In the new episode of his podcast, «Innovations in Sustainable Finance», host Prof. Julian Kölbel speaks with Alex Edmans, a professor of Finance at London Business School. Many in the audience will have heard of Alex before. Julian and Alex trace Alex's evolution of thought regarding sustainable finance, covering his extensive body of work, including the book “Grow the Pie,” his academic papers, op-eds, and TED Talks, including his most recent paper: Sustainable Investing: Evidence from the Field.
Here are Julian's takeaways from the conversation
- When asked when he first became interested in sustainability, Alex surprised Julian by saying he was never specifically drawn to sustainability or sustainable finance. Instead, he was focused on long-term value creation and observed that while sustainability aspects are sometimes important, they are often overlooked or misunderstood.
- The concept of competitive advantage emerged as central to understanding how a business or individual can drive change. Concentrating on current strengths can shift the focus from ESG compliance to an innovative mindset that advances societal progress.
- When asked if he feels more or less optimistic about businesses solving important problems compared to four years ago, Alex responded with increased optimism—a sentiment that Julian finds encouraging
If you enjoyed the podcast, you can explore Alex’s work further by visiting his homepage at alexedmans.com.
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