Global Child Forum wins CFA Society Sweden ESG Award 2023

Global Child Forum Wins the Prestigious CFA Sweden ESG Award 2023

Stockholm, 26 April – Global Child Forum, a leading advocate for children’s rights and corporate social responsibility, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious CFA Sweden ESG Award for 2023. This accolade is presented annually by CFA Society Sweden to recognize outstanding contributions toward integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into the investment process. Specifically, this award acknowledges Global Child Forum’s dedication to ensuring that children’s rights are a central aspect of ESG considerations, emphasizing the critical role that safeguarding young individuals plays in responsible corporate practices and sustainable investments

Global Child Forum is dedicated to advancing children’s rights and fostering a more sustainable society by engaging with global corporations, financial institutions, and policymakers. The organization’s influential work includes producing the largest global children’s rights and business benchmark, which investors actively use to inform investment decisions based on robust child rights and ESG criteria.

Katarina Mellström, Secretary General of Global Child Forum, expressed her gratitude following the award recognition: “We are deeply honored to receive the CFA Sweden ESG Award, which underscores the vital role of the investor community in advocating for child rights within corporate practices. Our benchmark empowers investors to hold companies accountable for their actions regarding child rights, aligning investments with ethical practices. This accountability fosters a sustainable business environment and offers substantial benefits for companies and investors alike by enhancing reputation, ensuring compliance, and building trust in the marketplace.”

Currently, investors with 7.9 trillion USD AUM are using our Global Child Forum’s data and insights. Matthew Goodwin, Head of Sustainable Investing at Global Child Forum, added, “This award is a testament to the vital role of transparent and accountable ESG practices in the investment community. Our benchmark provides clear, actionable insights that empower investors to make informed decisions that foster better outcomes for society, proving that good practices in child rights are not just ethical, but make sound business sense too.”

John Howchin, member of CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee and responsible for the Award’s nomination process, commented on the decision to honour Global Child Forum: “Children’s rights is an issue that is more important than ever due to a wide array of reasons: the post-COVID economic downturn impacting livelihoods deep down in the supply chains of many companies, the continued pressure of digital platforms focusing on children, and many more. Global Child Forum’s benchmark has focused on bringing the issue of children’s rights to the investment community in an accessible format for many years, offering concrete data that supports engagement with companies and responsible investment decisions. This year’s CFA Sweden ESG Award is a mark of their dedication to improving children’s rights worldwide and reminding us not to lose sight of this important issue.”

The recognition by CFA Society Sweden highlights Global Child Forum’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the integration of ESG considerations into the fabric of financial and corporate sectors. It also reaffirms the organization’s role as a pivotal influence in the global discourse on sustainability and corporate governance.

The CFA Sweden ESG Award was presented to the Global Child Forum at the Society’s Annual Forecast Dinner on April 25 in Stockholm.

Previous recipients of the CFA Sweden ESG Award are:

  • 2022 – ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat
  • 2021 – Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute and Ulf Erlandsson
  • 2018 – Norrsken Foundation
  • 2017 – Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB)
  • 2016 – Örebro Kommun and Region Västmanland
  • 2015 – Steven Smit, Morningstar
  • 2014 – Mats Andersson AP4, Liza Jonson Storebrand AM and G. Hahn S. Kyrkan
  • 2013 – Hennes & Mauritz AB
  • 2012 – Peter Norman, Finansdepartementet
  • 2011 – Gunilla Hjalmarsson, Meta AM. and Anna Nilsson, Swedbank Robur
  • 2010 – Sasja Beslik, Nordea Investment Management

For media inquiries, please contact:
Linda Ravin Lodding
Head of Communications
linda.lodding@globalchildforum.org, +46 72 387 0248

President: David Krook, CFA
Vice President:  Alexandra Voss, CFA.
CFA Society Sweden: info@cfasweden.se

About Global Child Forum

Founded in 2009 by the Swedish Royal Family, Global Child Forum is a leading forum for children’s rights and business dedicated to innovative thinking, knowledge-sharing, and networking.  Global Child Forum believes in the power and responsibility of business, working in partnership with all parts of society to create a prosperous, sustainable, and just society for the world’s children. In addition to forums, Global Child Forum delivers research perspectives, best practices, and risk assessment tools designed to unlock opportunities for businesses to integrate children’s rights into their operations and communities. For more information, please visit: www.globalchildforum.org

About CFA Society Sweden:

CFA Society Sweden is a not-for-profit organisation of investment professionals based in Sweden, founded in 2003. It aims to promote a high level of professionalism among its members and the broader investment community. The organisation has 165 members who are CFA Charterholders. A CFA Charterholder is a person who has successfully completed the CFA program, which is considered amongst the most challenging financial exams in the world. There are currently over 150,000 CFA Charterholders worldwide. The CFA program is administered by the CFA Institute.

About CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee:

The CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee is composed of engaged members of CFA Society Sweden who have a strong interest in the promotion of high-quality education and in supporting sound ESG standards in the analysis of financial investments. The ESG Committee is chaired by Simone Hirschvogl, CFA. The committee’s longest-standing member is John Howchin, former Secretary-General of the Council on Ethics for the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Swedish National Pension Funds. Currently, he oversees sector strategy for the work on the Transition Decade project with a focus on the hard-to-abate sectors at IIGCC and for the Climate Action100+ project, among many other engagements. Howchin is responsible for the ESG Award’s nomination process.

Valuation of Cryptoassets: A Guide for Investment Professionals

In an era where cryptocurrency redefines financial boundaries, understanding its true value has become essential for savvy investors. On April 10th, Olivier Fines, CFA, and Urav Soni from the CFA Institute presented an exclusive webinar on crypto assets, where we dived into the dynamic world of digital assets. This engaging session provided a comprehensive toolkit for effectively valuing crypto assets.

 

Geo-Economics – geopolitical dynamics and the practical link to investment strategies

Joachim Klement, in his groundbreaking book “Geo-Economics: The Interplay between Geopolitics, Economics, and Investments,” provides a unique perspective on international political economy (IPE) from an investor’s standpoint. Departing from traditional IPE scholarship, Mr Klement’s work focuses on the practical implications for markets and market prices, making it a must-read for scholars and investment management practitioners.

The book delves into significant international challenges such as US–China competition, energy and natural resources, data and cyber security, and climate change, approaching these issues as essential conflicts and exploring their potential resolutions. Klement’s insights bridge the gap between geopolitics and investment, offering a fresh and focused perspective that adds a new dimension to contemporary debates.

Joachim Klement presented his “Geo-Economics” in an exclusive webinar for CFA Society Sweden members on February 22nd. The presentation delved into the interplay between geopolitics, economics, and investments.

 

Klement’s practical experience as an investor sets this work apart, providing a poignant translation of the logic of conflict into the logic of the markets. Unlike other texts that offer a historical perspective, “Geo-Economics” delivers a unique and insightful connection between geopolitical dynamics and investment strategies.

Please have a look at Mr Klement´s full book here. The presentation from the webinar can be found here.

Research Challenge 2024

CFA Society Sweden is pleased to announce that Linköping University team Sidmalm has won the Swedish CFA Research Challenge 2024. The winning team members, including Adam Fredriksson, Johan Bjursell, Simon Sidmalm, Siri Thelander and Victoria Kullgren, have delivered a written sell recommendation on Evolution AB and presented it to a panel of distinguished graders and judges from the investment community. The winning team was mentored by Mark Shay (Accendo Capital) and had guidance from their faculty advisor Öystein Fredriksen, Senior Lecturer in Economy.

This year’s CFA Research Challenge was hosted by Tanja Raassina Harrison, CFA, Treasurer of CFA Society Sweden. “I am impressed by the high standards of presentations and the rigour of the investment research by all the teams. On behalf of the Board of CFA Society Sweden, I sincerely congratulate the winners and wish them good luck for the next step in this worldwide competition. We have definitely seen some future superstars of the financial industry here tonight!”

 

The Board of CFA Society Sweden would like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors that made this year’s competition a great success:

  • Mentors: Andreas Brink, Elena Shatrova, Erick Mokaya, Mark Shay and Nikolay Antonov.
  • Graders: Magdalena Högberg, Mats Waldemarsson and Oleg Pavlovskyy.
  • Judges: Fredrik Ahlin, Simone Hirschvogl and Thomas Brodin.
  • Sponsor: Handelsbanken Capital Markets.

Finally, we would like to thank all the students who took part in this competition. The following Swedish universities were represented in the CFA Institute Research Challenge:

  • Stockholm School of Economics
  • Linköping University
  • Umeå University
  • University West

About the CFA Institute Research Challenge

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. The students are tested on their analytic, valuation, report writing, and presentation skills. They gain real-world experience as they assume the role of a research analyst. www.cfainstitute.org/researchchallenge.

 

After Work: Harnessing Big Data & AI – Photo Gallery

Forecast Dinner 2023 – Photo Gallery

ChemSec – The International Chemical Secretariat wins CFA Sweden ESG Award 2022

Every year CFA Society Sweden, through the “CFA Sweden ESG Award,” recognizes an individual, organization or group that has raised awareness of the importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) considerations in the investment process. The CFA Sweden ESG Award was presented to ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat at the Society’s Annual Forecast Dinner on May 25 in Stockholm.

“ESG and the responsibilities of the Chemicals sector is a complicated topic for many investors. ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat has for many years scrutinized the sector in a professional manner and shone a much-needed light on chemicals and risks associated with them. It was not until the investment community was invited to join the campaign against poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also called “forever chemicals”, that ChemSec and its work became known in wider circles. ChemSec is awarded the CFA Sweden ESG Award for bringing the important topic of hazardous chemicals to the table of the wider investment community!” says John Howchin, Co-Chair of CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee.

ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat – is an independent non-profit organisation that advocates for the substitution of toxic chemicals for safer alternatives. Founded in 2002 and based in Gothenburg, Sweden, ChemSec engages the work of chemists, political scientists, business experts and communicators, as well as the investment community.

Previous recipients of the CFA Sweden ESG Award are:

  • 2022 – ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat
  • 2021 – Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute and Ulf Erlandsson
  • 2018 – Norrsken Foundation
  • 2017 – Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB)
  • 2016 – Örebro Kommun and Region Västmanland
  • 2015 – Steven Smit, Morningstar.
  • 2014 – Mats Andersson AP4, Liza Jonson Storebrand AM and G. Hahn S. Kyrkan.
  • 2013 – Hennes & Mauritz AB.
  • 2012 – Peter Norman, Finansdepartementet.
  • 2011 – Gunilla Hjalmarsson, Meta AM. and Anna Nilsson, Swedbank Robur.
  • 2010 – Sasja Beslik, Nordea Investment Management.

Contact for inquiries:
President: Fredrik Nilsson, CFA
Vice President: David Krook, CFA
CFA Society Sweden info@cfasweden.se

About CFA Society Sweden:
CFA Society Sweden is a not-for-profit organisation of investment professionals based in Sweden, founded in 2003. It aims to promote a high level of professionalism among its members and the broader investment community. The organisation has 165 members who are CFA Charterholders. www.cfasociety.org/sweden

About CFA Charterholders:
A CFA Charterholder is a person who successfully completed the CFA program, which is considered amongst the most challenging financial exams in the world. There are currently over 150,000 CFA Charterholders worldwide. The CFA program is administered by the CFA Institute. www.cfainstitute.org/programs/cfa

About CFA Society Sweden ́s ESG Committee:
The CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee is composed of John Howchin and Henrik Malmsten. Howchin is the former Secretary-General of Council on Ethics for the First, Second, Third and Fourth Swedish national pension funds. Currently, he oversees sector strategy for the work on the Transition Decade project with the focus on the hard to abate sectors, at IIGCC and for the Climate Action100+ project, among many other engagements. Malmsten is the founder of Durable Vision Invest. An experienced portfolio manager and entrepreneur, he has a history of working in the environment industry.

The Swedish EU Presidency – Sweden’s Focus on Green Transition and What This Means for Swedish Companies and Investors

Sweden recently took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU at a time when EU legislators face numerous issues, such as the economic consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the legislative progress towards the EU green transition. One of the main priorities of the Swedish Presidency, which began on 1 January 2023, is to tackle high and volatile energy prices while continuing to work towards the green transition and further implement the agenda on the European Green Deal.

The webinar on the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Commission was held on 23 March. This virtual event, jointly hosted by CFA Society Sweden and CFA Institute gathered EU and Swedish regulators, and industry representatives to dive deeply into the most urgent questions faced by the Swedish Presidency.

Panellists Johanna Fager Wettergren, Head of Sustainable Finance at Finansinspektionen; Ulf Erlandsson, Founder & CEO of Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute; Svante Forsberg, Director at Styrelseakademien; Jonas Thulin, Head of Asset Management at Erik Penser Bank; Anna Viefhues, ESG Manager at SSAB explored the emerging questions for Swedish companies and investors.

Research Challenge 2023

CFA Society Sweden is pleased to announce that Linköping University team 2 has won the Swedish CFA Research Challenge 2023. The winning team members, including Erik Brandt, Jakob Engvall, Johan Rosberg, Mattis Utterberg and Simon Poschén, have delivered a written buy recommendation on Saab AB and presented it to a panel of distinguished graders and judges from the investment community. The winning team was mentored by Mark Shay (Accendo Capital) and had guidance from their faculty advisor Rickard Wilhelmsson, Senior Lecturer in Finance.

This year’s CFA Research Challenge was hosted by David Krook, CFA, Vice-President of CFA Society Sweden. “I was truly impressed by the quality of the analysis presented by the four teams and by the different investment cases they built for Saab. On behalf of the Board of CFA Society Sweden, I sincerely congratulate the winners and wish them good luck for the next step in this worldwide competition. Well done also to the other teams! By showcasing your hard work and putting your analytical skills at the service of this tough competition, you have proven that you have what it takes for an aspiring financial analyst career.”

The Board of CFA Society Sweden would like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors that made this year’s competition a great success:

  • Mentors: Alexandra Voss, Catarina Ihre, and Mark Shay.
  • Graders: Mats Waldemarsson, Stefan Ericsson and Sven Zetterqvist.
  • Judges: Andreas Brock, Simone Hirschvogl and Fredrik Ahlin.
  • Sponsors: Handelsbanken Capital Markets, Refinitiv and Saab.

Finally, we would like to thank all the students that took part in this competition. The following Swedish universities were represented in the CFA Institute Research Challenge:

  • Gothenburg School of Economics
  • Linköping University
  • University West

About the CFA Institute Research Challenge

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. The students are tested on their analytic, valuation, report writing, and presentation skills. They gain real-world experience as they assume the role of a research analyst. www.cfainstitute.org/researchchallenge .

Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute wins this year’s prestigious CFA Sweden ESG Award

Stockholm, May 30, 2022

Every year CFA Society Sweden, through the “CFA Sweden ESG Award,” recognizes an individual, organization or group that has raised awareness of the importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) considerations in the investment process. The CFA Sweden ESG Award was presented to Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute (AFII) and Ulf Erlandsson at the Society’s Annual Forecast Dinner on May 24 in Stockholm.

“Despite the enormous increase in focus on ESG-issues within the financial industry for the past few years, fixed income has remained slightly in the shadows. The Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute and Ulf Erlandsson have done a tremendous job of both shining a light on inconsistencies of fixed income market players and widening the debate on sustainable bonds. This reinforces the public trend of “follow the money” into banks, trading desks and their responsibilities and will be very important in the years to come when all commitments to Net Zero will be scrutinized,” says John Howchin, Co-Chair of CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee. “The Anthropocene Fixed Income institute and I, personally, are honoured by this award and very grateful to the CFA Institute Sweden for highlighting, through this award, the absolutely crucial climate change mitigation capital reallocations that need to happen in fixed income,” says Ulf Erlandsson.

Launched in July 2020, AFII is a non-profit thinktank and research institute taking a markets-based approach to positive climate impact in the fixed income markets. The image of green sprouts growing out of a trading terminal encapsulates AFII’s basic philosophy: it’s through the buy and sell decisions by bond portfolio managers and traders out there that we can change the cost-of-capital in favor of a sustainable future. It’s a gritty, technical, and quantitative effort, an everyday struggle for alpha. Yet fixed income can be extremely powerful when you direct it for a sustainable purpose. AFII founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ulf Erlandsson, has a professional background as a credit portfolio manager at the Fourth Swedish State Pension Fund (AP4) and as a quant strategist at Barclays Capital. He was one of the pioneers in the green bond market as well as in high-frequency credit derivative trading and has written extensively on credit trading, climate impact in fixed income and the combination thereof over the past 15 years.  Erlandsson earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Lund University.

Previous recipients of the CFA Sweden ESG Award are:

  • 2021 – Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute and Ulf Erlandsson
  • 2018 – Norrsken Foundation
  • 2017 – Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB)
  • 2016 – Örebro Kommun and Region Västmanland
  • 2015 – Steven Smit, Morningstar.
  • 2014 – Mats Andersson AP4, Liza Jonson Storebrand AM and G. Hahn S. Kyrkan.
  • 2013 – Hennes & Mauritz AB.
  • 2012 – Peter Norman, Finansdepartementet.
  • 2011 – Gunilla Hjalmarsson, Meta AM. and Anna Nilsson, Swedbank Robur.
  • 2010 – Sasja Beslik, Nordea Investment Management.

Contact for inquiries:

President: Fredrik Nilsson, CFA
Vice President:  Alexander Öhrn, CFA.
CFA Society Sweden: info@cfasweden.se

About CFA Society Sweden:

CFA Society Sweden is a not-for-profit organisation of investment professionals based in Sweden, founded in 2003. It aims to promote a high level of professionalism among its members and the broader investment community. The organisation has 165 members who are CFA Charterholders.

About CFA Charterholders:

A CFA Charterholder is a person who successfully completed the CFA program which is considered amongst the most challenging financial exams in the world. There are currently over 150,000 CFA Charterholders worldwide. The CFA program is administered by the CFA Institute. www.cfainstitute.org/programs/cfa 

About CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee:

The CFA Society Sweden’s ESG Committee is composed of John Howchin and Henrik Malmsten. Howchin is the former Secretary-General of Council on Ethics for the First, Second, Third and Fourth Swedish national pension funds. Currently, he oversees sector strategy for the work on the Transition Decade project with the focus on the hard to abate sectors, at IIGCC and for the Climate Action100+ project, among many other engagements. Malmsten is the founder of Durable Vision Invest. An experienced portfolio manager and entrepreneur, he has a history of working in the environment industry. 

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