Our new Chief Data Officer, Lorraine Waters, caught up with Scotiabank VP and Chief Data Officer Allie Harris over a fireside CDO chat at the A-Team Insight Virtual Data Management Summit last week. 

ESG has been around for decades, yet it has only recently exploded on the scene as organisations push to become more environmentally and socially progressive – not least to attract investors looking to expand their portfolios with companies that hold the same values.

"The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a brighter spotlight on the Social aspect of ESG, with investors and society increasingly focused on how companies treat the entire organisational ecosystem, from employees and suppliers to shareholders alike. However, as the landscape continues to evolve and grow in popularity, it’s important to note that ESG isn’t necessarily as simple as it seems on the surface."

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced an Enforcement Task Force for climate risk disclosures - “Proactively addressing emerging disclosure gaps that threaten investors and the market”. 

“There is a bubble of uncertainty about whether companies can truly be ESG-graded in a consistent way” - Solidatus Architect and ESG Specialist John Tobin spoke to Investment Week about the complexity of the ESG space and the current lack of clarity and consistency when it comes to ESG ratings.