John Belgrove, Senior Partner at global professional services firm Aon,has been appointed Chair of the Investment Leaders Group (ILG), a group of 12 leading pension funds, insurers and asset managers convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Starting this year, the group is delivering an ambitious three-year phase, focusing on building the knowledge base for integration of environmental scenario analysis into financial decision making, and focusing on issues outside climate change such as biodiversity loss and water.

The group is in the process of wrapping up its second phase and will move into phase three under the guidance of Belgrove who will chair the group during this time. Roelie van Wijk-Russchen, Global head of Responsible Business & Public Affairs at Aegon Asset Management had led the group over the past two years and oversaw the delivery of work across long termism, investor preferences and measuring investment impact.

The ILG will also continue its work on measuring the impact of investments and improving its framework for quantifying the alignment of investment portfolios with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

John Belgrove, Senior Partner at Aon, said:

“Any new developments in the industry need strong analytical foundations or they are destined to be short-lived. By creating a close working relationship with Cambridge, the ILG can ensure that as sustainable finance evolves it does so based on facts and solid research.”

Kajetan Czyz, Programme Director, Sustainable Finance, CISL, said:

“The current phase of work led by Roelie van Wijk-Russchen has delivered foundational outputs around SDG alignment frameworks, long-termism, and behavioural research on savers. With John Belgrove stepping in, the ILG is well placed to keep delivering work that moves the market forward.”

The Investment Leaders Group (ILG) is a global network of pension funds, insurers and asset managers, with over US $12 trillion under management and advice, committed to advancing the practice of responsible investment.

As part of its work the ILG has developed a model that quantifies the impact of potential climate and energy regulation on company profitability. The model aims to improve stock picking and empowers investors to engage with companies on actions they can take to make them ‘future proof’.

The ILG has also studied the economic and financial impacts of climate risk in order to identify opportunities for reducing climate-related investment risks through portfolio construction and diversification across different asset classes, regions and portfolios.

Click here for more information on the ILG