ESG
The comgest story
responsible from the start
Since Comgest began investing 40 years ago, we have built an international partnership based on shared values. Our approach has always been to treat long-term non-financial factors as intrinsic to our work.
Our investment strategy is based on three pillars - we integrate ESG into our research, investment selection and portfolio management process, we engage with companies to exchange information and drive improvements on ESG topics, and we strive to work together with our clients as responsible stewards of their capital.
We see investing responsibly as an opportunity, rather than an obligation. The sustained success of any company depends on the health of the economic and environmental systems around it. We believe that a business run responsibly will outperform one that isn’t, in the long term.
We believe that value creation is enhanced when companies deliver social utility, while limiting negative impact to the environment and society.
OUR ESG STORY:
"We don't see investing responsibly as an obligation, we see it as an opportunity and actively support businesses working towards positive outcomes."
RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT TEAM
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Catriona Marshall joined Comgest as Head of Responsible Investment in 2024 and is a member of the Comgest Group’s Investment and Sustainability Committees.
Prior to joining Comgest, Catriona spent a decade working with financial regulators and supervisors as a member of the Secretariat to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As Head of Sustainable Finance (Financial Markets), she led a team of analysts to provide regulatory and policy guidance on ESG rating and investing for G20 countries. This included overseeing analysis on ESG integration into portfolio management, methodologies for ESG metrics, and pricing of perceived ESG risks in markets. Catriona began her career as a buy-side analyst in private equity before moving to other roles in investment research.
Catriona holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of London (SOAS; UK) and a post-graduate degree in Economic Policy from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po; France).
Petra Daroczi joined Comgest in 2021 and is a Paris-based ESG Analyst and Portfolio Manager responsible for ESG coverage of European equites.
Prior to Comgest, Petra joined Aberdeen Standard Investments in 2019 as an ESG Investment Analyst, responsible for integrating ESG assessment in fixed income research and leading the engagements in the APAC region. She previously worked for Thomson Reuters in their Singapore office as an Account Director and ESG Ambassador, and before that held diverse roles such as Field Sales Associate, Consultant and ESG & Asset Management Specialist in London.
Petra holds a Master’s degree in European Business from the ESCP Business School (France) and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from Cass Business School (UK). She is a CFA® charterholder and holds various ESG-related certifications including Climate Change: Financial risks and opportunities (Imperial College Business School, UK), Sustainability and Climate Risk (Global Association of Risk Professionals) and Basics of Organizational GHG Accounting (Greenhouse Gas Management Institute).
Liudmila Strakodonskaya joined Comgest in 2024 and is a Paris-based ESG Analyst responsible for coverage of US equities.
Prior to joining Comgest, Liudmila worked as an ESG Analyst at AXA IM in Paris, where she developed thematic research, analysis and shareholder engagement on ESG topics with a focus on biodiversity and gender diversity. She represented AXA IM at the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation (FfBF) and co-chaired the FfBF’s Impact Assessment Working Group to help build and share knowledge on biodiversity metrics among investors. She was also involved in the creation of the Nature Action 100 initiative as a member of the launching investor group. Liudmila previously worked at Eleva Capital in Paris from 2019 as an ESG/SRI Analyst, contributing to the development and implementation of the company’s ESG strategy, and began her career in 2016 at EthiFinance in Paris as a Sustainable Investment Analyst specialising in ESG research and reporting.
Liudmila holds a PhD in Economics, with expertise in sustainable finance, from Paris II Panthéon-Assas University (France), for which she received a grant from FIR-UN PRI in 2016.
Xing Xu joined Comgest in 2020 and is a Paris-based ESG Analyst and Portfolio Manager responsible for ESG coverage of Global Emerging Markets and Asian equities.
Prior to joining Comgest, Xing completed internships at Comgest, the Fosun Group (China), working on strategic investment deals in the technology and financial sectors, and at GF Securities, a leading financial services company in China, within their equity research department.
Xing holds Master’s degrees in Management and Financial Markets from EDHEC Business School (France) and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Economics and Trade from the University of Nottingham (UK & China).
Marie Gauthier joined Comgest in 2022 and is a Paris-based ESG Specialist. She focuses on collaborative and thematic engagement, ESG content creation and reporting as well as the implementation of Comgest’s responsible investment strategy.
Marie previously spent two years working with the Asia Sustainable Finance Team at the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) where she engaged with investors on the creation of portfolios aligned to the UN’s Paris Agreement on climate change and Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining the WWF, Marie worked at PwC Luxembourg for five years and PwC Singapore for two years. In Singapore, Marie led PwC’s Corporate Responsibility programme, in which her main responsibilities were to improve the firm’s environmental performance and drive community engagement projects. As part of PwC’s Advisory Team in Luxembourg, she developed long-term sustainability roadmaps for international companies and public institutions.
Marie holds Master’s degrees in Management from Emlyon Business School and in Environmental Management from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne, both in France.
Yemareshet (Yemi) Gemeda joined Comgest in 2017 and is a Paris-based ESG Specialist. She focuses on collaborative and thematic engagement, ESG content creation and reporting as well as the implementation of Comgest’s responsible investment strategy.
Yemi initially joined Comgest as part of the Comgest’s Compliance Department before moving to her current role in 2023. Prior to joining Comgest, Yemi worked as a compliance officer at State Street Global Advisors. She started her career in 2009 with BNP Paribas Asset Management first as a legal advisor and then as an Internal Auditor at the Inspection Générale of BNP Paribas.
Yemi holds a Master’s degree in International Business Law from the University of Toulouse 1 (France).
Evan Grace Frenkel joined Comgest in 2024 and is a Paris-based ESG Content Writer. She focuses on client communications and engagement, ESG content creation and reporting as well as the implementation of Comgest’s responsible investment strategy.
Prior to joining Comgest, Evan Grace worked as a Research Analyst at the Investment Association in London (United Kingdom), where she produced a variety of thematic reports to support evidence-based policymaking in the asset management industry. Evan Grace started her career focused on women’s financial inclusion at various non-governmental organisations, including Women for Women International - UK.
Evan Grace holds Master’s degrees in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics (UK) and in International Security from Sciences Po – Paris (France), and a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Chicago (US).
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