13 February 2025 – Navigating systemic risks: the role of institutional investors in building a stable economic future

All-member online Community event

Only members with restricted access (ie. academics, asset owners, government and regulatory, independent advisers/trustees and sponsoring employers) can view this article. Please login or join to view.

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Institutional investors play a pivotal role in shaping the future of global markets and ensuring long-term economic stability. This all-member event provided a platform for investors to critically examine the systemic risks facing the financial system and explore actionable strategies for driving meaningful change. Our panel of experts will address the urgent need for a stable, sustainable economic system that aligns with future investment objectives. 

Learning objectives: 

  • A deeper understanding of the systemic risks affecting global markets and their implications for long-term investment strategies. 

  • Critical insights into the limitations of current ESG and sustainable investing frameworks. 

  • Practical knowledge and tools to influence systemic change and align investment practices with economic stability and sustainability goals. 

We were delighted to be joined by an expert panel of speakers from Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Social Value International, System Change Investingand Willis Towers Watson.  

Following the panel discussion, we moved to breakout rooms of mixed stakeholders, led by a number of our Community Partners: EY, LCP and Stewart Investors. 

Who was this event for?

This event was designed for institutional investors, asset managers, pension fund trustees and advisers interested in enhancing their understanding of systemic risks and exploring their role in creating a resilient economic system.  

This event was open to all our members. If your organisation is yet to join Pensions for Purpose you may attend an event before becoming a member, so please register for a trial session. 

Watch recording here    Read the blog

Speakers

Elizabeth Clark, Head of Investment Leaders Group, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

Elizabeth runs the Investment Leaders Group at CISL, having previously led the business and nature team, where she steered CISL's engagement at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal and led a collaboration with The Fashion Pact, Conservation International, and Science Based Target Network to launch the first industry focused primer for the science-based targets for nature. Before joining CISL, Elizabeth spent several years in Canada's fast moving consumer goods industry.

Her experience includes roles in marketing, revenue management, and corporate strategy and development, where her work focused on advancing initiatives to support the company's sustainability vision, including large scale capital investment projects, people strategies, and emerging and long-term trends in the global food landscape. 

Jeremy Nicholls, Accountant/Adviser, Social Value International

Jeremy’s work and writing focus on how mainstream financial accounting is contributing to climate change, nature loss and inequality and on how this can be reversed. He is an honorary research fellow in accounting at the University of Liverpool, a member of Accounting for Sustainability expert panel, Global Reporting Initiative's due process oversight committee and The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales non- financial assurance committee.  

He originally qualified as a chartered accountant, including time as the Finance Director for Tanzania Railways. After four years as a house parent, he became involved in social enterprise, sustainability and regeneration, and was one of the founders and then CEO of SVI.    

Frank Dixon, Founder, System Change Investing 

Frank Dixon is a sustainability and system change pioneer and leader. His extensive ESG experience showed that system change is at least 80%of the sustainability solution. As a result, he established the System Change Investing (SCI) and Global System Change (GSC) companies and developed the first models for integrating system change into financial and corporate sector sustainability strategies. His SCI and Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR®) approaches provide advanced responsible investing and corporate sustainability strategies.    

By focusing on system change and root causes, SCI provides an ESG strategy with the potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It also enables full investment risk mitigation and enhances returns, impact, reputation and assets under management.  

Roger Urwin, Global Head of Investment Content, Willis Towers Watson & Co-founder of the Thinking Ahead Institute

Roger joined WTW to start the firm’s investment consulting practice in 1989, and under his leadershipthe practice grew to a global team of over 500. He was Global Head between 1995 and 2008 and thereafter assumed the role of Global Head of Investment Content. In this position, Roger consults to some of the firm’s major investment clients around the world, generates thought leadership and leads projects within the Thinking Ahead Institute, which he co-founded in 2015. 

He can claim a number of innovations where he was the first to develop new investment content, notably the first lifecycle DC design in 1988, being the originator of governance budget and risk budget methods in the 2000s, as well as building out the fiduciary management model in 2008 and universal ownership model in 2011. He is also the author of many papers, including on asset allocation policy, manager selection, sustainability, governance and transformational change. 

In 2022, Roger received the CFA Institute Inspirational Leader Award for Professional Excellence for innovation and excellence of practice in the investment profession. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Society of Investment Professionals and a graduate of Oxford University.

Breakout room moderators

Abi Lee, Actuarial Consultant, EY

Abi is an actuary in the pensions investment consulting team at EY with over 4 years’ experience across pension and insurance investments.

She has experience in designing investment strategies and hedge designs for pension schemes, with a focus on cashflow matching. She has contributed to advising both trustees and corporates on preparing for buy-out. More recently, Abi has managed OCIO and investment advisory selection exercises and ongoing investment governance reviews; she researches investment providers on an ongoing basis and carries out regular oversight reviews for pension scheme trustees.

Claire Jones, Partner, LCP

Claire is an actuary with over 20 years’ experience spanning investment, pensions and sustainability. 

Claire is Head of Responsible Investment at LCP, and leads their work on systemic stewardship, engaging with regulators and policymakers to address systemic risks such as climate change, that could materially harm financial outcomes for clients. She advises large asset owner clients, helping them to invest sustainably, implement their net-zero commitments and undertake effective stewardship. 

Claire represents LCP on the Steering Committee of the Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group, and leads its Influence workstream, which engages proactively with regulators and policymakers on ways to support sustainable investment and reduce the regulatory burden on pension schemes. She received the 2022 Alan Watson Award from the outgoing President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries for helping to lay the foundations of the IFoA’s sustainability work during her time on its Resource and Environment Board (2014-19). Claire was a member of the Pensions Climate Risk Industry Group which published climate change guidance for pension trustees in 2021. 

Harry Gladstone, Client Director, Stewart Investors

Harry joined Stewart Investors in June 2014 and has worked in a number of different client roles managing the relationship with institutional clients based in the UK and Scandinavia, including two investment trust boards, foundations and those from the pensions industry. Previously Harry worked as an infantry officer in the British Army, where he reached the rank of Captain. He holds a BSc in Zoology from the University of Nottingham and the Investment Management Certificate from the CFA Society UK. He is a trustee for the Lady Flora Hastings Trust, a charity providing housing to armed forces community families in Edinburgh.

Host

Richard Giles, Senior Director & Community Lead, Pensions for Purpose

Richard is an experienced pension professional as a trustee and adviser. He has a portfolio of roles at Board and senior executive level reflecting his interests in education and investing for a better planet. His roles in pensions include Chair of Investment Committee for the £2.5bn United Utilities Pension Scheme, Board member for ESPS (UU Section) and Senior Director for Pensions for Purpose.

In addition, Richard Vice Chair for a multi-academy trust of 20 schools in Bradford, and is a board member at Bambisanani, a charity using sport to build bridges between students in the UK and South Africa. His previous roles include as Managing Director of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, Partner at PwC and Scheme Actuary at Mercer.

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.

Our Community allows members to learn from leaders in the impact investment industry. We provide a trusted environment to interact, collaborate and share knowledge. Members engage in a programme of activity to shape their strategy in ESG, sustainable and impact investments.

For more information, please email the Membership Manager.