Sustainability at Wealth Alliance Global

As an asset and wealth manager, we put future generations at the heart of our decision-making. Inspired by this long-term vision, sustainability has become a growing consideration for all our activities.

Embedding sustainability

Our rationale

Our driving force is our conviction that, to best serve our clients, employees, and society as a whole, environmental and social considerations must be increasingly integrated both into our investment advice and decisions and into our own operations.

Our approach

We consider sustainability from two sides: our investments and our operational activities. Within those two areas, we have identified five strategic themes that are key for our long-term success.

Five strategic themes

  1. Investing with our clients
    We continuously enhance our responsible investment approach and offering
  2. Managing our environmental impact
    We consider the environmental impact of our operations and our investments
  3. Inspiring our people
    We strive to foster a fair and empowering working environment
  4. Engaging with our communities
    We give back through social, environmental and cultural activities
  5. Doing business responsibly
    We conduct our business in line with ethical and sustainability principles

Our governance

A dedicated governance structure underpins our approach and ensures strategic oversight as well as well-informed and timely decision-making.

In addition, the Group Risk Committee reviews the Bank’s risk profile and sustainability risk reports monthly.

To ensure strategic oversight, Wealth Alliance Global’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors receive quarterly sustainability updates.

With two steering committees, dedicated to investment and operational issues respectively, senior executives get together for strategic decision-making on key sustainability matters.

This committee monitors how we implement sustainability in our investment processes. It designs responsible investment principles and policies and monitors ESG developments.

This committee is responsible for defining, implementing, and monitoring Wealth Alliance Global’s approach to sustainability in its own operations such as environmental measures, employee matters and community engagement.

Responsible investing

At Wealth Alliance Global, we see a strong financial rationale for responsible investing. Protecting and growing our clients’ wealth now and for future generations is our first and foremost duty. This means that we must consider all factors that can affect the resilience and robustness of portfolios.

We also have a responsibility, as a financial institution, to contribute to the transition towards sustainability finance which requires a significant shift in financial flows towards the new economy.

Finally, as we strive to conduct business responsibly and in compliance with regulations, the proliferation of sustainable finance regulations is an additional driving force for embedding sustainability within Wealth Alliance Global.

A changing investment landscape

Natural disasters, resource scarcity and other environmental pressures, together with changes in society, regulations, and consumer preferences, are increasingly affecting the profitability and viability of businesses, driving companies to adjust their business models and practices. 

Our investment advice and decisions must reflect how investee companies deal with the risks and opportunities that the transition creates. This requires us to consider three elements:

  1. Financial factors, to evaluate the likelihood of profit generation
  2. Business practices, to assess how sustainability risks affect investees’ physical and intangible assets, and 
  3. Business models, to consider investees’ long-term viability 

CSR

We are also committed to managing our direct impact as a business in a responsible manner. Our CSR approach focuses on environmental measures, talent management and working conditions, and community engagement and sponsorships.

Managing our environmental impact

Lowering our operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the main priority in our environmental management approach. We have committed to a 25% reduction in the carbon footprint of our operations by 2025 compared with 2019 levels. This target covers our operational Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

We focus on the main drivers of our carbon footprint to help us reach this goal.

This includes purchasing renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency. In addition to installing LED lighting and switching off heating and cooling systems, computers, and other appliances outside office hours, we are refurbishing one of our main offices in Geneva and moving to more energy-efficient buildings when leases expire.

We have a strict approval process for non-client travel and restrictions on air travel. We also promote responsible business travel through awareness-raising measures.

We encourage sustainable commuting solutions and offer employees the possibility to work from home one day per week.