Joots

The Banyan Group is a brand built on contradictions. A luxury hospitality business that worries about its local working community as much as about its guests. A for-profit enterprise that that will sacrifice shareholder value for stakeholder benefit. In other words, a corporate outlier. This corporate culture of challenging convention is a reflection of its founder Ho Kwon Ping, a Singaporean well...

Robert Swan was among the earliest non-scientists to really experience the onset of climate change first hand. In 1986 he undertook an epic 900-mile journey to the South Pole, the longest unassisted walk ever recorded. He came back a changed man with a new purpose: to save Antarctica. Hear about his experiences, and his motivations, in this in-depth conversation.

"Frontier" markets present a promising landscape for impact investors seeking meaningful returns and societal impact. but they are also characterized by unique challenges and opportunities, The dynamism of these markets creates fertile ground for initiatives that promote inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, and social development. Successful impact investing in this environment requires...

With a funding gap in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Asia faces a clear imperative to leverage and mainstream blended finance. This powerful financial tool can be applied across different structures, geographies, and sectors. Hear from Nandini Chaudhury , Principal, Head of South and Southeast Asia, CrossBoundary Group,

In this episode of the Impact Investing Musings series, Hao Liang , Associate Professor of Finance at Singapore Management University and Co-Director of Singapore Green Finance Centre speaks about the challenges of measuring and managing impact.

Is "impact investing" the same as "ESG investing"? Or "ethical" investing? Or "stakeholder capitalism"? In this episode we consider how social and ethical considerations have long been a part of investment, and how those ideas have matured and evolved. Our guest is Wai Chew Chik, CEO of Heritas Capital, a Singapore-based, multi-fund impact investing platform.

When it comes to monitoring and assessing carbon emissions, the Science Based Targets initiative was widely seen as the gold standard in trusted and authoritative global institutions. Until recently. When the SBTI decided to amend some of its guidelines, uproar ensued, including within its own ranks. In this episode Mikkel Larson, the CEO of Singapore's Climate Impact Exchange, talks about why he...

The story of Brewdog brewery is the backdrop to our discussion about purpose and sustainability goals. As Brewdog has shown, it's all well and good to make ambitious ESG claims, but sometimes things don't quite go as planned. Travin Singh, CEO of Singapore startup brewer Less & Co, talks about how he balances his commitment to purpose with the realities of running a startup.

So Black Rock has gone weak at the knees. Again. Its recent decision to drop its focus on ESG investing in favour of a new strategy of “transition investing” seems to be another step backwards in its commitment to the green agenda.   The decision follows the revelation, barely six months ago, that the world’s largest investor had sharply reduced its boardroom activism, and sharply dialled bac...

It’s probably fair to say that the finance industry has not traditionally been a hotbed of innovation. For hundreds of years bankers and money managers have prioritised values of solidity and stability over thoughts of radicalism and experimentation. No surprise, then, that amid the volatile and unpredictable disruption posed by climate change, the world of finance has struggled to rise to the cha...

In December of 2018, Malaysia’s rubber glove industry, the biggest in the world, woke up to a rude shock.  Global media had begun reporting a series of accusations about the industry’s labour rights practices, including issues of forced labour, unsafe working conditions, confiscation of worker passports, illegal withholding of wages and “mental torture”.  The reports kicked off a series of events...

ESG is under attack. From all sides. On this episode of Risky Business Asia we’re joined by Rajeev Peshawaria, the CEO of the Stewardship Asia Centre and author of the new book Unsustainable Sustainability - why ESG is not enough.

On this episode, Darian and Teymoor discuss a recent article in The New Yorker that digs into the controversy surrounding South Pole – the world’s most influential climate consultancy. Did South Pole misrepresent the value of its Zimbabwean climate offset products, as The New Yorker suggests? And what lessons can comapnies learn from the issue? This episode's special guest is Marc Allen, co-founde...

A quick explanation of Risky Business Asia by Dr Darian McBain

Dr Benjamin Horton, CEO of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, warns that islands like Singapore are in danger of becoming "the new Atlantis" if the 1.5 degree climate target is breached.

Interview with Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Group.

Asia is developing at warp speed — but how can it do so without challenging the environment? We sit down for a full-length interview with Dr. Parag Khanna, global strategy advisor, founder of  FutureMap , and author of  “The Future is Asian” , to discuss what must be done to ensure that future is sustainable. He talks about accelerating hydrocarbon markets, subsidizing large-scale solar projects,...

East Asian cities (Seoul is a prime example) are combining high technology with social innovation. So how can we harness this tech for the public good throughout the rest of Asia Pacific? Sir Geoff Mulgan, former CEO of the innovation foundation Nesta, lays out a roadmap for scaling simple technology to spur development. Now a Professor of Creative Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Integrat...