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On May 7, in her address to the Finance Ministers and central Bank governors gathered in Paris to discuss the sustainable financing of international development, Christine Lagarde, Head of the International Monetary Fund, was adamant on attaining the SDGs - the Sustainable Development Goals - a planetary journey objective which is both an economic and ethical imperative.

With the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and the ensuing global financial crisis, which has boiled for over ten years now, it is not uncommon for the financial industry to be seen as a major obstacle to a better world. Back in February this year, in London, it was Christine Lagarde again who painfully reminded her audience that the caricature of the “bad banker” in the sequel of Mary Poppins was quite revealing about the extent of such negative perception.

Lamenting the dearth of literature explaining how to use finance as a way to achieve social goals and divert the economy from its current harmful path, Willem Schramade, from NN Investments Partners, and Dirk Schoenmaker, a Professor at the Rotterdam School of Management, joined forces to write a book titled “Principles of Sustainable Finance”.

Offering a hands-on approach, the book is an invaluable tool to help teach the next generation of finance professionals how to integrate sustainability into the financial practice, as well as forge the mindset to be brave enough and do it.

Having the power to decide where the money goes, the finance industry does have a huge responsibility in promoting sustainability and influencing corporate behavior. Financial advisors, fundraisers, investors can educate and influence the corporate world to think about sustainability and treat it as an integral part of the strategy and any investment plan. In doing so they will contribute to better align finance with societal values and color it with a broader sense of purpose.

 #CorporateFinance #FinanceStudies #Leadership540 #SustainableFinance #SutainableInvestment #ConsciousCapitalism #PositiveImpact