Responsible-Investor.com

June 2, 2009 -The US has traditionally been the home of socially responsible investment (SRI) based on the screening out of unfavourable companies or the best-in-class positive weighting approach to investment.

More recently, however, new SRI terminology has entered the lexicon: ESG integration, a holistic look at where environmental, social and governance factors can add value or mitigate risk across an entire institutional investment portfolio. The trend has been taken up strongly in Europe and the same is happening in the US.

With more than 500 institutional investors (both asset owners and investment managers) signed up to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) - of which the number of US signatories is 78 and rising fast - there is now a wall of institutional money lined up to evaluate ESG integration.

Yet, the UN PRI Report on Progress includes the key finding that: "Principle 1 of the PRI, which focuses on incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision making, was ranked the most difficult to implement."

As a result, there is much that investors can learn from each other. Responsible Investor Events aim to translate discussion into practical solutions.

Integrating ESG into Portfolios is a one-day seminar examining how institutional investors and portfolio managers can integrate environmental, social and corporate governance issues into mainstream investment analysis and decision-making, including the wider portfolio impacts.

Delegates will hear from practitioners who will deliver knowledge and insights gained via their first-hand experience. The entire event will focus on best practice.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Christina Kussofsky Hillesoy, chair of ethical council, AP Government buffer funds, Sweden
  
• Rob Lake, head of sustainability, APG Investments, Netherlands
  
• Christopher Greenwald, director of data content, ASSET4, Switzerland
  
• Claire McLetchie, executive director, Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia
  (ASrIA), Hong Kong
  
• Stuart L Berman, partner, Barroway Topaz Kessler Meltzer & Check, LLP, USA
  
• Gary Turkel, head of equity product and ESG, Bloomberg, USA
  
• Mike Musuraca, managing director, Blue Wolf Capital, USA
  
• David Wood, director, The Boston College Institute for Responsible Investment, USA
  
• Lauren Compere, director of shareholder advocacy, Boston Common Asset Management, USA
  
• Adam Kanzer, managing director and general counsel, Domini Social Investments, USA
  
• Hanna Roberts, engagement manager, GES Investment Services, Sweden
  
• Craig Metrick, US head of responsible investment team, Mercer, USA
  
• Laura Shaffer, director of shareholder activities, Nathan Cummings Foundation, USA
  
• Hugh Wheelan, editor, Responsible Investor, France/UK
  
• Erik Breen, head of responsible investing, Robeco, Netherlands
  
• Hugo Steensma, managing director, SAM, USA
  
• Meg Voorhes, deputy director and research director, Social Investment Forum, USA
  
• Hye-Won Choi, senior VP corporate governance, TIAA-CREF, USA
  
• Jerome Tagger, chief operating officer, UNPRI, USA
  
• Tim Smith, senior vice president, ESG group, Walden Asset Management, USA
  
• Sarah Cleveland, senior consultant, Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting, USA

Responsible-Investor.com

Responsible-Investor.com

Responsible-Investor.com provides institutional investors with a comprehensive online magazine and information resource which recognises the growing requirement to achieve investment returns within an environmental, social and corporate governance framework.

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