CISI develops pathway for ESG investing
The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), United Kingdom, has developed an education pathway covering Sustainable and Responsible Investments, Green Finance and Climate Finance.
Specifically, the leading global investment and wealth management body, has set up a dedicated portal of learning materials, following increased demand for skills on how to monitor corporate organizations’ compliance with disclosure of their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities to build stakeholders’ trust and improve risk management
Through its Members in Nigeria, CISI organized a Forum in Lagos recently, where benefits of ESG and Artificial Intelligence (AI) took the centre stage.
In her welcome address, the President , CISI Nigeria, Ijeoma Onwu explained that efforts to grow membership, especially youths, development of members’ capacity through constant training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), had been yielding positive results. Onwu urged the participants to take advantage of the Forum to deepen their knowledge of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues to advise organizations on the benefits of their implementation for enhanced stakeholder engagement .
“ Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has been making progress in building our members’ base. Our certification makes one a global professional and open doors of employment in over 75 countries worldwide. As businesses are transforming and re-aligning with technology, it is important for every organisation to pay attention to the development in the areas of environmental risks, social and governance issues that can impact organization’s long term sustainability.”, said Onwu.
Corroborating her, the Assistant Director, Global Business Development, CISI, Helena Wilson stated that whilst sustainable investment products would be the norm for Millennials and Gen Z, the financial services sector should be well-positioned to attract a diverse and innovative set of new talents.
” Part of this will involve promoting the important role that the sector has to play in financing a just transition and the range of jobs, including risk, compliance, operations, product development and deal making. The sector is an attractive place to start a career.”, said Wilson.
Wilson expanded on the presentations of Michael Mainelli and Lord Mayor Elect that CISI would be launching a Certificate in Ethical AI next month.
According to her, whilst AI is certainly a disruptor as the nature of jobs will change, this only makes it more important for individuals to maintain their relevance and skills and the CISI Learning Portal is a valuable place to do this.
The Country Representative, Nigeria, Dr John Osuoha, noted that the Members’ Forum provided opportunities for networking among members. According to him, CISI provides learning opportunities for its members at no cost.
” CISI offers numerous benefits to members all free of charge. These include CPDs, CISI TV and Certificated Professional Refresher Courses. There are also numerous specialist qualifications in areas such as Wealth Management, Risk Management, Financial Compliance, Derivatives, Securities, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning ,, Islamic Finance etc. ” Osuoha said.
Speaking on ” ESG Development and Emerging Trends in the Securities and Investment World”, a Member of CISI in Nigeria, Sola Oni, stressed that “ESG investing will continue to rise as investors and organisations have begun to look beyond profits by appreciating the essence of non-financial considerations as risk aversion measures .
Some of the Representatives of CISI Nigeria commended the Institute for creating opportunities for its members to upscale their skills. The colourful event was attended by some Senior Staff and Students of University of Lagos and Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State.
Topics discussed by different speakers at the Forum included: ” Understanding the new CISI Learning Platform ; How financial services is embracing opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Indigenization as a Panacea for Impactful Economic Growth and Development in Nigeria.”
