Led by Jamie Kramer, head of strategic product management and ESG lead for global investment management, the sustainable investment leadership team will bring together portfolio managers, client advisers and senior leaders from the business to coordinate and drive the group’s strategy on ESG investing.
Kramer said the ESG team would sit “at the heart” of the business, bringing together insights and best practice across the group’s investment capabilities.
“Formalising this global leadership team creates a driving force to shape and communicate our ESG capabilities around our clients’ needs,” she said.
JPMAM applies ESG criteria to its research process, analysing the impact on future cash flows.
She added: “We recognise sustainable investing represents a broad set of opportunities and that clients may choose to implement their views based on explicit portfolio objectives.
“We offer capabilities across ESG integration, values and norms-based screens, best-in-class, and theme-based, or impact investing.”
The launch of this working party cements the efforts by JPMAM in the ESG sector, having launched a Luxembourg Europe Sustainable Equity Ucits Sicav in December, managed by Richard Webb, Joanna Crompton and William Johnson.
Webb said: “Companies with effective governance and superior management of environmental and social issues tend to have better profitability, operating performance, and lower costs of capital than those who do not.
“As active managers, we can help drive change by underscoring the importance of looking beyond quarterly capitalism to embed ESG considerations into corporate strategy.
“Over time, our intention is to use targeted engagement – leveraging the strong track record of our corporate governance team – to help companies improve standards and practices to become more sustainable and ultimately create more value for shareholders, stakeholders and wider society.”
