MainStreet Partners crowns 2024s “ESG Champions”

Lombard Odier and Raiffeisen scoop Best ESG Asset Manager and Best ESG Boutique respectively

London, 22^nd January 2024

MainStreet Partners, the London-based ESG partner of top-tier investors and distributors, has today announced the winners of its 2024 “ESG Champions” commendation.

This year Lombard Odier Investment Managers, the Swiss based asset manager, has been awarded the highly prized title of ‘Best ESG Asset Manager’.

Raiffeisen Capital Management, the Austrian based active asset manager, has been awarded ‘Best Boutique Asset Manager’.

The awards recognise a select number of funds and asset managers that have excelled within the universe of 7,700 strategies, managed by over 360 Asset Managers, available on the MainStreet’s platform ESGeverything.COM. Given the increasing depth of ESG fund offerings, MainStreet’s investment analysts have selected winners across several broad categories spanning Equities, Fixed Income, Multi-Asset and Thematic investing, together with the best overall Asset Manager and the best Boutique Manager.

Now in its fourth year, Mainstreet Partners ESG Champions commendation is only awarded if asset managers meet or excel the strict parameters set out by Mainstreet Partners experts. The methodology has evolved over 16 years and includes a holistic assessment of three core pillars, meaning firms’ ESG credentials are analysed not just on portfolio holdings but on the fund’s strategy and that of the asset management firm as a whole.

Neill Blanks, MainStreet Partners’ Head of Funds Research, commented: “2023 was a challenging year for asset managers on many fronts, not least having to keep pace with the ever-evolving regulatory environment surrounding sustainable investing.  In a similar vein our ESG Funds rating methodology has been developed further to now take account of the latest global regulatory guidance with  a new sub-pillar called “Regulatory Adherence”. We will continue to lead innovation in the space to raise the bar in terms of ESG standards and to help our clients identify and avoid the risks of greenwashing.”

Now in its third year, the 2024 ESG Champions are as follows:

Lombard Odier (LOIM) has been awarded Best ESG Asset Manager in recognition of its clear commitments to sustainable investing.  Having initially achieved B Corp^TM status in 2019, it recertified last year with an improved score and at the same time published a comprehensive Sustainability Report for 2022.  Whilst LOIM has in-house sustainability expertise it also recognises the value in establishing external partnerships such as with Enterprise for Society (E4S) specifically on the topic of transition to a circular economy.

Jean-Pascal Porcherot, Head of Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Managing Partner, Lombard Odier Group said: “We are delighted to be named best ESG Asset manager by MainStreet Partners. At Lombard Odier, we approach the sustainability revolution as a core investment conviction. We believe that a number of system changes are unfolding across our economy at a speed and scale that is still underappreciated by markets. These transitions are transforming everything from our energy system, to our relationship with nature, our built environment, and our materials system, amongst others. The disruption to value chains and economic opportunities will be profound. As an asset manager, we are investing to understand the drivers and nature of these transitions, its implications on profit pools and investment returns, and the questions it raises for how we deploy capital in the economy. We hope that this award will further catalyse discussions with our clients on these topics and how, as investors, we might approach these topics, including from an asset allocation perspective”.