ESG Viewpoint:
PGGM Investments
# RepRisk interviews Karin Lurvink, Investment Risk Manager at PGGM Investments
# October 2021
1. RepRisk: Please provide some insight into your specific role at PGGM Investments (PGGM) and the work that you and your team do.
Karin Lurvink: I work as an Investment Risk Manager on the Risk Analysis team at PGGM. PGGM manages the pension money of several pension funds, of which PFZW – the pension fund for Dutch healthcare workers – is the largest. The Risk Analysis team challenges new investment proposals of the investment teams and new policy proposals of the strategy team. We do this by analyzing financial risks, including ESG risks. These analyses result in risk opinions and research reports.
2. RR: What is the role of ESG integration within PGGM, and how does it intersect with the overall fiduciary duty to maximize long-term return?
KL: PGGM is the second largest pension fund asset manager of the Netherlands. The companies in which we invest have an impact on the world (inside-out), but the world also impacts the companies (outside-in). PGGM has a fiduciary duty to achieve our clients’ financial pension ambition, but also to take into account the potential long-term impact of investment decisions on environmental, social, and governance factors. Additionally, our clients feel responsible and want to contribute to a more sustainable world. To do so, PGGM has integrated ESG risks and opportunities in its investment process.
3. RR: What are PGGM’s priorities when it comes to ESG and responsible investing, and how does RepRisk data facilitate those priorities?