19: Esa Saloranta - Re-thinking The Future, Technology and Social Challenges, and The Role of Sustainable and Impact Investing

Esa Saloranta is Head of ESG and Sustainability Technology of eQ Asset Management. Esa is a thought leader in sustainable technology, ESG policy and integration, focusing currently on social responsibility, AI and digital transformation and managing EQ Blue Planet, a sustainable technology fund launched in 2015 which is one of the funds of EQ Asset Management in Finland.

Highlights:

• Evolution of eQ Blue Planet from a traditional energy utility fund into a sustainable fund
• How eQ’s investment process is different from others
• “I’m always looking for unrealised potential from sustainability drivers”
• “There is a general increase in awareness of sustainability and environmental issues over the last 12 months.”
• Significance of technology in energy and built environment, rise of connected devices and environmental impact of data infrastructures
• The challenge of impact measurement and importance of qualitative assessments
• Why it is key to understand the sustainability strategy of businesses as an impact investor
• How to avoid sub-optimal impact and having a balanced portfolio
• The ESG community is the most collaborative and open community in the financial sector
• Why we need to think about the future purpose of corporations
• Philanthropy by giving away part of their fee to BSAG - Baltic Sea Action Group

Time Stamp:
[02:40] What is impact investment?
[08:30] Climate change is also a social issue
[09:40] Future of work and role of data
[11:19] eQ Blue Planet, private equity and real estate funds in EQ Asset Management
[18:05] A smarter way than the funnel approach to investing
[26:40] How investors are approaching eQ
[27:25] Why focus on technology
[30:00] Logitech and Adobe, impact of video conferencing and mobile
[33:00] Qualitative assessments of impact
[44:30] Understanding strategy
[42:20] Augmented reality and construction
[42:45] How eQ Asset Management is collecting impact data
[47:40] Thinking about impact and pitfall of the ESG community
[49:00]  BSAG - contributing to philanthropy as an impact fund
[53:25] Esa’s personal inspiration
[57:40] What makes a good impact leader?

Useful Links:
Esa Saloranta’s Linkedin

eQ Asset Management

eQ Blue Planet

Beyond Meat

Metrikus

Impact Cubed
Adobe & Sustainability
Zoom & CEO Eric Yuan on IPO

Baltic Sea Action Group

Jack Bogle of Vanguard
Reid Hoffman’s podcast - “Masters of Scale”

Connect with JP Dallmann on Linkedin, Twitter, or Instagram.

How to incorporate SDGs into your business - Fast Forward 2030

Find talent and careers with impact - Realchangers

Impact Leaders is produced by Podcast Publishing