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15 November 2023 – Paris Alignment Forum all-stakeholder event

The transition to net zero is the stewardship challenge of our generation

Posted on Oct 15, 2023

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Pensions for Purpose was delighted to invite Paris Alignment Forum members to its last online all-stakeholder event for 2023.

As we move into the final quarter of the year, we will be focusing on climate transition and what this means for pension funds and their investments. The UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) is developing standards to support financial institutions and companies in preparing and disclosing transition plans, which detail how an organisation aims to manage the impacts of climate change and the move to net zero.

The session was introduced by Nina Pimblett of TPT, and we heard from Chandra Gopinathan of Railpen on what the implications for pension funds are, now the TPT's final disclosure framework has been published.

We then moved to breakout rooms of mixed stakeholders, led by our sponsors Invesco and Redington. After these discussions, we then returned to the main room to share insights.


Who was this event for?

Anyone involved in the governance or management of pension fund assets or other pools of assets, and climate experts.  For example, trustees of corporate defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, LGPS pensions managers and committee members, in-house pension teams, legal, actuarial and investment advisers, asset managers, other investment service providers and climate-research groups.

Watch recording here

Read the blog

Speaker biographies’

Nina Pimblett, Sector Guidance Lead, Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT)

Nina Pimblett

Nina is the Sector Guidance Lead at the Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT), responsible for the delivery for the delivery of a suite of sector-specific guidance to support the implementation of the TPT Disclosure Framework.

The sector-specific guidance suite includes the TPT Sector Summary (covering decarbonisation levers and metrics and targets for 40 sectors) and detailed sector guidance for the following sectors: Asset Managers, Asset Owners, Banks, Food & Beverage, Electric Utilities & Power Generators, Metals & Mining, and Oil & Gas.

Nina is on secondment to the TPT from KPMG, where she is a member of the ESG Strategy Group team. She is chartered accountant, having previously worked across both ESG Assurance and Audit.


Chandra Gopinathan, Senior Investment Manager, Railpen

Chandra Gopinathan


Chandra Gopinathan is a Senior Investment Manager in the Public Markets team at Railpen. He is accountable for external manager selection including multi-asset credit, energy transition investing, and supports climate strategy and stewardship at Railpen.

Before joining Railpen, Chandra gained two decades of experience in senior roles in asset management, banking and ESG, covering energy, aviation, infrastructure, real estate and structured credit across major financial institutions, including Allianz Global Investors (as part of Rogge Global Partners) and Morgan Stanley.

Chandra represents Railpen at the UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT), is a member of the steering committee at the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) and the Institutional Investor Group for Climate Change (IIGCC). Chandra studied Financial Engineering at Columbia University, New York and has a CAIA designation.

Host

Karen Shackleton, Director and Founder, Pensions for Purpose

Karen Shackleton

Karen has worked in the finance sector for over 30 years. As well as being Founder of Pensions for Purpose, she is Deputy Chair of the Strategic Investment Board for the Ministry of Justice and a non-executive director and Chair of the Board of Resonance Ltd, a social impact investment company.

She sits on the Advisory Council of the Impact Investing Institute. Karen also provides independent investment advice to the London Boroughs of Islington, Camden and Hounslow through MJ Hudson. She was the Chief Executive/Managing Director of AllenbridgeEpic Investment Advisers from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, she had ten years’ experience as a fund manager and director for County NatWest and BZW Investment Management (now BlackRock).

Paris Alignment Forum

The Paris Alignment Forum was established by Pensions for Purpose to help pension funds and other asset owners on their journey towards alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We do this by sharing climate-related thought leadership written by our members (asset managers, consultants and lawyers), by running free training workshops for trustees and by engaging in industry-wide conversation through our quarterly all-stakeholder and asset-owner events. To join the Paris Alignment Forum please email Karen Shackleton.

Pensions for Purpose

Pensions for Purpose exists as a bridge between asset managers, pension funds and their professional advisers, to encourage the flow of capital towards impact investment. Our aim is to empower pension funds to seek positive impact opportunities and mitigate negative impact risks. For membership information, please email our Membership Manager.

To the extent that anything on this website constitutes a financial promotion it is exempt from the general prohibition in S21 of FSMA on the basis that the site is only intended for investment professionals as such term is defined in S19 of the Financial Promotions Order. Please note that Pensions for Purpose does not provide consultancy services, advice or personal recommendations on any of the investment opportunities mentioned on the platform. We curate content written by Influencer members and do not endorse any underlying funds.