Our Sponsors

VIPCoFCCGBroadridgeLink Market Services GmbHAHEADhermesDP DHLK+SSAPGeorgesonSuedzuckerWacker Chemie AGThomson ReutersEQS Group

Search

VIPsight

Corporate Governance – portrayed in the individual cultural and legal framework, from the standpoint of equity capital.

VIPsight is a dynamic photo archive, sorted by nations and dates, by and for those interested in CG from all over the world.

VIPsight offers, every month:
transparent and independent current information / comments / facts and figures on corporate governance locally and internationally,

  • written by local CG experts,
  • selected and structured by the Club of Florence,
  • financed by its initiator VIP and other sponsors with a background of “Equity and Advisory” interests.
     

VIPsight International


Raj Thamotheram

 

Raj Thamotheram – a well-recognised thought-leader in the field of long-term and sustainable investing – is CEO of Preventable Surprises, President Emeritus of the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets, a Visiting Fellow at the Smith School (Oxford University) and Chair of the Advisory Council for Push Your Parents. His clients include a mid sized European Private Equity firm, a major religious organisation and an ESG research agency. He has led the Responsible Investment team at Universities Superannuation Scheme (where he launched several collaborative initiatives including the Institutional Investor Group for Climate Change, Enhanced Analytics Initiative, Marathon Club, Pharma Shareowners Group, Pharma Futures) and also at AXA Investment Managers (where he launched first fund in Europe focused on human capital management and launched the strategy to mainstream ESG, RI Inside).  He was nominated by Global Proxy Watch as “one of the 10 most influential figures in the corporate governance field” in 2004 and again in 2008. He is now an independent adviser on “investing as if the long-term matters” and a columnist for Investment & Pensions Europe (IPE). He trained a medical doctor, has worked in NGOs, as founder and Director of Saferworld, international head of advocacy at ActionAid and the first manager of the Ethical Trading Initiative. He has also worked as a CSR consultant with clients including BT, UK Cabinet Office and Caricom.

 

Profile

A well recognised thought-leader on how companies and investors can adapt to put people and planet on par with profit and so deliver long-term value to their clients/customers and society.

An inspiring speaker, with well-developed communication skills, who uses rigorous stakeholder research to carefully tailor a message that is specific to the key challenges and opportunities faced by the particular client.

A proven organisational change agent with over 2 decades of experience of: a) leading strategic change projects; b) catalysing & managing major collaborative initiatives; and c) working with non corporate stakeholders

 

Core Competencies

Well recognised thought leader on long-term wealth creation and management of “preventable surprises”

Nominated by Global Proxy Watch as “one of the 10 most influential figures in the corporate governance field” in 2004 and again in 2008, with specialist knowledge focused on resilience and long-term wealth creation

Strategic advisor to a wide range of clients including the Church of England (Church Commissioners and Archbishops’ Council), Novo Nordisk, Polden Puckham Foundation, Triton Partners (private equity) and Sustainalytics (ESG research agency).

Co-founder and first President of the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets and co-founder and CEO of Preventable Surprises, both of which focus on how investors currently operate as important enablers of corporate and market dysfunction and what they can do to become a bigger part of the solution.

Monthly contributor to Investment Professionals Europe and frequent author, with regular media interviews on issues including risk/uncertainty management, corporate governance, executive pay, investor opportunities/responsibilities related to climate change human, capital management & corruption.

 

Inspiring communicator

Accomplished (keynote) speaker at both intimate meetings (e.g. board reviews) and large events (up to 200 people) including Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (London, May 2013), Canada’s Social Investment Organisation (Vancouver, June 2013), Finish Social Investment Forum (Helsinki, November 2013) and the “Rights & Responsibilities of Institutional Investors” Annual Forum (Amsterdam, 2011 & 2012).

Provided workshop-style training for: Triton (mid sized private equity player, 3 workshops, via simultaneous video conference involving 4 offices) and Bishops of the Church of England and senior team member (3 workshops, involving 75 people).

Strong reputation for a) calibrating the message to meet the specific needs of the particular client, b) being authentic and factual, c) using behaviour psychology to create a hopeful mind-set and d) leaving the audience with a practical agenda.

 

Proven organisational change agent with experience across multiple sectors

Conceived and led the implementation for the first 3 years of “RI Inside”, a strategy to position AXA IM as a leading player in the Responsible Investment community. The strategy had a dual focus on integrating sustainability analysis into core investment and other organisational processes and innovative investment products (e.g. the AXA Framlington Human Capital Fund).

Initiated and led the development of sustainability mainstreaming at University Superannuation Scheme, resulting in it becoming a global player with a strong reputation for innovative stewardship projects (see below).

Led small to medium sized teams (3 at USS, 7 at AXA IM) and managed a multi-disciplinary and organisational-wide network at AXA IM of 25.

Significant experience of leading/co-leading collaborative stewardship initiatives designed to achieve system change:

  • Initiated PharmaFutures, involving “future leaders” from the sector, one of whom is now GSK’s CEO. Several of the policy recommendations (e.g. affordable access to medicines in emerging markets) have become the norm. 
  • Launched and first “chair” of the Enhanced Analytics Initiative, which has had a significant impact on the integration of ESG analysis by sell side research firms. 
  • Closely involved in the design phase of the (UN) Principles of Responsible Investment.
  • Founder (and first chair) of Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change which acted as the catalyst for parallel projects in USA (INCR) and Australia (IGCC).
  • Co-founder of the “Managing Pension Funds As If The Long Term Mattered” Competition and the Marathon Club a decade before the problems of short-termism were accepted.

Also experience of change in other sectors:

  • Played a key role in the launch of the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice and the Push Your Parents Campaign.
  • Co-founder of the Nuclear Freeze Campaign, and then played a core leadership role in its transformation into Saferworld (serving as its first director for 7 years, major achievement = the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports).
  • Responsible for a major “middle-out” change process which initiated the process of ActionAid, resulting it in transforming from a child-sponsorship operational charity into a leading advocacy-cum-development group.
  • Served on the Advisory Council of the UK Export Credit Guarantee Department (gaining UK government security clearance) and assisted in the adoption and implementation of its “business principles”.

 

Experience

Push Your Parents (Chair, Advisory Council, July 2013, on-going)

A campaign to address the lack of inter-generational fairness within the investment system, focusing on climate change.

 

Friends Provident Foundation (Trustee, March 2013, on-going)

A grant making charity that supports more resilient, fairer and sustainable economic systems.

 

Council on Economic Policies (Member, Board of Directors, April 2012, on-going)

A nonpartisan economic policy think tank for sustainability

 

Raj Thamotheram Associates, now Integralize (Founder, July 2011, on-going)

Strategic advisor for investors & other institutions on long-termism and ESG mainstreaming.

 

Preventable Surprises (Co-founder, Jan 2012, on-going)

Co-founder & CEO of a think-tank focused on how investors can better manage what is often inaccurately diagnosed as “fat tail risk”.

 

FINANCE LAB (Member, September 2009, on-going)

Early supporter of this ambitious “large system” change project, with stewardship responsibility for the risk group and featured in its debut film

 

Network for Sustainable Financial Markets (Co-founder & President, April 2008 - Dec 2013)

Network of well regarded “positive deviants” within the financial system.

 

AXA IM (Director, Responsible Investment, June 2006 - June 2011)

Responsible for securing top-level support for a mainstreaming strategy (“RI Inside”) with a significant expansion of resources. Handed over team leadership role in June 2009 to become Senior Adviser and focus on thought-leadership and mentoring my successor

 

Universities Superannuation Scheme (Senior Advisor, February 2000 - May 2006)

Developed and secured board support for the ESG strategy, appointed the team and established USS’s reputation for collaborative, systemic engagement projects.

 

Corporate social responsibility consultant (1998 – 2000)

Responsible for innovative CSR projects for clients ranging from BT to Caricom. First manager of the Ethical Trading Initiative.

 

ACTIONAID (International Head of Advocacy, 1995 – 1998)

Responsible for the organisation’s public policy strategy and output, managing a team of 4. Special responsibility for the “Collaborative Leadership Action Group”, an organisational change project which has played a critical role in ActionAid’s transformation.

 

SaferWorld (Founder and Director, 1987 – 1994)

Founder and first director for 7 years, with experience of fundraising from major donors including Ford Foundation, Rowntree Charitable Trust, Network for Social Change and individual philanthropists.

 

National Health Service (1984 – 1986)

Post qualification vocational training to become a General Practitioner.

 

Education

University of Bristol Medical School — BSc Neuropharmacology (1983), MBChB (1984).

Strong commitment to self-directed personal and professional development as needed in these varied roles. This has included conflict resolution (Harvard University summer program), international relations, international development, scenario building, NGO management, psychotherapy, systems thinking/organisational learning & investment theory & practice.

 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.