Leading Sustainability
In this podcast, join specialist sustainability recruiter Tom Strelczak from TWS Search Partners as he sits down with sustainability leaders from across geographies to discuss their careers and the realities of working in this complex sector.
Sustainability has become an exciting and significant area of growth across the world, with many aspiring professionals and graduates looking to move into this sector and forge meaningful careers.
Away from the draw of creating impact and making a difference, what is it really like to work in sustainability and what would leaders in this sector tell you about their experiences and how they got into the industry?
Leading Sustainability
Episode 5: Leading Sustainability - Justin Kew (US Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund)
In this ‘post-summer’, fifth episode of Leading Sustainability, I meet with Justin Kew, the Sustainable Investing Lead for a US headquartered international multi-strategy hedge fund with $21 billion AUM. Previously, Justin oversaw ESG research at Carmignac as well as time spent at Schroders within quantitative equity.
In a particularly interesting discussion, we cover the technical nature of sustainable investing within the hedge fund sector, a first for this podcast. We also take a deep look into the role of AI within sustainability, ESG stakeholder management across research and investment, and what in-demand skills are shaping the industry.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Leading Sustainability podcast overview and introduction
(00:29) Getting into sustainability through the oil and gas sector
(05:00) Sustainable investing in hedge funds vs institutional asset management
(09:58) Dealing with portfolio managers and potential misconceptions around ESG
(13:19) State of the industry right now for sustainability post-graduates
(17:53) Deconstructing the differences between ESG ratings and ESG data
(23:33) The role of AI in supply chain sustainability and physical risk
(26:12) The future of skills shaping careers within sustainable finance
(30:07) Using AI for corporate engagement meetings and ESG research
(32:21) Building relationships with the business from a centralised SI team
(35:10) Upskilling at a firmwide level for success in sustainable investing
(37:58) Embracing ESG and sustainability within the private markets sector
(40:53) Moving from an ESG career in public markets to private markets
(43:05) Misconceptions from people about a career in sustainable investing
(46:36) Reasons to be encouraged about the industry over the next decade