Sustainability at CFA UK
Growing Talent Through Purpose
CFA UK’s mission is to educate, connect and inspire the investment community to build a sustainable future. Our brand promise ‘WE GROW TALENT’ articulates how we realise our mission in helping our sector grow their competence in investing for that sustainable future.
Creating a sustainable future involves fostering an investment ecosystem that is not only economically sound, but also socially and environmentally resilient. It’s about making decisions today that positively impact generations to come.
Our most impactful work centres around education and sustainability advocacy. We collaborate with professionals in the field, fostering discussions on sustainability. A key focus has been nurturing talent by enhancing sustainable investing expertise. Our educational initiatives, including the development of the Certificate in ESG, Certificate in Climate and Investing and the new Certificate in Impact Investing have flourished over the past six years, building upon the strong foundation laid by the Investment Management Certificate’s inception 30 years ago.
The timeline below illustrates some of our key initiatives over the past 5 years.
CFA UK Sustainability Timeline
Growing Talent through Skills & Knowledge
CFA UK has built a reputation in the UK, and beyond, as the leading developer of sustainable investment certificates. We launched the Certificate in ESG Investing in 2019 and transferred the administration and ownership of the certificate to CFA Institute in 2021 to enable the certificate to be offered globally. More than 61,528 people have registered for the certificate since its launch.
In 2022, we launched the Certificate in Climate & Investing to provide investment professionals with the new skills and knowledge needed to see the investment universe through a climate lens. This year we issued an improved version of the certificate. Now in its third iteration, the certificate has generated approximately 2,000 registrations since launch. A two hour certificate refresher learning plan has been launched to ensure certificate graduates are fully up to speed with the latest curriculum and practice developments.
This year, we’ve launched the Certificate in Impact Investing which combines current climate science with practical investment techniques and has generated over 550 registrations since launch in January 2024. An accompanying refresher learning plan for members was launched in April 2024.
In each case, we have worked with the leading bodies in the field (PRI, IIGCC, GIIN and the Impact Investing Institute, respectively).
Growing Talent through Thought Leadership
This year, the Ethics & Professionalism Steering Committee has developed and published a companion case-study guide to our sustainable certificate portfolio. The guide builds on the framework provided by the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct and aims to provide investment professionals with a source of material to help them navigate awkward, or contentious, situations that they may encounter in sustainable investment.
As a thought leader on sustainable investing, CFA UK regularly produces events, articles, podcasts, and videos to support the continuing education of investment professionals on sustainability. In the past financial year, we ran 23 sustainability events) including our third major conference in sustainability, with the theme ‘Driving Real Change’ (in May 2024) which generated more than 321 registrations. We also broadcast 5 episodes of our climate change podcast series, with an average of just over 500 plays for each.
CFA UK has amplified its impact by partnering with Content With Purpose (CWP) to produce a range of expert interviews, and short films, ‘Investing for Tomorrow’s Environment’. The films explore the urgent need to integrate climate change and natural capital considerations into investment decision-making.
Growing Talent through Connecting
In June 2023, we launched our Sustainability Community bringing members together to move the needle on sustainable investing through engagement, events, networking, shared experiences, and debate. Since then, the community has grown to over 422 members and has a vibrant series of ongoing in-person events, pub meets and live webinars.
Supporting and promoting the community are an active group of 209 Sustainability Champions – volunteers with subject matter expertise in different areas of sustainable investing.
Growing Talent through Governance and Leadership
While encouraging investment professionals to build their sustainable investment competencies formally and informally through education and networking, we’re conscious of our own need to operate sustainably.
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That work is governed by the Society’s Sustainability Committee, a standing committee of the Board. The committee’s purpose is to make recommendations to the Board on the development and communication of CFA UK’s sustainability goals to serve members, the investment profession, and Society. The committee’s priorities are:
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mapping CFA UK activity to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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ensuring that CFA UK is a diverse and inclusive workplace; and
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updating CFA UK’s investment policy for its investment reserve portfolio.
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In the financial year to June 2024, the committee has:
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Appointed CFA UK Board member Elena Koycheva, CFA, as new chair. Elena succeeds Fraser Lundie, CFA, a prior member of the CFA UK Board.
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Conducted a materiality assessment with key Society stakeholders.
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Supported the development of the Sustainability Case Study Guide, a series of created by the Ethics & Professionalism Steering Committee
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Fostered a staff culture of diversity and inclusion through the introduction of blind recruitment.
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Continued to ensure that sustainability considerations are embedded into the investment process of the Society’s reserves.
Growing Talent through Careers
CFA UK works to improve the investment management profession by promoting inclusion, diversity, and equity balance within the industry to serve the best interests of our increasingly diverse society. The Society is committed to helping people build rewarding careers in a diverse and inclusive profession.
Our DEI and Black Professional’s networks have been active over the past financial year in pursuit of that goal.
The Young Women in Investment programme, now in its third consecutive year, continues to attract new, diverse talent into the profession. This year 40 individuals were selected from 198 applicants to participate in the programme, from which 31 graduates are now eligible for eight internships across five investment firms.
CFA UK’s Black Professional’s network continues to bring black professionals and allies together. The network held several events including a hugely popular eminent speaker event in conversation with Oscar-winning film director and producer Sir Steve McQueen, OBE.