Fourteen institutional investment consulting firms in the US, including Aon, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and Mercer, have established a joint working group to advance sustainable investing.
Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, WTW, and Mercer, which forms part of broker Marsh McLennan, will aim to support clients by promoting and improving sustainable investment practices across the investment industry.
In total, the Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group – US (ICSWG-US) is formed of consulting firms with worldwide assets under management of more than $33 trillion.
Other firms include ACG, Callan, Cambridge Associates, Marquette Associates, Meketa Investment Group, NEPC, RVK, Segal Marco Advisors, SEI, Wilshire and Verus Investments.
Sarah Bernstein, Managing Principal, Consultant and Co-head of the ESG Investing Committee at Meketa Investment Group, said: “Meketa initiated the ICSWG-US group, inspired by our peers in the UK, to better support our clients in addressing the critical sustainability investment issues of our times.”
“We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with our peers to encourage and advance sustainable investment practices, transparency and consistency to generate long-term investment returns, through the collective voice of the institutional investment consulting community.”
Meredith Jones, Global Head of ESG at Aon, also commented: “Institutional investors are increasingly concerned about the long-term sustainability of their investment portfolios. However, in the absence of unified reporting regimes, regulatory guidelines or even terminology, many continue to struggle with ESG integration and climate change positioning.”
“While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sustainability, a more unified and consistent framework around sustainability would be invaluable to investors, and we hope that Aon, working directly with our clients and with ICSWG-US members, will be able to make a significant contribution to that framework.”
Dave Fanger, US Head of Responsible Investment at Mercer, added: “Sustainability continues to be a core investment belief at Mercer. As we support investors in setting their net zero emissions target with our Analytics for Climate Transition solution and pioneering climate scenario analysis, Mercer is joining this collective sustainability voice of the consulting industry in the US, as we did in the UK, to help clients generate investment returns in a way that is sustainable and gives consideration to all stakeholders.”
And finally, Christopher Thompson, CFA, Director, Investments, Willis Towers Watson, said: “Willis Towers Watson is excited to join the ICWSG-US. Its mission of improving sustainable investment practices is a critical issue, and we are thrilled to collaborate with our peers in the industry.”
