The Greener Way

🤖 Can good AI governance help companies become long-term winners? ❓ Question: How are Australian company boards approaching artificial intelligence, and can strong AI governance help companies create long-term value while managing emerging risks? ✅ Answer: Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an investment issue rather than simply a technology issue. According to Sue Lyn Stubbs, associat...

Can responsible investors justify defence exposure? Question: Can investors responsibly invest in defence companies while managing ESG risks, and where should they draw the line? Answer: Defence investing has become increasingly relevant as global conflict and government spending rise, but it remains complex for ESG-focused investors. According to Jess Cairns, head of responsible investment at Alp...

Portfolio poison: How ignoring modern slavery risks your returns Question: Why does modern slavery persist despite Australia’s Modern Slavery Act, and what practical steps can investors and fund managers take to drive real change beyond compliance? Answer: Modern slavery remains a global issue, with an estimated 50 million people affected. Australia’s Modern Slavery Act has increased awareness but...

Is Your Portfolio Missing Out? The Green Bond Boom Explained Question: How have green bonds evolved, what risks and opportunities do they present for investors, and what are the biggest misconceptions about this asset class? Answer: Green bonds have grown into a US $2 trillion global market, with Europe leading but APAC and emerging markets catching up. According to Johann Ple, senior portfolio ma...

A conversation with Josh Gilbert, head of geospatial strategy, ISS STOXX Sustainability, on how geospatial intelligence is reshaping climate and nature risk analysis for investors. Data overload or data goldmine? Investors race to decode nature’s signals Question: How can geospatial tools help investors move from climate risk mapping to nature risk management, and what does this mean for investmen...

HALO trade: Why hard assets are the new gold for sustainable investors Question: What is the HALO trade, and why are asset-heavy companies suddenly attracting investor attention in the age of AI and decarbonisation? Short answer: The HALO trade (Hard Assets, Low Obsolescence) is reshaping investment strategies. According to Dierdre Cooper, companies tied to physical infrastructure (like grids, pip...

AI, Workplace Culture and Labor Rights: Why human capital risk is financially material This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Emily DeMasi, regional team lead - North America EOS at Federated Hermes, about why human capital risks, such as workplace culture, harassment and violence, labour rights, and supply chain conditions, are financially material for investors through...

Why Australia Is a Clean Energy Investment Hotspot: Solar, Wind, Batteries & Energy Security | Joost Bergsma On The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Joost Bergsma, global head of energy at Nuveen Infrastructure, about clean energy investing, energy security, and why Australia is attractive for large-scale renewables. Bergsma reflects on his the last two decades in the sector and...

Who Really pays tariffs? Stanford economist breaks down the hidden consumer cost In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Stanford University economist Luke Heeney about the often-overlooked social impacts of industrial policy, focusing on the 2025 US tariffs and their effects on the automotive sector. Heeney explains why accounting for tariffs on intermediate inputs...

Critical Minerals Supercycle? How AI, Clean Energy & Geopolitics Are Reshaping Supply Chains In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar chats with Vinnay Cchoda, responsible investment manager at BetaShares, about the predicted shortage of some critical minerals in the next couple of decades and how that could force a resetting of investment expectations and strategies. Cchoda...

Deep Green vs Medium Green Investing: Returns, Volatility & ESG Trade-Offs | The Greener Way In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with financial adviser Alex Jameison of Jamieson Private Wealth about how investors reassess sustainability preferences amid fuel shortages, energy insecurity, and geopolitical shocks. Jamieson explains starting with a client’s values an...

Green loans & cheaper home batteries: How the CEFC Is Powering Australia’s Household Energy Transition This week on The Greener Way , host Michelle Baltazar chats with Grace Tam, head of consumer finance at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), on how the Australian government, through the CEFC, is driving record levels of green loan applications. According to the CEFC, the number of lo...

What does it actually mean to become a B Corp, and is it worth the effort? In this episode, UNLESS Financial chief sustainability officer and financial adviser Marissa Theodorou talks us through the journey she and the UNLESS team went through recently to become B Corp certified. Breaking down the business case, timeline, key pillars, and common pitfalls of the process, Theodorou explains why the...

On a recent visit to Sydney, MSCI's global head of sustainability and climate index Sebastien Lieblich sat down with The Greener Way to shed light on how institutional investors, particularly superannuation funds, are changing their approach to climate investing. Gone are the days of simply excluding or divesting companies, he says. Asset owners are looking more closely at the role benchmarks and...

Quant + ESG Without the Black Box: Transparent Sustainable Investing with AXA IM’s Ram Rasaratnam | The Greener Way In this episode of  The Greener Way , host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Ram Rasaratnam, CIO of Equity Quant&...

Energy security vs net zero: What Australia’s new “fuel czar” means for investors This week on The Greener Way , host Michelle Baltazar speaks with economist Nicki Hutley about energy security after the federal government appointed Anthea Harris as a new “fuel czar” to oversee Australia’s fuel supply amid Middle East conflict and rising oil and LNG prices. Hutley explains how fuel supply risks flo...

Australia’s mandatory climate reporting (2026): What investors need to know | Dr Mary Stewart (ERM) This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Dr Mary Stewart of ERM about Australia’s new mandatory climate disclosure regime introduced in 2024 and what the first wave of calendar‑year reports, due next month, means for investors, boards, and markets. Dr. Stewart frames climate...

Gender pay gaps in financial services: What WGEA’s new targets mean for employers & investors In this episode of The Greener Way , host Michelle Baltazar talks with Mary Wooldridge, CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), about why gender equality in financial services matters and how new national reforms will affect employers, investors and super funds. Wooldridge explains that WG...

Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection: Investor Risk, Responsibility & First Nations-Led Governance | The Greener Way This week on The Greener Way , host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Kado Muir, chair of the National Native Title Council ahead of the RIAA Conference in May where Muir is one of the panelists on a session titled, “Indigenous Cultural Heritage Protection: Investor Risk and Resp...

Despite global sustainable funds recording more than US$80 billion in net outflows in 2025, Australia and New Zealand are bucking the trend and continue to attract new capital. In this episode, Australian Ethical deputy chief investment officer John Woods unpacks how ESG investing is evolving in 2026, explaining why there's still plenty of opportunities out there for sustainable investors, the imp...

This week on TGW, host Michelle Baltazar welcomes ESG and responsible investing leader Dr Ian Woods to discuss 'ESG Unlocked', a new book he has co-authored with Josh Dowse, which was written to address the disconnect between how companies and investors understand and apply ESG. Woods explains that the book’s aim is to demystify ESG by reducing jargon, joining the dots between corporate and invest...

In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar from FS Sustainability, discusses the increasing climate-driven risks to data centers with Julia Leske, managing director at ISS Sustainability. They explore the challenges posed by extreme heat and water stress on data centres globally. Julia shares insights from ISS's report, Actionable Insights: Top Sustainability Themes in 2026, reveal...

In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar discusses the critical and complicated role of steel in the transition to a decarbonised future with Fidelity International's Sue-Lyn Stubbs. They discuss the steel paradox and its essential role in economic growth, green technology development versus its high emissions footprint, the financial and regulatory implications, and the effect o...

Can we really trust the tools measuring biodiversity risk? This week on TGW , Michelle Baltazar, Executive Director of Media at FS Sustainability, sits down with Dr. Jennifer Willetts of Franklin Templeton to unpack one of the biggest questions facing investors today: how do you actually measure biodiversity risk—and are current tools up to the task? Dr. Willetts breaks down the challenges, the la...

Are investors adding sustainable ETFs to their portfolio? This week on The Greener Way podcast, host Michelle Baltazar chats in the studio with Chris Brycki, founder and CEO of Stockpot, about the returns of sustainable ETFs and market trends that are driving fund inflows. They delve into the growth and divergence in the ESG market, how sustainable ETFs compare with traditional ETFs, and how inves...