“Offering investors solutions and creating value together over the long term: this is Mirova’s ambition,” explains Philippe Zaouati, deputy CEO of Natixis AM, head of Mirova investment division.
The current economic development model is no longer sustainable. Whether the finance industry is seen as one of the causes of this crisis or as a mere catalyst, it also represents a major part of the solution: this is even truer for the investment industry.
The current imbalance between growth and debt, the decorrelation with the real economy, the depletion of natural resources and climate change issues…
You could say that the solutions to the economic crisis are not necessarily the answers to the environmental crisis, or that the two are mutually exclusive. But is that a reasonable answer?
“We are convinced that we need to see finance from a new perspective in order to better understand the risks and opportunities of a changing world.”
Many investors have already turned to socially responsible investing.
Responsibility has become a pivotal concept. Investors are taking a broader view and are more concerned about the sustainability of their investments, the part they play in financing the economy, their responsibility as shareholders, the medium-term potential of their investments, etc.
“Institutional investors and private savers, notably in Europe, are in search of returns and meaning for their investments.”
The challenges of the future are investment opportunities to be seized. This is where we step in.
We see responsible investment as a set of techniques; expertise and investment products that enable investors to direct their cash and savings towards companies committed to a better future or financing the infrastructure essential to energy transition and supporting a social and solidarity-based economy, and companies that help investors play an active and responsible role. Obviously, this starts with extra-financial research and the integration of ESG1 criteria. But we need to go much further.
With Mirova, the responsible investment division of Natixis AM, we decided to combine our different areas of expertise in a single investment division, one of its kind in Europe, gathering around 40 specialists and have organised our offering in 4 pillars: management of listed equities, infrastructure financing2, Impact investing3, voting and engagement advisory services.
“Mirova’s creation reflects our high ambitions in terms of responsible investment.”
With Mirova, we continually strive to stay cutting edge by strengthening our position within the French market, and to become a key player on the international scene.
We have therefore built a research partnership focusing on sustainable themes with Cambridge University.
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