. So I worked intensely on an integrated marketing strategy (brand, partnerships, products and themes) to make a socio-economic concept become an investment reality. Today, many ‘ESG pioneer friends and colleagues’ and I are proud that after years of education, capacity and awareness building, the page is finally turning - ESG is getting into the mainstream - and we have actively contributed to this process.

Q: What has been your biggest lesson so far?

A: I think there are many lessons that have made an impact on my life and career. But there are a few common themes that are surfacing over and over again: 1) that this is the age of the universalist, 2) that values and purpose are universal concepts, that they matter and they can drive positive performance (in any context), 3) and that cross-fertilization and collaborative actions can help to achieve even bigger goals.

Q: How can an executive minimize the unknowns?

 A: Through research, learning and ultimately by promoting learning. Our age is driven by innovation, change and speed - and ambiguity and uncertainty have become the norm. A decade ago, Philip Hodgson and Randall White have developed a concept to identify eight broad strands of behaviour that seem to help people (executives) cope with ambiguity and uncertainty. They have called these behavioural skills ‘Enablers’ and they include ‘The Mystery Seeker’, ‘The Risk Tolerator’, ‘The Future Scanner’, ‘The Tenacious Challenger’, ‘The Exciter’, ‘The Flexible Adjuster’, ‘The Simplifier’ and ‘The Focuser’. I think this is an interesting concept, and I can see myself in almost all of these ‘enabling’ roles.

Q: How can we help more women climb up the corporate ladder and break ‘glass ceilings’?

 A: There are various challenges for women (and men) of all ages, ethnic groups and across organisations - these challenges are linked to organisational design, managerial credibility and talent management. Over the last couple of years, the glass ceiling has become ever more thicker, ‘managing upwards’ (not necessarily leadership) has become the norm, while managing and training the next generation of leaders is often no longer seen as a pre-requisite. Mentorship and diversity programmes as well as women’s networks are important to raise awareness around the issues. But in order to achieve sustainable transformational change, we also need to work with all stakeholders towards creating a more ‘inclusive’ corporate culture - where vision, mission and values are fully aligned, top down. I have taken the first actions and have gathered a group of experts to join me on the journey –  together, we explore ‘human governance’ models that can help to ‘Value Your Talent’.

 More information is available upon request!