Systems thinking wins the day

This year's conference served up a series of heavyweight sessions, and while the topics varied, they mainly converged on the same theme: systems thinking.

Capping the second and final day with a word cloud flashed on the big screen, this year's registrations of more than 700 in-person and online, hashtagged 'systems thinking' as their main takeaway.

Earlier that day, Rick Alexander, chief executive of Shareholder Commons, had spoken in a panel titled: Investing in an interconnected world: Systems thinking for long-term value.

That session pulled together many of the themes from Day One - from preserving cultural heritage and operationalising nature to understanding biodiversity risks, assessing the impact of the country's largest companies and recognising how geopolitical shocks will sharply raise the cost of capital.

The RIAA team assembled a strong line-up of presenters and workshop facilitators over both days, which allowed RIAA members plenty of time to take notes, get research and network.

Unrelated to the sessions but unmissable was the sheer size of the venue. The Plenary Hall and exhibition hall towered at more than 16 meters high, disproportionately dwarfing everything else in the area. Two coffee carts kept everyone adequately hydrated (and caffeinated) while lunch and tea breaks catered well for all preferences.

Carl Prins, chief executive of Pathzero, one of the exhibitors, said a conference highlight for him was the workshop with asset owners and managers on mandatory reporting where participants discussed the challenges with transparency and disclosure. "The lack of information means they can't quantify the risk in portfolios," he said.

Meanwhile, Alexandra Brown, founder and chief executive of Ethical Invest Group, said, "Renewables and fossil fuels were the biggest issues from clients according to poll results, but it was great to see a broad variety, including modern slavery and some clients asking for exposure to defence."

"The conversations around these issues are getting more sophisticated, and advisers can gain insight with these topics by attending the conference."

Recordings of the live-streamed sessions will be available in the coming weeks.