The auto-enrolled workplace pension scheme is the UK's largest driver of future retirement wealth. According to the Pensions Policy Institute's 'DC Future Book 2023', this market is projected to reach approximately £800bn by 2030. These workplace pension schemes rely heavily on passive equity investments to generate returns.

In this episode, podcast hosts Charlotte Moore and Charlotte O'Leary are joined by Keith Guthrie, Head of Sustainability at Cardano UK and NOW:Pensions. They discuss the three key areas schemes must address to enhance the sustainability of their investments, along with the challenges these present for pension funds and asset managers. The conversation covers selecting appropriate benchmarks, the importance of effective stewardship, and whether there's a place for impact investing in a workplace portfolio.

Truly purpose-driven organisations have coherent management systems and a healthy corporate culture, which create value for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

In this episode our hosts, Charlotte Moore and Karen Shackleton, are joined by Stuart Woollard, Co-Founder of the Maturity Institute, to discuss how to diagnose organisational maturity and how this methodology can be used to measure the impact of the health of a human organisation. Starting with an overview and definition of organisational maturity and why a human context is necessary to understand the value and risk a company brings, they consider how this holistic approach can help a pension scheme become a better steward and finish with a call to action to the pensions industry.

Charlotte Moore, David Brown and Stephen Levesque discuss all things trees, including the importance of healthy, resilient forests.

Each forestry property varies, with a different range of species and its own mosaic of natural areas that can be managed to create as much complexity as possible in the landscape.

In the episode, our hosts Charlotte Moore and David Brown are joined by Stephen Levesque, Managing Director of Forest Operations at Campbell Global, a J.P. Morgan company.

In a conversation that ranges from biologists and owls to tortoises and Viking ships, the team bring the discussion around to why pension schemes should consider investing in timberland and how forestry management is not all about the environmental 'E' element of ‘ESG’ – the social 'S' factor is important too!

In this episode our hosts Charlotte Moore and Charlotte O'Leary are joined by Tom Williams, Head of Energy and Infrastructure at Downing LLP. They start by discussing the challenges posed by geographies and how different countries are progressing in their switch to renewables, and end with the role pension schemes can play in the transition to sustainable energy, passing through energy distribution, what matters to pension schemes, the electrification of shipping and aviation, and their feelings about the new Government's plans for UK infrastructure, along the way.

Charlotte Moore talks to Richard Giles, Senior Director and Head of Community at Pensions for Purpose, about his journey to impact investment.

How did an actuary, who got involved in community football make the leap to championing impact investment?

In this episode, Charlotte Moore talks to Richard Giles about how his involvement in a local football club deepened his concerns about climate change, shaped his values and led to him working with Pensions for Purpose. He also talks about what his role means to him and the power of UK pensions sector when it works together.

Have you ever wondered if impact investing is a misunderstood concept? In this episode, our hosts Charlotte Moore and Charlotte O'Leary delve into the issue of impact investing today with Pierre Abadie, Group Climate Director at Tikehau Capital.

Listen to the wide-ranging discussion covering fiduciary responsibility and double materiality, the distinction between impact and transition, impact frameworks, and how pension schemes can stack capital for positive investments.

Biodiversity and nature are critical for our ecosystem and economy. In this episode, the P4P Podcast team are joined by Robert Gardner of Rebalance Earth, to understand how nature is vital for supporting life. From pollinators to elephants, the 70% reduction in biodiversity since 1970 is a huge concern with major consequences.

Listen to our hosts Charlotte Moore and Richard Giles discuss with Rob the scale of the challenge, the importance of allocating a financial value to nature in order to make it an investable asset, and the role pension schemes can play in restoring nature and ensuring a more resilient system.

To open the new Pensions for Purpose Podcast series – ‘How to make pensions a catalyst for positive change' – our host, Charlotte Moore, an experienced investment journalist, is joined by Pension for Purpose’s CEO, Charlotte O'Leary for a conversation about the firm's mission to embed environmental and social impact into institutional investment, through fostering a deeper understanding of systems thinking and resilience.

The two Charlotte’s explore how these concepts can reshape the way pension funds operate, emphasising the importance of shifting beliefs and values to drive positive change.