BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) and CFA Institute has launched an e-learning primer to support the understanding of the importance of acquiring ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) skills and the growing need for greater sustainability knowledge and awareness among finance and investment professionals.
Jane Ambachtsheer, Global Head of Sustainability of BNP Paribas Asset Management, said: “Sustainability competencies are increasingly part of everybody’s job in the finance industry and are therefore becoming a must-have, rather than just a nice-to-have, for a successful career.”
“With this Primer, we are combining our educational and sustainability expertise to create a unique active learning experience. We are proud of this fruitful collaboration with CFA Institute and excited to offer this new learning solution to our stakeholders keen to understand the basics of sustainable investing.”
This is part of an ongoing partnership that started with the award-winning Sustainable Investing Gameshow.
The e-learning module is available to BNPP AM’s clients and staff, and was jointly developed with CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals.
The Sustainable Investing Primer consists of a 2-3 hour online course covering topics such as climate change and the mainstreaming of sustainability, an introduction to ESG analysis and the concept of materiality, different approaches to sustainable investment (e.g. stewardship, best-in-class etc.), greenwashing and ways to assess sustainability credentials (e.g. through rankings, regulations or labels).
It is available on BNPP AM’s Investment Academy platform, created in 2009, focused on sharing information and with an acute awareness of the need for participants to learn and understand new challenges and innovations within the asset management industry.
Richard Fernand, Head, Course and Certificate Management, Professional Learning, at CFA Institute, said: “ESG is increasingly influencing where employees choose to work, what consumers choose to buy and where investors choose to invest. We are proud of our partnership with BNP Paribas Asset Management on the Sustainable Investing Primer, which reinforces our commitment to motivating learning by providing accessible solutions that create engaged, informed, and effective professionals to deliver outcomes for the benefit of society.”
According to CFA Institute’s The Future of Work in Investment Management: The Future of Skills and Learning report, the skills gap between the demand for learning and the supply of talent within sustainability is one of the biggest globally. In CFA Institute’s ongoing efforts to proactively support and contribute to ESG capacity building, the Certificate in ESG Investing has been made available to candidates in most markets globally. The Certificate equips investment professionals with the technical knowledge and practical application needed to understand the fundamentals of climate change, and is also suitable for anyone looking to improve their understanding of ESG issues.
Source: CFA Institute
