Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

I am an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. I believe global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.

More importantly, you. I value your investment in Smartkarma research, and commit to Insights worthy of your time and money. That means giving ASEAN ESG the attention it deserves, and with Insights that are substantive and differentiated; the intersection of material and under-covered. You can expect investigative research into emergent ESG issues; data-driven analyses of deals (pre-IPO ESG research, ESG-focused M&A consequence analyses, etc.); and trading-oriented ideas like ESG short selling and playing ESG index constituency changes.

I bring both ESG expertise and traditional investing experience, as well as some rather unique perspectives on ESG (a lesson in governance from Enron, anyone?). I spent the last decade exclusively on ESG, researching links to equity returns, credit ratings, cost of capital, and yield spreads. I also contributed to ESG reporting standards (SASB and GRI), and the MBA curriculum (Impact Investing) at the Kellogg School of Management. Previously, I was an Institutional Investor and Wall Street Journal All-Star sell-side analyst at J.P. Morgan.

Please, feel free to contact me about anything.

Financial Sector Now Under Purview of EU's Pending Forest-Risk Commodity Laws

<ul>
<li>Recent and pending supply-chain deforestation regulations represent a new and ever-growing source of transition risks – <em>financially</em>-material risks with far-reaching ramifications.</li>
<li>Significant developments regarding the European Union's pending forest-risk commodity laws (e.g., inclusion of natural rubber, addition of banks to its purview) inspired this Insight.</li>
<li>This Insight briefly summarises EU and U.K. deforestation regulations, then analyses potential risks and implications for issuers involved in related forest-risk commodity supply chains.</li>
</ul>


Recent and pending supply-chain deforestation regulations represent a new and ever-growing source of transition risks – financially-material risks with far-reaching ramifications.
Significant developments regarding the European Union's pending forest-risk commodity laws (e.g., inclusion of natural rubber, addition of banks to its purview) inspired this Insight.
This Insight briefly summarises EU and U.K. deforestation regulations, then analyses potential risks and implications for issuers involved in related forest-risk commodity supply chains.


Supply-Chain Deforestation Laws as a New and Growing Source of Transition Risk

Unilever PLC

Supply-Chain Deforestation Laws as a New and Growing Source of Transition Risk