Beyond ESG & Sustainability – A new strategic direction

Alberto Nagel: “The Challenge is to integrate ESG criteria into the business model”

The online event “Beyond ESG & Sustainability – A New Strategic Direction” promoted by Mediobanca took place today. The theme of the event was to take a closer look at ESG factors as drivers of corporate strategies and capital markets.

The Chief Executive Officer of Mediobanca, Alberto Nagel, opened the proceedings, offering his thoughts on the strategic role which the financial system has in the green transition and on the initiatives that the Mediobanca Group has implemented to date in this direction.

“The contribution of financial institutions to a more sustainable world goes beyond philanthropy and the adoption of responsible consumption behaviours: the real challenge (but also opportunity) is to integrate ESG criteria into the business model. Several sustainability targets have been set in the Group’s 2019-23 Strategic Plan to contribute to the achievement of six of the seventeen macro Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations”.

Alberto Nagel also added: “ESG issues must not be understood as a regulatory obligation but as an opportunity to create value for all stakeholders. We have adopted a very stringent ESG Policy, with the objective of defining more structured guidelines for integration of ESG criteria into the Group’s different businesses, ranging from lending to investing own funds and providing investment advice to clients. In the last few days we have made public our decision to become a member of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance.  We have a social duty to support transition towards a more sustainable economic model. At the same time we are aware that ESG issues are fundamental to the long-term performance of our clients. By supporting their efforts to handle ESG risk, we invest in the resilience of our own client portfolio.”

Alberto Nagel’s opening remarks were followed by two round tables moderated by Piero Munari, Managing Partner of Arwin & Partners. The first, entitled “ESG, Sustainability & Impact: Decisive Actions and Tangible Evidence”, involved the participation of Alberto Chiandetti, Portfolio Manager di Fidelity International Ltd, Federica Rampinini, Principle for Responsible Investments Relationship Manager Italy, Greece & Malta, and Sabahat Salahuddin, Director di Blackrock Investment Stewardship.
The theme of the second round table was “ESG & Sustainability: Prospects for Italy”, with the involvement of Diego Galli, CFO of Inwitt, Matteo Merlin, Head of Green and Sustainable Finance at Eurizon, Luca Moroni, CFO of Group Hera, and Marco Spano, Head of DCM Group at Mediobanca.

Milan, 18 November 2021