How are the courts reshaping client action? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Amy Rose, Global Director of Litigation, Governance and Legal Services for ClientEarth, about what strategic impact litigation represents; how constitutional and human rights theories are providing a framework for climate legal action; and why the courts, not policymakers, may well end up reshaping definitions of ESG and greenwashing. Amy Rose is Global Director of Litigation, Governance and Legal Services for...

How is climate change redefining security narratives? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with General Tom Middendorp, former Chief of Defence for the Netherlands and author of Climate General, about what’s at stake when we talk about climate security; how the defence sector is evolving to address climate risk, from net zero paths to disaster relief missions; and why the military’s level of readiness, resilience and redundancy offers compelling lessons for how to tackle climate change. General...

After the energy crisis, what comes next? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Tim Gould, IEA Chief Energy Economist, the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook report, the implications of the energy crisis, and policymakers’ efforts to balance decarbonisation, energy security and price affordability. Tim Gould is the International Energy Agency’s Chief Energy Economist. He provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Tim, is also Head of the...

What makes someone an ESG expert? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Kim Schumacher at Kyushu University, about what competence greenwashing represents; how to capacity plan and build around subject matter expertise in the natural sciences; and why we need to consider an ESG Skills Materiality framework towards this effort. Professor Kim Schumacher is an Associate Professor in Sustainable Finance and ESG at Kyushu University in Japan. He’s also a Visiting Lecturer at the Tokyo...

What does the data say about our net zero ambitions? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Vaclav Smil, academic and author of the New York Times bestseller How the World Really Works, what the energy transition by 2050 realistically means; how energy transitions have evolved historically; and what are the real implications when people talk of a climate ‘earthshot’. Vaclav Smil Vaclav is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. Regarded as being among the most important...

How is the UK FCA driving the next evolution of sustainability regulation? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Sacha Sadan, FCA Director of ESG, what the FCA’s new SDR framework means for investors; how it aims to provide anti-greenwashing protections; and why we need to work towards greater harmonisation across the multitude of global sustainability standards. Sacha Sadan Sacha Sadan is the Director of ESG at the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) where he oversees ESG across the wide...

Can the fashion industry become truly sustainable? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Janice Wang, Alvanon CEO, what sustainability means in a fashion context, how to adapt to shifting demographics and changing body types, and why efficiencies like 3D and digital technologies are already revolutionising the market. Janice Wang, CEO Janice Wang is CEO of Alvanon and Chairwoman of the Board at MOTIF, the online professional development platform for the apparel industry. She is a Member of...

What is COP27 set to accomplish? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Quamrul Chowdury, COP27 Lead Climate Negotiator, about what to expect going into COP27, how G-77 and LDC negotiating positions are taking shape, and what’s at stake for the most climate-vulnerable countries. Quamrul Chowdury has been a climate negotiator for over thirty years. He serves as a Lead Climate and Sustainable Development Negotiator of the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 134 G-77 Developing Countries at...

Is the criticism of ESG well-founded or political posturing? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Ioannis Ioannou, London Business School, about what is at stake in the backlash to ESG, how to think about the factors driving its politicisation, and why we need to work harder towards finding ways to turn down the heat in this increasingly partisan debate. Prof. Ioannis Ioannou Ioannis Ioannou is a professor at London Business School, and strategy scholar whose research focuses on...

What makes a trend in asset prices? Which signals should you be looking for to find momentum in markets? Which environments offer the best returns for quantitative trend-following strategies? For the second season of Long Story Short, host Peter van Dooijeweert, Head of Multi-Asset Solutions at Man Solutions, is demystifying the world of trend following. You will hear about why trend strategies have outperformed other risk assets, the ways investors can look for trends in noisy markets, and...

How are multilateral institutions like the IMF helping close the gender gap? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Dr. Ratna Sahay, IMF Senior Advisor on Gender, about what’s at stake when we talk about gender disparities, how the IMF’s first Strategy Toward Mainstreaming Gender advances this effort and why it’s vital that we focus on the multiplier effects to drive great, more inclusive economic growth. Dr. Ratna Sahay is Senior Advisor on Gender in the Office of the Managing Director at the...

If the carbon offset market is falling short, how do we fix it? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Thomas Hale, Oxford University, about what’s at stake in net zero commitments, how to think about potential policy solutions and why it’s vital that we work towards a more robust regulatory system to oversee carbon offsets markets. Find the full transcript of this episode and the latest responsible investment insights from Man Institute here:...

What’s at stake for hedge funds in the path to net zero? Jason Mitchell talks to Keith Guthrie, Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Cardano, about the role of short selling in sustainable investing, how to incorporate hedge funds and derivatives into net zero strategies, and why it’s vital we distinguish economic risk materiality from real world impact. Keith Guthrie is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Cardano and a member of its Sustainability Steering Committee and Investment...

Is market-driven short termism a convenient scapegoat? Jason Mitchell talks to Professor Mark J. Roe, Harvard Law School, about why short-termism may not be the problem it’s purported to be, how the narrative around short-termism has evolved over the past 30 years, and the potential policy solutions. Biography Mark J. Roe is a professor at Harvard Law School, where he teaches corporate law and corporate bankruptcy. He is the author of Missing the Target: Why Stock Market Short-Termism Is Not...

Will the energy transition — now complicated by the drive to diversify energy sources away from Russia — lead to a full-blown energy crisis? Listen to Jason Mitchell talk to Rob West, CEO of Thunder Said Energy, about what’s at stake for the energy complex as we begin this diversification, the first and second order impacts of the conflict, and the trade-offs that we may face between energy security, decarbonisation and price affordability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

How does sustainable finance regulation represent a sea change for investors? Listen to Jason Mitchell talk to Alain Deckers, European Commission Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), about greenwashing, enforcement, materiality, regulatory harmonisation and how the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Strategy is bringing transparency to the ESG space. Alain Deckers is the newly-appointed Head of the Asset Management Unit...

Why is extreme heat the “silent killer” in climate change? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Dr. Eleni Myrivili, Chief Heat Officer for the city of Athens, Greece, about what the impact of heat stress means; how cities around the world are addressing it from a policy perspective and why it’s likely we’ll see more of these positions and more intervention going forward. Dr. Eleni Myrivili is the Chief Heat Officer for the city of Athens, Greece. She designs, leads, and promotes heat...

How are multilateral development banks leaning into sustainable finance? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Heike Reichelt, Head of Investor Relations and Sustainable Finance at the World Bank Treasury, about what the World Bank is doing to drive socio-environmental impact; how multilateral development banks are reshaping their climate-related investments post-COP 26; and why it’s vital that programmes like the World Bank and IDA exist to support the development goals of middle- and...

Is this latest energy shock a one-off event or a harbinger of more energy crises to come? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Alex Grant, Equinor’s Senior Vice President of Business Development and UK Country Manager, the energy transition; the trade-offs that we may face between security of supply, price volatility and affordability; and the emerging energy technologies like blue and green hydrogen. Alex Grant is Equinor’s Senior Vice President of Business Development Origination and...

How is climate finance reshaping COP negotiations? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Senior Director for Climate Finance to US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, the most consequential outcomes of COP26; how to think about US domestic political dynamics around climate change; and why the financial sector is fundamental in the transition to a net zero global economy. Leonardo was previously the global director of the Sustainable Finance Center at the...

When central bank policies are driven by their primary mandates, is there a case that these mandates should expand to incorporate the systemic risk that is climate change? And how will increasingly extreme climate events force policymakers’ actions or limit the monetary policy space available to central bank institutions?  Emanuel Moench, Head of Research at the Deutsche Bundesbank, joins Jason Mitchell to discuss the intersection of climate change and monetary policy; what central banks are...

How is regulatory change reshaping ESG investing? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Commissioner Allison Herren Lee of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, about the SEC’s evolving views around disclosure and materiality; its enforcement efforts; and the need to work towards greater harmonisation given the multitude of global disclosure frameworks. Find the full transcript of the episode here. Jason Mitchell, Co-Head Responsible Investment, Man Group: If there’s a predominant theme...

Is the cynicism around net zero justified? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee discuss the world’s expectations going into COP26; what the Climate Change Committee is doing to advise the UK government on its net zero path; and why it’s vital that we frontload climate investment in order to turn strong words into strong action on the reality of climate change. Chris Stark is Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee. He...

It is well established that climate change poses significant risks to businesses and future investments but these concerns are often intricately connected to biodiversity and nature-related issues. Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, and co-chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures joins the podcast to discuss how firms can report and act on evolving nature-related risks.  In this far-reaching conversation,...

Is ESG outperformance coming to end? Is an ESG asset bubble brewing? Listen to Jason Mitchell talk with Abraham Lioui, Professor of Finance at EDHEC Business School, about his latest paper, Chasing the ESG Factor. In this deep-dive episode, the two discuss how investors may be mispricing ESG, the implications of identifying ESG risk premia and why more rigorous approaches are absolutely essential to understanding ESG in the context of quantitative finance.