Financial advice group deVere has partnered with profiling tool EnlightenESG to better understand clients’ sustainable preferences.
The financial advisory group said the tool will personalise the sustainable investment requirements that help investors and their advisers make informed sustainability decisions.
James Green, investment director at deVere Group, said: “Clients are increasingly seeking to align their investments with their values, and support companies that are making a positive impact on society and the environment.
“ESG investing allows clients to invest in entities that are helping the world transition to a fairer, more diverse and sustainable future, while also generating the appropriate financial returns.
“ESG investing can be a suitable investment strategy for many investors, but it may not be appropriate for all.”
Green said suitability will depend not only on their individual investment goals, risk tolerance and financial situation but also on their core values.
Green added: “With something so emotive and fundamental to all our lives, it can be easy to get caught up in the debate or drowned in a tidal wave of opinions and, as consequence, lose sight of what sustainability really means to our clients.
“EnlightenESG will help us to engage our clients and to truly understand their sustainable preferences and in time ultimately better match their ESG views to their investment goals.”
Before choosing EnlightenESG, deVere trialled the software inhouse to understand the process, the data it provides and what it could potentially teach the firm on how it could help its global client base. As part of the onboarding process, deVere profiled over 75 employees across its European offices and analysed individuals’ attitudes towards sustainability and ESG as well as how the firm scored as a whole and in the context of the entire EnlightenESG ecosystem.
Green said: “We noted our staff are more focused on ESG than the EnlightenESG index average, the data also highlighted our understanding of the long-term nature of ESG investing.
“As is often the case with new and evolving investment opportunities, the market can over-estimate the short term and underestimate the long-term opportunities. Our EnlightenESG results demonstrate that we have a good understanding and education around these critical points.”
Simon Lowans, chief marketing officer at EnlightenESG, added: “EnlightenESG technology not only documents and allows for a repeatable and consistent process, the technology also loves to learn. It is the continuous learning within the technology that helps frame and understand the societal norm across the ESG spectrum.”
