From Brazilian Mines to Vietnamese Factories: The Site Visits Shaping Alphinity’s Ethical Investing

For most fund managers, investment analysis happens behind a screen, not on site. Their view of a company is shaped by financial statements, not conversations with employees and the local community.

But what if fund managers’ ethical decisions were shaped by site visits and hundreds of engagements with companies each year? 

Today we’re speaking with Jessica Cairns of Alphinity Investment Management, a Sydney‑based fund manager established in 2010 and majority owned by its employees.

Jessica joined Alphinity in 2020 and is Head of Responsible Investment. In collaboration with the Alphinity team, she heads up the implementation of Alphinity’s five pillars of responsible investment.

Prior to joining Alphinity, Jessica was Senior Sustainability Advisor at Transurban and previous roles included Case Manager at the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) and Environmental and Sustainability Consultant at SLR Consulting. She has a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management (Honours) from the University of Newcastle and a Diploma in Project Management from the University of New England.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with Jessica Cairns of Alphinity. Content mentioned in the interview:

2025 Responsible Investment Report

Remembering Country, What investors can gain from implementing the Dhawura Ngilan Principles

Australian Webcast: Sustainability of the Apparel Sector: Research Project & Outcomes

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

You can find out more about Alphinity here. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.