Do you have an interest in asset management, ESG and the environment?
Are you concerned by the environmental challenges we face today, such as extreme weather events and the loss of biodiversity?
Do you know that the way we invest now could impact the environment for generations to come?
Are you aware of the significant role asset managers can play in fostering the transition to green economy?
Pictet Asset Management is one of the world's largest thematic and environmental investment managers. We believe that we can help safeguard the planet for future generations by investing in fast growing companies in the environmental sector.
For our university competition, we are asking you to imagine yourself as an investment manager in our thematic equities team and identify one company with attractive growth prospects that offers products and/or services tackling the world’s pressing environmental issues.
We invite you to embark on this journey with us and help us build a more sustainable future.
Protecting the environment is now a priority for consumers, companies, and governments. Their converging interests, driven by increased global awareness, technological advances, and health concerns, are underpinning a global urge to safeguard the world’s natural resources. As stewards of capital, investors have a key role to play in directing capital towards companies with more sustainable products and services.
At Pictet, we offer a range of strategies that direct capital towards companies providing environmental solutions such as clean water or clean energy. In addition, environment is one of the 6 clusters of our Pictet Megatrend framework, developed in collaboration with the experts at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. Megatrends are a group of powerful social, demographic, environmental and technological forces that shape our world. Interactions between these megatrends create the investible themes that form the basis for our thematic investing approach.
Full-time undergraduate students from universities in Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan* at the time of registration.
Students must register in a team of 2 to 3 members from the same university. For details of team composition, please refer to the competition guidebook.
We welcome students from all majors to participate and cross-disciplinary collaboration is encouraged.
*Regions are arranged in alphabetical order.
Submission deadline: 13 November 2023, 12nn (HKT/SGT)
The full case topic will be unveiled in the week of 23 October 2023. Based on the case topic, your team will submit a concise proposal of no more than 1,500 words in English. For detailed submission procedures, please refer to the competition guidebook.
The screening panel is composed of sustainability and investment experts from Pictet Asset Management and the International Chamber of Sustainable Development (ICSD), the Assessment Partner of the competition. If your team is shortlisted as a finalist, you will move on to the Grand Final.
Finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of a distinguished panel of judges composed of top-tier industry experts who will evaluate the pitches and determine the ultimate winners.
Please note that failure to attend the Grand Final will result in disqualification. However, we will provide travel assistance and subsidies to the overseas finalists.
Virtual Kick-off Event with speaker sharing
*Each team must assign at least one member to attend the Kick-off Event. However, we highly encourage the participation of all team members as the Kick-off Event will feature speaker sharing sessions covering essential knowledge which aids the development of the proposal.
Online coaching session for finalists offered by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
*It is mandatory for at least one member from each finalist team to attend. However, we strongly encourage all team members to join the event, as the session allows students to address questions to enhance the final presentation.
Champion team: USD4,000 prize + certificates
1st runner-up team: USD2,500 prize + certificates
2nd runner-up team: USD1,500 prize + certificates
Remaining finalists: USD2,100 prize pool + certificates
All finalists will receive souvenirs, and have a chance to be featured in press release and social media posts of Pictet Asset Management
Panel Discussion: “Steering Environmental Sustainability Forward in Asia: How Corporates and Asset Managers Lead the Way ”
Speakers:
Ms. Iris Lam, Director of Sustainability, Global Development, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Dr. William Yu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, World Green Organisation
Mr. Yi Shi, Client Portfolio Manager and Engagement Specialist, Pictet Asset Management
Moderated by Mr. Eric Borremans, Head of Environmental, Social & Governance, Pictet Asset Management
Pictet Asset Management (Pictet AM), part of the Geneva-based Pictet Group, provides specialist investment management services across a range of strategic capabilities including thematic equities, multi-asset solutions, alternatives and emerging markets with USD 260 billion in assets under management as of 31 June 2023. Our clients include financial institutions, pension funds, foundations and financial advisors. Pictet AM has 18 business development centres worldwide with over 1,000 employees. In Asia, it has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Osaka, Tokyo, and Singapore.
We aim to be the investment partner of choice, offering original strategies that outperform over the long term and irreproachable client service. As an active manager, we focus on strategies that cannot be easily replicated. Pictet AM launched its first thematic equity strategy Biotech in 1995, followed by the Water strategy in 2000. As an industry pioneer and leader in thematic equity investing, now it has 17 thematic equity strategies, with USD 70 billion in assets under management, as of July 31, 2023. Pictet AM is the one of the world’s largest actively-managed thematic equities fund managers, and the largest asset manager in terms of AUM in SFDR Article 9 funds*.
*Morningstar Manager Research, SFDR Article 8 and Article 9 Funds: Q2 2023 in Review, 27 July 2023
Investing in the Future University Competition 2023 by Pictet Asset Management
If any question, please contact our competition secretariat: PictetInvestingInTheFuture@ruderfinn.com
Any disputes or disagreements are subject to final decision of Pictet Asset Management.
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Mr. Lionel Mok is a PhD Candidate at HKUST studying the development of sustainable finance policy frameworks. His research is focused on the dynamics underpinning governments’ efforts to develop sustainable finance taxonomies. He works as a research analyst for the HKUST Business School, conducting research to support the development of Hong Kong as a green and sustainable finance centre. Concurrently, he serves as the programme lead for the sustainable finance and ESG team at the Civic Exchange and as a consultant for the Climate Bonds Initiative. He was formerly a consultant for the International Finance Corporation. He holds an MSc from University College London and an MA from the University of Hong Kong.
Yi Shi joined Pictet Asset Management in 2022 as a Client Portfolio Manager and Engagement Specialist in the Thematic Equities team.
Prior to Pictet, Shi worked for Royal Bank of Canada in their wealth management business advancing ESG integration into equity investments, advisory, and research. He has also held roles with Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and Connecticut Green Bank focused on clean energy and green infrastructure initiatives.
Shi received a B.A. in Physics and a B.S. in Society and Environment from the University of California, Berkeley. He also received a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of the Environment, and an MBA in Funds Management from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management.
Professor Veronique Lafon-Vinais is a seasoned financial market professional with over 20 years of banking and capital markets experience. She has worked in all the major financial markets and has extensive experience in all the major debt markets. She is now dedicating herself full time to education and teaching as Associate Professor of Business Education, Department of Finance, HKUST, where she teaches in the MBA/MSc programs as well as in the Undergraduate Programs, and professional training and consulting for the finance industry.
Eric Borremans is in charge of integrating Environmental, Social and Governance issues across all investment strategies at Pictet Asset Management.
Before joining Pictet Asset Management in 2013, he spent eleven years with BNP Paribas Investment Partners in Paris where he was successively in charge of ESG research and proxy voting, SRI product development, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He was previously Head of Research Services with Sustainable Asset Management (Zurich) until 2002.
He started his career in corporate sustainability in 1992 and worked during eight years for Environmental Resources Management (ERM) as Consultant in Brussels and Technical Director in Oxford advising multinational companies and public sector entities on environmental, health and safety issues.
Eric holds a degree in Finance from Solvay Business School (Brussels University) and an MBA in environmental management from Columbia Business School (New York). He was Vice-Chairman of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) from 2010 to 2017. Eric is member of FTSE’s Environmental Markets Advisory Committee and sits on the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) Standards Board.
Yi Shi joined Pictet Asset Management in 2022 as a Client Portfolio Manager and Engagement Specialist in the Thematic Equities team.
Prior to Pictet, Shi worked for Royal Bank of Canada in their wealth management business advancing ESG integration into equity investments, advisory, and research. He has also held roles with Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and Connecticut Green Bank focused on clean energy and green infrastructure initiatives.
Shi received a B.A. in Physics and a B.S. in Society and Environment from the University of California, Berkeley. He also received a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of the Environment, and an MBA in Funds Management from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management.
Junjie joined Pictet Asset Management in Hong Kong in 2019. She is responsible for all business development and client-related matters as well as management oversight of all other activities in the region. Junjie is also an Equity Partner of the Pictet Group.
Before joining Pictet, she was Managing Director at TCW in charge of investment solutions in Asia and responsible for providing customised investment solutions for institutional and intermediary clients in the region. She had previously been at Neuberger Berman, where she was initially a research analyst for the firm’s fund of hedge funds group before taking on the role of Head of Investment Solutions for Greater China. Prior to that she worked at Lehman Brothers on the fixed income and derivative sales support team in London, and before that she was a distressed debt and emerging markets sales assistant at Deutsche Bank, London.
Junjie holds a BSc (First Class Honours) from Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, China, and an MSc from the University of Southampton in the UK. She is a CFA charterholder.
Iris Lam is the Director of Sustainability, Global Development for the award-winning Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, which owns and operates some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. Iris drives the strategy and leads the day-to-day function of the sustainability department, collaborating with motivated colleagues and stakeholders from around the world so that Mandarin Oriental has a positive impact on our people, our communities, and our planet. Iris has been a part of Mandarin Oriental’s sustainability governance structure since its 2018 inception as a member of its Sustainability Leadership Council. Her past experiences as a global food and beverage specialist in design and development for more than a decade in corporate and operational contexts helps drive win-win solutions for Mandarin Oriental, such as responsible procurement commitments, single-use plastic-free operations, decarbonising the value chain, reducing waste and preserving biodiversity for future generations. Iris combines a deep love of design with a curiosity for cutting-edge commercial and climate solutions.
Prof. Keith Chan is an Assistant Professor at HKUST, where he is responsible for teaching three core courses: ESG Reporting and Management, Economics for Environmental Policy and Management, and Green Business Strategy. He is a Co-Principal Investigator of the Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2021/22 by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong Government, entitled “Developing Hong Kong as a Global Green Finance Centre”. Apart from research and teaching, Keith also helps the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals (HKIQEP) to develop educational materials on corporate sustainability and ESG performance and reporting.
Prof. Coco Du is a Research Assistant Professor at the Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change Thrust Area, Society Hub, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)). She received her PhD from HKUST in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. She also holds an MA in Environment, Politics and Globalization from King's College London. Her research primarily focuses on environmental policy, green finance and regional innovation. Her publications have appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment, Journal of Chinese Governance, China: An International Journal, Governance Studies and Technology in Society. She is also interested in applying research to address real-life policy problems. She is a Co-Investigator for the Strategic Public Policy Research Project “Developing a Green Finance Centre in Hong Kong in the Context of Green Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Institutional Analysis and Policy Design”, funded by the Policy Innovation and Coordination Office of the Hong Kong Government.
Eric Borremans is in charge of integrating Environmental, Social and Governance issues across all investment strategies at Pictet Asset Management.
Before joining Pictet Asset Management in 2013, he spent eleven years with BNP Paribas Investment Partners in Paris where he was successively in charge of ESG research and proxy voting, SRI product development, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He was previously Head of Research Services with Sustainable Asset Management (Zurich) until 2002.
He started his career in corporate sustainability in 1992 and worked during eight years for Environmental Resources Management (ERM) as Consultant in Brussels and Technical Director in Oxford advising multinational companies and public sector entities on environmental, health and safety issues.
Eric holds a degree in Finance from Solvay Business School (Brussels University) and an MBA in environmental management from Columbia Business School (New York). He was Vice-Chairman of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) from 2010 to 2017. Eric is member of FTSE’s Environmental Markets Advisory Committee and sits on the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) Standards Board.
Dr. William Yu is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Green Organisation. He is an energy economist and climate professional by training and completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge. He earned an Executive MBA from
the Thunderbird Global Management School, U.S.. Dr. Yu also completed a Sustainable Finance Programme at Cambridge and accredited by UNDP as trainer on United Nations SDG Impact Standards. Additionally, Dr. Yu is the scholarship
recipient of the Executive Education in non-profit strategic management at the Harvard Business School.
Dr. Yu is ESBN Task Force Member, The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations and the Vice-Chair of Asia Pacific Business Forum
(APBF) of the United Nations ESBN 2022. He is also a member in Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE), Environment and Ecology Bureau and member in newly
established Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development, HKSAR Government.
Dr. Yu is also Advisor on Certified ESG Planner (CEP) qualification and Certified China Carbon Trader of Shanghai Environment Energy Exchange, advising investment banks
and several public accounting firms on Forestry Carbon Credit Projects, Valuation of Carbon Assets and Carbon Trading, Chair of the Peer Reviewers Committee for GRI 12 Coal Sector and GRI 13 Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing Sector on Traditional Chinese Standard Review Process.
Arnold Chow is Deputy General Manager, Personal Digital Banking Product Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”), overseeing personal banking products in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. He is also a Non-Executive Director of BOCI Prudential Trustee Limited and the Chairman of Po Sang Securities Limited.
Prior to joining BOCHK in 2019, Arnold had held various senior executive positions in strategy, products and distribution in Hong Kong and mainland China of HSBC Group. His last role with the Group was Senior Executive Vice President, Private Banking and Trust Services of Hang Seng Bank. Arnold started his career in Morgan Stanley (Asia) with expertise in Hong Kong and mainland investment markets.
Arnold has an outstanding reputation in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) field and is widely recognized in the industry for his exceptional expertise and esteemed leadership. He represented BOCHK in various prominent events and media interviews, and expounded upon the progress and planning of the development of financial technology and green financial products, bringing more innovative ideas and collaborative opportunities to the industry. BOCHK is committed to promoting sustainable and high-quality development. The bank actively supported the Hong Kong SAR government's retail green bonds to promote the development of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong. It received the top AAA ESG rating from the international rating agency MSCI for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. This year, the bank was honored with the title of “Best ESG Impact Bank - Hong Kong SAR (Domestic Category)” by FinanceAsia,
Arnold holds a Bachelor degree from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Hong Kong. He is also a Financial Education Committee member of Investor and Financial Education Council (under SFC).
Prof. Ip is an international banking and real estate executive with more than 30 years of experience at Citigroup and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York City, San Francisco and Hong Kong. He was Managing Director of Citigroup and Managing Director of Investments at Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific). Prof. Ip was CEO of Langham Hospitality Investments.
Prof. Ip is an Independent Non-Executive Director of New World Development Company Limited, Power Assets Holdings Limited, Lifestyle International Holdings Limited, Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings, and Eagle Asset Management (CP) Limited.
Prof. Ip was Council Member of HKUST (2016-2022), a Senior Advisor to the President, a Special Advisor to the Dean of Business and Management, an Adjunct Professor of Finance and Chairman of Career Development Advisory Council of School of Business and Management.
Prof. Ip holds a Bachelor of Science degree at Washington University in St. Louis (summa cum laude) and Master of Science degrees at Cornell University and Carnegie-Mellon University. He is an Honorary Fellow of Vocational Training Council, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.