Delegates were left with much to contemplate following an excellent presentation by Amanda Young, former Chief Sustainability Officer, abrdn.
Amanda shared her sustainable finance journey shedding light on the early days of sustainable investing, where she faced skepticism and the challenge of aligning finance with her environmental values. Initially, her role involved ethical policy development where she learned the importance of corporate engagement and fundamental research.
As the sustainable finance sector evolved, she observed a shift towards profit-driven motives over ethical considerations. The emergence of ESG as a buzzword raised concerns about a potential bubble, with inexperienced individuals entering the space, leading to confusion and the diluting of standards.
In recent years, regulatory pressures added to the challenges faced by sustainability teams, who often feel overwhelmed by compliance requirements. Despite these obstacles, Amanda expressed optimism for the future, emphasising the need to return to core principles and encourage long-term thinking in finance. “We need to call on investors, on companies and politicians to be brave, just like we were in the early days. To be agents of change, buck the trend and think long term. We can make progress and we are, but how we do this and the pace we set will be determined by those brave enough to take the big steps,” Amanda asserted.
She concluded by urging the next generation to embrace the mission of sustainable investment, fostering integrity and corporate responsibility to address global challenges.