Friends of the Earth (HK)-PolyU Partnership for ESG investment initiative 2019
Friends of the Earth (HK) Charity Limited (FoE) and PolyU’s CESEF Center have formed a partnership program to promote the understanding and application of ESG investment practices among asset owners and investment professionals, which we will benefit Hong Kong and the investment community. The ultimate goal is to advocate institutional investors to adopt ESG/SRI principles such as the SFC’s Principles of Responsible Ownership or principles of higher standard. The program will first involve focus groups to gather knowledge and wisdom. Next, we will jointly produce a summary report from the findings of the focus groups to disseminate our findings to the stakeholders and the public.
Final Report: FoE (HK) Focus Group Report 2019
The Voice-over Script for Presentation
Focus Group Topic:
What are the main challenges faced by asset owners and managers to execute ESG investment strategies
Industry Support for the ESG initiative:
We have received support from the following organizations to participate in our focus groups:
CFA Institute/Hong Kong Society of Financial Analyst (HKSFA) – CFA Institute is the premier global association for investment management professional. HKSFA is the Hong Kong local CFA Societies. Members of CFA Institute/Hong Kong Society of Financial Analyst (HKSFA) is a good representation of mainstream asset manager (including: ESG investment). Their opinion can represent the view of investment community.
Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong (IFPHK) – IFPHK is the leading organization in Hong Kong for advancing professional financial planning standards and promoting the importance of financial planning. Members of IFPHK is a good representation of professional advisor to non-institutional investors ranging from high net-worth individuals to retail investors. Their view can reflect the position of wealthy individual investors.
Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA) – HKIRA is a professional association comprising investor relationship practitioner and top-level corporate officers responsible for communication between corporate management and investment community. Members of HKIRA is in the forefront of interaction between asset owners and corporate manager. They can provide an accurate view on investor behavior on a particular subject matter (including: ESG).
Current status of the Focus Group meeting:
1st Focus Group was successfully conducted on March 15, 2019 (Friday)
2nd Focus Group was successfully conducted on May 3, 2019 (Friday)
3nd Focus Group was successfully conducted on July 26, 2019 (Friday)
4th Focus Group was successfully conducted on October 11, 2019 (Friday)
