Some background on the SinCo way of designing and building sustainable investment architecture. SinCo delivers sustainable investment that makes our clients better at what they do. See also
SinCo PHILOSOPHY - HARD ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS
SinCo finds hard answers to tough questions. SinCo – sustainable investment consulting - is a boutique investment
advisory firm specializing in sustainable investment architecture in
frontier and emerging markets. SinCo
makes believers out of our clients, and the results are rewarding - on a
number of levels. What sets our success as a sustainable investment
brand apart can be reduced to one
fundamental value: ambition. Ambition to deliver designs and development
that present benefits beyond even what our clients are expecting.
DESIGN THE ARCHITECTURE, MANAGE THE DEVELOPMENT
SinCo
uses an architectural approach to map current and future desired states
against resources available with which to build. Whether explicit or implicit, we aim to integrate sustainability
themes for our client investment decisions around the world, and
especially in emerging markets. Over
the past five years we have developed our 4M Framework and 7P Model
process to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG)
factors into investment architecture for our clients.
TACKLE TOUGH QUESTIONS, FIND HARD ANSWERS
SinCo applies the design approach of design, build, test, re-design to understand client problems, inform the development of the sustainable investment case, map new approaches to sustainable investment, and develop answers for client action. The SinCo role is to help investors decide what sustainability themes to plan for and how to build them into their investment approach and monitor its execution over asset classes, investee entities and regions. Using lessons from recent mis-adventures in investment management, for example the US$6bn "London Whale" derivatives debacle for JPMorgan's proprietary investment unit, which led to HBR writing about the need for "robust debate with the right facts at the right level about the portfolio risk".
SMALL SPECIALIST FIRM, BIG IMPACT
FastCompany asked: "What sets small firms apart from the pack? They think big". Thinking big means being so ambitious about what SinCo wants for its clients to become, that we refuse to settle for anything less than “world class,” both in terms of what the investment models look like from idea to execution, as well as the quality of the work from our creative collaborators. SinCo does not allow our thinking to be defined by perceived limitations. “The client will never buy that” is not a phrase you hear spoken in our studio. We will try to elevate each project and get our clients to see its potential - both in terms of the project’s impact on their investment thinking and performance returns, as well as its systemic, aesthetic and even internal (morale-building) possibilities.
AGILE, AND GLOBAL SinCo is able to deliver a consultant to your fund anywhere around
the world, but we prefer to reduce the carbon footprint of logistics
wherever practical. Remote and virtual project management is advanced
wherever practical, leveraging client culture and infrastructures such
as e-offices and video-conferencing. We
are independent. Our lean operation allows us to be the specialist that
an investor seeks to call in quickly and discreetly. For larger
projects we will pull in partners to handle key sections ranging from
legal to technical to software skills, just as an architect of the built
environment does.
ORIGINAL IDEAS, SMALL PROJECT TEAMS
Independent
thinking leads to better answers. SinCo is independent. SinCo is
original. We have a background in asset management, pension funds,
policy development and sustainability themes. Our lean operation allows
us to deliver an experienced specialist. For larger projects we will
pull in partners to handle key sections ranging from legal to technical
to software skills, just as an architect of the built environment does.
The principal sustainable investment architect leads every project with a
network of analysts and associates.
QUALITY FIRST
SinCo
will only accept design mandates for a client portfolio to which we may
guarantee quality work. We therefore have the freedom to pay attention
to each unique client, from design to roll-out. Perhaps most importantly we offer an unbiased, independent
viewpoint, helping your firm to benchmark against global best practice
in developed countries, emerging markets and frontier markets. Our role
is to help investors decide what and how they may build their investment
approach for a world with resource constraints and no externalities,
where all risks and opportunities are being re-priced.
ESG ACROSS ASSET CLASSES
We
have experience in developing ESG architecture across regions in
developed and emerging markets. SinCo has delivered projects across
listed equity, fixed income, real estate, private equity and alternative
investments. We stimulate your best new developments with our original
thinking on how to make sustainable investment and integration of ESG
factors happen. SinCo offers both individual project-based consulting as
well as on-going advisory services. We reduce complexities to clear
trade-offs for integrating environmental, social and corporate
governance [ESG] factors into investment management, models and
messaging.
TRUSTED CONFIDENTIAL ADVISOR ON SENSITIVE WORK
Sustainable
investment is a fast-evolving field, with innovations being added for
example, impact investing using GIIRS, development investment policies,
social fixed income instruments, or green bonds. Our experience shows
that even the best investment firms, while having good key investment
disciplines and departments, struggle to integrate ESG factors and
develop sustainability factors where the culture and resources are
misaligned. We assist both large and small investors and investment
cases to fully consider all the risks and opportunities sustainability
offers. SinCo is the preferred consultant for initiatives, policymakers,
analysts and investors seeking expertise with fast turnarounds
delivered with complete confidentiality.
INDEPENDENT THINKING, FOCUSED RESULTS
SinCo
offers both individual project-based consulting as well as on-going
advisory services. We reduce complexities to clear trade-offs for
integrating environmental, social and corporate governance [ESG] factors
into investment management, models and messaging. Gianfranco Zaccai, of design firm Contiuum said: "I have never seen innovation come out of a focus group. Let me put it more strongly: Focus groups kill innovation. That’s both because of what they do and what they don’t do." SinCo offers an unbiased, independent viewpoint, helping your
firm to benchmark against global best practice in developed countries,
emerging markets and frontier markets. Our role is to help investors
decide what and how they may build their investment approach for a world
with resource constraints and no externalities, where all risks and
opportunities are being re-priced.
TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE, BUILDING CLIENT EXPERTISE
We are not strategic management consultants seeking ongoing consultations. We are ESG architects designing for your success. Throughout our engagements we work closely with our clients' management team and leadership to ensure we deliver a targeted set of papers and report to equip you with the right fact base and insights. We will explore similar case studies and make sound and implementable recommendations. This will involve working in partnership to shape the scope, approach and content of the work. Our working model is designed to be fully collaborative throughout all of the phases. SinCo aims to transfer knowledge. We expect to share with our clients the data used and transfer knowledge developed during the course of the assignment.
RESPECTING TIME, NO MORE MEETINGS Meetings.
They hold such promise for moving your business forward but are rarely
executed well. We all know what we're supposed to do to run meetings
effectively, but we seldom do them. Why? Perhaps we think it's just not
worth the time to clarify what we hope to accomplish, craft an agenda,
handpick participants, issue pre-work, and send out notes with key
decisions and next steps. But meeting preparation and follow-up is time
well spent. At SinCo we say NO! to meetings, but always say yes to
moving the project or business forward by following key protocols.
Working with SinCo, we know you'll appreciate the difference, and get
some of the hours in your day back.
When describing the NBA phenomenon of former Harvard basketball player Jeremy Lin bursting on the scene in 2012, Doug Scott, CEO of Ogilvy Entertainment, said: "They say in the world of gems, the more facets the greater the design.” SinCo offers perspectives other sustainability practitioners a cannot offer because of our experience along the investment value chain, and our original thinking borne from work in frontier and emerging markets. As a
natural collaborator across continents, we are adept at nurturing and
cultivating investment ideas, sustainability concepts, and creative
personalities over the years. We also have the reputation for being
fierce in our willingness to edit and crop the work to achieve the
impact we are after for our clients.
MAPPING THE 4M FRAMEWORK
SinCo typically
begins each engagement by conducting a review of the strategy in place
to identify gaps and underlying principles. Depending on the type of
project, we will deliver some aspect of the answer based on our mapping
of the 4M Framework: management, manufacturing, marketing, and matrix of
stakeholders.
> See SinCo FRAMEWORKS AND METHODS
APPLYING THE 7P MODEL
ln
our Research & Design Projects, we
accomplish this remodeling using the proprietary SinCo 7P Model process
to integrating environmental, social and governance [ESG] factors into
investment architecture for our clients. The SinCo 7P Model provides a
synopsis of the current investment architecture and a gap analysis,
mapping the effort and timeframe to rolling out an ESG component to
investment analysis and portfolio management.
> See SinCo FRAMEWORKS AND METHODS | |
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"“Graham was a pleasure to work with and a real asset to our company. I
have tremendous respect for his initiative, dedication, and knowledge
base. Graham's work ethic and general enthusiasm are contagious.” - Index Manager, leading ESG index provider, Boston USA
"“Graham is a fine individual who carries contagious level of energy and
enthusiasm. He has a very professional approach to work and great
commitment to the integration of environmental, social and governance
factors into mainstream business. This combination of high energy and
professionalism, I believe, will lead Graham to success in whichever
endeavour he sets his eyes on." United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Project Manager, Geneva Switzerland.
“While leading the PRI in Emerging Markets Project, besides
demonstrating excellent knowledge of Responsible Investment practices,
Graham showed great skills as a facilitator to promote RI amongst
emerging market stakeholders.” - Sustainability Advisor, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"It was a great pleasure being taught by Graham as part of the UniGe
Certificate in Advanced Studies in Corporate Social Responsibility
programme. Graham came across as deeply knowledgeable in sustainable
investment. He taught us complex notions through easy-to-grasp
analogies. He was persistent in getting us to understand the logic of
and system behind sustainable investment. He used plenty of real-life
examples. He had a great sense of humour. His class was an eye-opener in
sustainable investment and sustainability for me." MBA Student, Switzerland
“Graham
has a passion for Responsible Investing & Sustainability and as
Chair of the Prudential Assets Working Group [PAWG] he brings this
unique passion and energy to the group. With his focus and dedication to
the sustainability cause, he manages to bring his valuable insights
from various experiences in developed markets and always manages to
apply this to the South African context. He is a valuable and respected
member of the Prudential Assets Working Group.” - Specialist: Responsible Investments, leading African ESG-branded investment manager
"Graham is truly passionate about the work he does as is evident in his
lively, informative and creative presentations. He is well-versed in
topics ranging from the investment value chain to the complexities of
ESG architecture. His talent lies in his ability to use illustrative
examples, insights, and experience to engage audiences on the subject of
investments.
Graham is looking to spread the message about the importance of
integrating ESG factors into investment decisions at the individual and
institutional level and I have every confidence this message will be
heard as a result of his influence in this space."Programme manager, international organization, Switzerland
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