Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Hubert Keller, Co-Senior Partner of the banking group Lombard Odier have officially signed a multi-year partnership to foster sustainable finance and investment research, with a particular focus on climate change, circular economy and nature.
Announced last year, the collaboration creates the first endowed professorship in sustainable finance at any major global research university and involves collaboration between the banking group and the university on a range of sustainable finance projects.
Professor Richardson said, ‘Oxford’s students and staff are united in our commitment to finding solutions to the grave environmental challenges facing our planet. We are delighted to work with Lombard Odier to ensure the success of our sustainable finance programme.’
Lombard Odier’s research on climate and nature-related transition risks and opportunities and physical risks has benefited from in-depth reviews by panels of Oxford climate and social scientists. The partnership also provides funding for several Oxford-led research projects, including the report State and Trends of Spatial Finance 2021 and the forthcoming report Grasping the Green Nettle: Country Comparative Advantage and the Green Premium.
Meanwhile, Lombard Odier and Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment are organising a series of events, to take place during November’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, on the transition to a net zero and nature positive economy.
Mr Keller commented, ‘The environmental transition is the finance industry’s most pressing challenge. Lombard Odier’s ability to lead this conversation and provide frameworks and solutions for reallocating private capital into an environment-friendly economy, is supported by this unique partnership with the University of Oxford and its Sustainable Finance Programme. It provides a robust academic basis to our work, which is focused on understanding the nature of the transition, the alignment of companies and investments, and the value impact linked to these challenges.’
Dr Ben Caldecott, the Lombard Odier Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow of Sustainable Finance, commented, ‘Sustainable finance is mission critical for tackling the massive environmental and social challenges facing humanity. This is a huge agenda that is rapidly expanding as we head into COP26.
‘As the Lombard Odier endowment implies, these questions and issues will endure in some form for many generations and at the University of Oxford we look forward to continuing to play a major role in creating, defining, and growing this major new field.’
