International savings and investments company M&G announced today the creation of a new Stewardship and Sustainability team, aiming to meet increased client demand for ESG-integrated, sustainable and impact products and to develop the roadmap to meet M&G’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its investment portfolios by 2050. The company also announced the appointment of Rob Marshall to lead the new team.

Jack Daniels, Chief Investment Officer of M&G plc said: 

“Our customers want to know that we’re investing in the right way:  supporting  their financial goals by considering how their investments affect – and are affected by – what’s happening in our society and environment.  For us, the long term sustainability of our business, our environment and our communities depends on us embedding ESG into everything we do. Our new Stewardship and Sustainability team will play a central role in ensuring ESG is at the heart of how we invest as a leading global asset manager and asset owner.”

According to the company, the new team will consist of 13 professionals. The team will build M&G’s capability in research, policy, evaluation, integration and reporting of ESG risks and opportunities across its investment engine in all asset classes.  In addition, the team will engage with M&G’s investee companies to encourage transition to sustainable business models, including a new Climate Engagement Programme focused on companies with high carbon exposure.  

M&G stated that the team will also serve as the company’s center of excellence for its growing range of innovative impact solutions for customers who want to make a tangible difference to the environment and society with their investments, such as the new M&G Climate Solutions Fund, which aims to invest in companies addressing the climate emergency while also delivering attractive investment returns.

Marshall has been with M&G for 20 years, most recently serving as Head of Credit Research, responsible for leading the company’s three groups of industry and asset class specialists in Financials, Corporates, and Asset-Backed Securities. Prior to joining M&G, Marshall was a senior analyst in European structured finance for the credit rating agency DCR, and later for Fitch Ratings.

Marshall said:

“M&G has a long history of investing with care and integrity on behalf of our customers and standing up for their interests.  We are rising to the unprecedented environmental and societal challenges the world faces by further building our capabilities to invest sustainably and responsibly while continuing to deliver the long term performance customers want; stepping up our active engagement with investee companies to ensure the right changes are being made, particularly on climate change risks; and continuing to innovate for our customers in the products and reporting we provide.”