-
Wendy Cromwell
, CFA
- Head of Sustainable Investment
Australia & NZ, Institutional
Change
Sustainability considerations continue to affect markets and economies in new ways. We believe a focus on sustainability gives investors and the companies and issuers they invest in greater power to drive value and create strategic advantages.
Seeking better outcomes through unique perspectives
Integrated research
To help mitigate risk and enhance potential returns
Learn more
Integrated research
- Sustainability research available to all Wellington investment teams
- Climate-science-based collaborations with Woodwell Climate Research Center and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
- Data-driven tools and technologies, including a proprietary climate-mapping application and sustainability-focused investor dashboards
Innovative solutions
To translate sustainability research into client-oriented outcomes
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Innovative solutions
- Stewardship investing
- Sustainable theme investing
- Climate investing
- Impact investing
Influential engagement
To open avenues to value creation by advancing resilient business practices and sustainable outcomes
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Influential engagement
- Career industry analysts and experienced portfolio managers with access to company boards and management teams
- 3,000+ tracked meetings in which E, S, or G topics were covered in 2023.* We believe these meetings open avenues to value creation through productive dialogue on material ESG issues.
- Ongoing enhancement of tools and technology for advancing engagements and outcomes
* Represents meetings with public-market issuers. Issuers refers to companies and sovereigns. All figures as of 31 December 2023. For the Wellington Management group of companies.
Industry leadership
To engage with policymakers and standard setters to improve client outcomes
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Industry leadership
- Founding member and advisory group leader of Net Zero Asset Managers initiative
- Senior-level representation on the UN Principles for Responsible Investment board and other industry initiatives
- Wellington Climate Leadership Coalition (WCLC) convenes asset-owner clients from Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific to forge a deeper understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with climate change
- Advocacy with policymakers and standard setters in support of standardization of sustainability disclosures
Sustainable investing and ESG solutions
Socially and environmentally positive themes underpinned by structural economic drivers are central to the investment philosophy in pursuit of value creation and/or risk management.
Seeks to invest in issuers that we believe contribute to a lower-carbon future, can help the world adapt to a changing climate, or are well positioned to manage transition and/or physical risks
Seeks to invest in issuers whose core products, services, or projects provide environmental and/or social solutions in a differentiated way, with the goal of driving measurable positive impact alongside financial returns
Stewardship and ESG integration
We see material ESG issues as strategic business issues that may affect the long-term value of the assets in which we invest. When issuers improve on ESG areas that could affect investment outcomes, we believe our clients should benefit.
Climate leadership
Collaborations with leading climate-science organizations Woodwell Climate Research Center and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change can inform our investment approaches and decision making. They also help support the Wellington Climate Leadership Coalition.
Meet our sustainable and esg investing experts
-
Christopher Goolgasian
, CFA, CPA, CAIA
- Director of Climate Research
-
Oyin Oduya
, CFA
- Impact Measurement & Management Practice Leader
-
Hillary Flynn
- Director, Value Creation, Private Investments
-
Yolanda Courtines
, CFA
- Equity Portfolio Manager
- Hero
Insights
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Insights Posts
Measuring impact in venture capital
We highlight why venture capital matters to impact investors and how to authentically measure and manage impact in this asset class.
5
min
Article
2025-11-01
Impact measurement and management: addressing key challenges
Our IMM practice leader describes common impact investing challenges and suggests ways to overcome them.
5
min
Article
2025-10-31
Unlocking the full value potential of stewardship
Yolanda Courtines and Alex Davis examine how corporate stewardship can be a source of value and delve into what investors can do practically to maximise its full potential.LDI Team Chair Amy Trainor explains why she believes a pension risk transfer may, in many cases, not be the best choice for fully funded plans from a cost/benefit standpoint.
5
min
Article
2025-10-31
Decoding impact expectations: best practices for impact investors and companies
We share three recommendations each for impact investors and companies to help them better understand and manage each other's expectations.
6
min
Article
2025-10-31
Navigating AI resource demands: Strategies for sustainable data center operations
AI's growing computational demands are raising critical questions about energy efficiency and water-resource management. We delve into strategies for enhancing sustainable data center operations, highlighting the importance of proactive resource stewardship.
10
min
Article
2025-10-31
Assessing the impact of climate resilience
Oyin Oduya and Louisa Boltz discuss the case for impact solutions focused on climate adaptation and share high-level guidelines to help overcome the associated measurement challenge.
9
min
Article
2025-10-02
Commodities and the energy transition: Symbiosis for the future
The global energy transition is driving demand for commodities. Our experts explain which ones will be needed most.
7
min
Article
2025-08-31
Human capital management for private companies
We discuss why effective people management is critical for private companies and outline four strategic focus areas that can help companies navigate evolving employee needs, regulatory changes, and investor expectations.
7
min
Article
2025-08-28
Office to multifamily conversions: Implications for CMBS investors
Our experts explore the emerging trend in some US cities of converting office space into multi-family units and its implications for bond investors.
5
min
Article
2025-07-31
Cybersecurity for private companies
We highlight today's rising cybersecurity risks, explore how they impact private companies, discuss key regulatory considerations, and share best practices for companies facing these threats.
8
min
Article
2025-06-30
2023 Climate Report
Aligned with TCFD recommendations, this report describes how we manage climate-related risks and opportunities, engage with companies on climate change, and reduce our own carbon footprint.
Report
2025-06-30
URL References
Related Insights
FAQs: Sustainable investing
ESG refers to the environmental, social, and governance standards that investors and other stakeholders can use to evaluate a company’s or issuer’s behavior and practices. Environmental (E) issues can include how a company or issuer recycles, manages water usage, lowers CO2 emissions, or disposes of waste. Social (S) issues comprise how a company manages relationships with employees, customers, vendors and suppliers, and the local community. Governance (G) issues can include board and leadership integrity, capital allocation, and executive compensation.
Sustainable investing seeks to generate positive financial returns alongside positive social and environmental outcomes. There are several sub-categories of SI, including impact, climate, ESG integration, and sustainable theme, among others. Sustainable investing can be done in public or private markets, and across equity, fixed income, and alternative asset classes.
Wellington’s sustainable and ESG investment approaches are all nonconcessionary, meaning the investment teams intend to deliver competitive investment returns — relative to benchmarks and peers — by leveraging their stated ESG or sustainable investing philosophy and process.
As with any relatively new market category, timely and transparent information, standardized disclosure and reporting, and consistent rating methodologies are important. Investors must be able to reasonably evaluate the sustainability of the assets in which they invest. In addition, some regions have been slow to embrace this category amid social, macro, or political headwinds. Reaching stated sustainability objectives may prove challenging for some companies and/or investors. Finally, the regulatory environment for sustainable investing, particularly regarding climate change, continues to evolve. Standards around business and investment practices are being developed but local inconsistencies remain.
Stewardship investing is a sustainable investing strategy focused on companies with industry-leading or markedly improving ESG practices. This type of investing generally seeks companies with strong commitments to sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical governance as pathways to increasing returns on capital. Wellington formerly referred to this approach as “ESG forefront investing.”
Impact investing seeks to use investment capital to generate competitive financial returns alongside positive outcomes for large-scale social or environmental challenges. For example, impact investment opportunities can be found in areas such as affordable housing, health care, education, financial inclusion, and renewable energy.
Climate investing is an increasingly broad category that can include investments in companies and other issuers that are actively developing solutions that help society adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change. Climate-aware investing can also include the avoidance or underweighting of issuers or industries that may be unprepared for or heavily exposed to climate-related risks. Climate investors may seek to engage in constructive dialogue with issuers to help them build awareness of (and reduce) their climate-risk exposure.
The focus of sustainable theme investing is to address sustainability challenges through a specific thematic lens in pursuit of value creation and/or risk management. These investors aim, first, to identify socially and environmentally positive themes underpinned by structural economic drivers, and second, to invest in the drivers or beneficiaries of those trends.
