The ‘S’ pillar of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is becoming an increasingly important driver of investment decision-making, especially in light of the COVID-19 crisis. As politicians and policy makers across the world aim to ‘build back better’, we as an investment community need to take the time to fully understand the social part of ESG. We live in an age where the politics of inequality and ‘social justice’ cannot be seen as external to the investment process.
Against this backdrop, this session will discuss the findings of the 'Passive Investing Report 2021: Rise of the Social Pillar of ESG'. 142 pension plans in 17 jurisdictions with collective assets under management of €2.1trn were surveyed. Their insights are a useful barometer of broader changes that will ultimately trickle down to all parts of the investment market. The workshop will address the following topics:

• How and why has COVID-19 brought social risk to the front and centre of investor portfolios? 
• What benefits are being targeted by investors when investing in the ‘S’ pillar and how have social-related passive funds done during and after the 2020 crash?  
• Looking over the next 3-5 years, how are investors’ allocations to social-related passive funds likely to change?
• How are pension investors investing in the social pillar via their passive allocations?