At Zevin Asset Management, we build responsible investment portfolios for our clients. We then address risks and create positive social impact by engaging with portfolio companies. The early months of 2022 were no exception. In the first quarter of 2022, we looked for opportunities to support the people of Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. We initiated dialogues with portfolio companies and the investment community on their role in enabling this war — and pressed for action to mitigate further human rights abuses.
Russian Aggression Puts ESG Investors to the Test
Zevin Asset Management President Sonia Kowal and Director of Sustainable Investing Marcela Pinilla break down the investor response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
The Investor Response to the Russian War in Ukraine
As another needless war unfolds, it’s important to consider how investors have enabled Putin over the years and the lessons to be learned from burying one’s head in the sand.
His invasion of Georgia in 2008 and then of Crimea in 2014 should have been early warning signs for asset owners and managers. Yet many responded with yawns and shrugs over the years, prioritizing profit over values by choosing to stay invested. I understand this more than most, as an ex-Russian equity analyst who saw up close the potential for making gobs of money by investing in Russian-owned businesses. On Feb. 24, when Putin invaded Ukraine again, those that remained invested had no excuse.
WSJ: Investing for Social Good and the Long View
Zevin Asset Management’s president, Sonia Kowal, addresses criticism of sustainable investment in “Investing for Social Good and the Long View,” a letter published by The Wall Street Journal.
Q4 2021 Audiocast
Kevin Callahan, senior portfolio manager and equity analyst, discusses his thoughts on the market as we enter the first quarter of 2022: