Zoom in on Net Zero - with Sarasin & Partners' Natasha Landell-Mills

Natasha Landell-Mills is head of stewardship at Sarasin & Partners LLP, a mid-sized investment firm which manages around £15bn of assets on behalf of a range of different clients, including organisations, charities and individuals.

As head of stewardship, Landell-Mills is at the forefront of the firm's efforts to engage with the businesses on a range of fiduciary, risk and sustainability issues, at a time when environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have quickly risen to top of the agenda across the global financial sector.

Investors are increasingly pressing businesses for more ambitious action to disclose and address the risks they face from climate change and the net zero transition, although some green campaigners argue this does not go far enough, and that divestment from laggard firms is the best course of action.

However, by monitoring and challenging businesses leadership where there are areas of concerns - such as on climate change of executive remuneration - Landell-Mills believes a lot of progress has been made in the financial sector in recent years, even if there is still a lot further to go to encourage decarbonising of investment portfolios. 

Speaking to BusinessGreen editor in chief James Murray ahead of the upcoming Net Zero Finance summit on 16 March, Landell-Mills explains her background in environmental economics, what attracted her to investor stewardship, her belief in proactive engagement and voting to enact change at companies, and her broader outlook for the rapidly changing investment industry. The conversation can be watched in full above.

Want to find out more about Net Zero Finance, TCFD reporting, and the investment trends impacting businesses and investors of all types? Then join us at the Net Zero Finance pathway event, as part of the Net Zero Festival 2021, which will take place online on March 16th. You can request an invitation to the event here.