Driving responsible investing with workable investment solutions
With over 25 years of experience managing socially responsible portfolios and more than $20 billion in diverse socially-screened strategies, Northern Trust offers a breadth of capabilities to build a complete portfolio solution incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors:
- Multiple approaches to incorporating ESG factors into portfolios, such as negative and positive screens, shareholder advocacy, and best-of-sector stock selection.
- Passive, active, and tax-efficient investment strategies may be used in combination with responsible investing techniques.
- Strong relationships with leading ESG specialist firms giving our clients access to industry leading research paired with seamless investment execution.
- Extensive experience managing portfolios to ESG indices from both major index providers and independent firms giving clients a cost-efficient approach to responsible investing.
- Pooled funds and separate accounts for scale, efficiency and customisation.
Responsible Investment Capabilities
We understand that there is a broad set of motivations driving our clients to into responsible investing. We have designed our suite of capabilities to give clients flexibility in their approach but the assurance that their strategies will be supported by the full resources of our world class investment management processes and execution.
Innovative Ideas
Northern Trust has a history of working with our clients to deliver customised investment solutions to meet their needs. We have used this approach to develop unique funds within the responsible investing domain. First we worked with investors across Europe to identify common ESG concerns which we used to launch of our World Custom ESG fund in 2012; shortly after this we created our ground breaking Emerging Markets Custom ESG fund – the first index fund ever to offer emerging markets exposure combining ESG industry and norms-based screens and a unique governance screen.
Negative Screens
Negative screens exclude companies with involvement in any of the following industries or activities that clients choose to restrict:
- Abortion
- Adult entertainment
- Alcohol
- Animal Testing
- Contraceptives
- Discrimination
- Environmental destruction
- Firearms
- Gambling
- Labor abuse
- Military weapons
- Nuclear Power
- Pork
- Stem Cell
- Sudan
- Tobacco
Positive Screens
Positive screening includes companies with strong performance in any of the following ESG factors that clients choose to emphasize:
- Community Relations
- Charitable Giving
- Clean Energy
- Corporate Governance
- Employee Relations
- Environmental Policy
- Firm Diversity
- Human Rights
- Product Safety
- Union Rights
- Work/Life Benefits
Best-of-Sector Stock Selection
Best-of-sector selects companies with the highest ESG record relative to sector peers. As a result, companies in industries traditionally screened out of responsible portfolios, such as oil and mining, are included in these portfolios. This reduces the sector-bias common in screened portfolios. Best-of-sector stock selection also creates an incentive for other companies within the industry to improve their social and environmental impacts.
Shareholder Advocacy
Shareholder Advocacy describes investor efforts to submit and vote corporate proxy resolutions as a means of influencing company behavior. This strategy was successful in pressuring corporations to pull out of South Africa. It has also been instrumental in reporting minority hiring practices and improving environmental practices through adoption of the CERES principles (an environmental code of conduct).
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Mamadou-Abou Sarr |
Mamadou-Abou Sarr
Mamadou-Abou Sarr is a Senior Equity Product Specialist at Northern Trust in London. Mamadou focuses primarily on advancing our global index equity product positioning, capabilities, and business in EMEA and APAC regions. Mamadou interacts with our clients and prospects in addition to our product teams to ensure tailored pricing and product development are centred around their interests and is also influential in the production of thought leadership materials.
Mamadou has a key role within Northern Trust’s cross functional responsible investing committee, proactively developing new ideas to ensure that ESG thinking remains central to our business development.
Previously, Mamadou was with HSBC Global Asset Management as a quantitative product specialist responsible for quantitative strategies across all asset classes in EMEA.
Before HSBC, Mamadou worked within the Business Development Service department at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) where he was covering portable alpha and liability driven strategies. Prior to this position Mamadou worked as a fund of hedge fund marketing analyst at Amundi Alternative Investments covering Commodity Trading Advisor and Global Macro funds. Mamadou started his career as a FX Sales Trader for Citigroup based in Senegal.
Mamadou received his B.A. in economics from the Universite Jean Monnet and holds a Specialised Master in international project management from the European School of Management (ESCP Europe), Paris. Additionally, he holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and received the Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) from the Chartered Institute from Securities & Investment (CISI). Mamadou is an Associate of the Chartered Institute from Securities & Investment (ACSI), a board member of the Islamic Finance Qualification and a member of the CFA UK Institute.
Insights & Research
Helping you anticipate and address change.
Brochure: Responsible Investing
Principles for Responsible Investment
This material is directed to eligible counterparties and professional clients only and should not be relied upon by retail investors. It is issued by Northern Trust Global Investments Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom. Registered office: 50 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NT, registered in England 03929218.