Breakout Session B3

Sustainable investments: a catalyst of trust and stability in financial markets?

What can mainstream investment learn from sustainable investment?
Should we manage known risks better?
Do we need additional sustainability (ESG) indicators?
What are the key success factors of sustainable investments?
“And the winners are …” Does the performance of sustainability-focussed companies outperform during the financial crisis?

Speakers:

Ralf Frank, DVFA Society of Investment Professionals in Germany

Ralf Frank is Managing Director at DVFA and represents DVFA at EFFAS European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies where he is Delegate for XBRL and ESG. Before, he held several senior management positions at a US-American capital goods manufacturer and was Senior staff at a pan-European management consulting firm. He holds an M.A. in Communications and an MBA from Sheffield Hallam University/UK and has a degree as Systemic Consultant (SG). Ralf’s mission is to improve the usability of financial reporting and financial communication for professional investors and financial analysts.

Daniel Mahler, A.T. Kearney

Daniel Mahler is a partner with A.T. Kearney and the firm’s global coordinator for Sustainability. He has over twelve years of consulting experience with the firm and has been based in offices in New York, London, and Berlin. He is currently relocating from New York to Zurich to become the country head for Switzerland. He was lead author of the recent white paper “Chain Reaction,” which includes findings of A.T. Kearney’s joint 2007 study with the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) on sustainability and supply chains. He earned both a Ph.D. and M.A. in communications from the University of Hannover, Germany.

Burkhard P. Varnholt, Bank Sarasin & Co. Ltd

Burkhard P. Varnholt is Chief Investment Officer and a member of the Executive Committee of Bank Sarasin. Prior to joining Bank Sarasin, he spent 10 years with Credit Suisse where he was a member of the Global Executive Council and held various investment banking positions with Morgan Stanley in London.
He also had a distinguished academic career, teaching at the MIT, the Stern School of Business at NYU and at HSG where he still lectures regularly at the Executive MBA Program. He holds a PhD in Economics and a bachelor in law from the University of St Gallen.

Paul Clements-Hunt, UNEP Finance Initiative

Paul Clements-Hunt has been the Head of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) since November 2000. UNEP FI, based in Geneva, is the largest partnership between the United Nations and the financial services sector. He graduated with a BA degree in Economics from the University of East Anglia and completed post-graduate studies in journalism at University College, Cardiff.

Facilitator:

Sabine Döbeli, Bank Vontobel
Sabine Döbeli is Head of Sustainability Management at Bank Vontobel. Previously she worked at Zürcher Kantonalbank and for an environmental consultancy. She is vice-chairperson of “Forum nachhaltige Geldanlagen”, the Sustainable Investment Forum for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a board member of the Swiss Climate Foundation. She holds a Masters degree in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich as well as Masters in Marketing and Business from the University of Basel.

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