Global asset manager shines light on advisers in new campaign

Pendal Group has shined a light on financial advisers and the role they play in creating positive change with a new campaign alongside uberbrand.

The ‘Future is worth investing in’ campaign features seven independent advisers from around Australia who meet disadvantaged community members benefitting from impact investing.

Through a number of videos and still shoots, the advisers share personal stories about responsible investing and how they help clients make a positive impact.

“We’ve long been inspired by the role financial advisers play in our community — not just building a strong financial future for clients, but by touching people’s lives in many different ways,” Pendal’s Australia CEO, Richard Brandweiner, said.

“We may just have seen Australia’s first ESG election and it’s increasingly clear that we all have to play a role in shaping the planet’s future, as we go about shaping the future of our clients. This broader sense of purpose came to the fore this year when we asked advisers what made them proud.

“With this campaign, we hope to encourage more advisers to consider responsible investing options as part of their conversations with clients. We wanted to feature real advisers in our campaign. We uncovered deeply emotional stories and we’re proud to be able to highlight the amazing outcomes they helped create.”

For more details on the campaign, click here.

The ESG-focused campaign comes after greenwashing was identified as one of the biggest hurdles for financial advisers looking to incorporate responsible investment (RI) into their practices.

In a recent webinar hosted by independent investment consulting business Evergreen Consultants, Ethical Invest Group founder Alexandra Brown urged advisers to be cautious.

“Greenwashing is becoming a bit more rampant because there are funds that want to join the bandwagon and add terms like ESG and what have you,” Ms Brown said.

“Underneath the hood, it’s not so ethical or responsible.”

Meanwhile in March, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) released the results of a study which found that knowing about responsible investment is now the top expectation of financial advisers.

Over 1,000 Australians surveyed this year expect their advisers to be knowledgeable about responsible investment, which increased from 54 per cent in 2020 to 64 per cent in 2022.

Around 74 per cent of Australians are considering moving to another provider if they found out their current fund was investing in companies inconsistent with their values.

Neil Griffiths

Neil is the Deputy Editor of the wealth titles, including ifa and InvestorDaily.

Neil is also the host of the ifa show podcast.