Insig AI’s Head of ESG Research, Diana Rose, in response to HSBC’s Global Head of Responsible Investments, Stuart Kirk’s, resignation:
“Kirk’s resignation won’t come as a huge surprise. Like others stealing the spotlight today, he has cut a somewhat controversial figure of himself, at least recently. He will have picked up allies as well as foes; but made his current professional position hard to hang onto. I had a feeling when I heard his speech in May that it was made with awareness of the consequences at HSBC and part of a bigger plan. I’ll be curious to see how that plan unfolds – as will many others – he has been noticed.
“We need all the human ingenuity, courage and disruption we can garner in tackling this challenge of leveraging finance for a sustainable future, and healthy debate needs to part of that. ESG has become very politicised recently, and we need to be careful it doesn’t become partisan, let alone personal. Many of us are dedicating our careers to sustainable finance for different reasons and motivations, all of which have a role to play, whether principled or pragmatic.”
