Episode 07: How well are financial advisors serving client sustainability needs?
Release Date: 05/14/2024
Episode 29: Climate-Aligned Finance Act
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In this episode, ED4S CEO Maria Maisuradze sits down with Senator Rosa Galvez, the leading voice behind the Climate-Aligned Finance Act (CAFA). As Canada faces increasing economic volatility, Senator Galvez explains why legislative "alignment" is the key to moving beyond disclosure toward real-world impact. The discussion explores how CAFA acts as a foundational pillar, harmonizing with existing frameworks like OSFI’s Guideline B-15 and ISSB S2 standards and upcoming taxonomy, illustrating how these regulations provide a clear roadmap for capital allocation. By creating a...
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Episode 28: Careers in Sustainability
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What does it really take to build a career in corporate sustainability and sustainable finance in 2025? In this episode, Maria Maisuradze, Founder of ED4S, sits down with Nawar Alsaadi, Co-Founder of Kanata Q, for a candid, no-nonsense conversation about the realities behind ESG roles—beyond the buzzwords and glossy reports. Drawing on experiences across startups, NGOs, and institutional environments, Nawar shares how sustainability careers rarely follow a straight line—and why that’s often a strength rather than a weakness. Together, Maria and Nawar unpack whether a “typical”...
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Episode 27: Outcomes-Based ESG Data
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In this episode, Maria Maisuradze is joined by a leading voice in global sustainability and governance, Pyarali Jamal. Pyarali has been in sustainability space for over 22 years. He is a member of ICAEW Sustainability Committee, advisor to Ivey Business School, and Smith School of Business. His career bridges finance, regulation, and ESG strategy. We begin with Pyarali’s personal journey: how he transitioned from traditional finance into sustainability long before ESG became mainstream, and what convinced him that ESG performance would shift from a CSR afterthought to a core financial...
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Episode 26: Business Case for Banks
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In this episode, we sit down with Jason Taylor, founder of Climate Finance Advisors, who shares his remarkable journey building a profitable sustainability division within a major Canadian bank. What started as a one-person experiment quickly scaled into a full-fledged team, proving that banks aren’t embracing sustainability for philanthropy, but because it’s good business. Jason walks us through the economics behind green bond issuance, the skills financial professionals need to stay relevant in this fast-evolving field, and how the generational wealth transfer is...
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Episode 25: Advising with Purpose: Sustainability in Focus
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We talk to Lorraine Wilson, founder of Blue Horizon and former CSO at Novata, and a board advisor to ED4S. We talk about the challenges facing financial advisors in providing sustainability advice and sustainable products to clients. We discuss the sustainability knowledge gaps in the advisor space and the state of sustainability training for advisors.
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Episode 24: The Blue Economy
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We talk with Rolando Morillo, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Thematic Investment Strategies at Rockefeller Capital Managment. We talk about how investors can value, and invest in the Blue Economy, and how this can help drive conservation of the Ocean. We discuss the metrics used to value the health of our oceans and how improving them can drive opportunity for both investment and ocean restoration. Disclosures: The information presented herein are for educational purposes only. The views and opinions are the views and opinions of the senior investment...
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Episode 23: Climate Risk in Asia
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Wai-Shin Chan joins us to discuss the complexities of advancing sustainability and managing climate risk across Asia. As Sustainability Advisor to Metis ESG, Director of Research at Asia Research and Engagement, and former Global Head of ESG Research at HSBC, Wai-Shin brings deep expertise to the conversation. We explore: The challenges of sustainability in a region with diverse cultures, languages, and legal systems Where Asian markets are leading on climate action Key areas where progress is still needed Tune in for insights on ESG trends and climate risk in one of the world’s most...
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Episode 22: Greenwashing
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We talked with Helen Neal, Founder and CEO of HN Communications, a sustainability communications company that helps companies effectively navigate a complicated sustainability landscape. We discuss greenwashing, greenhushing and how companies can best tell their sustainability story.
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Episode 21: Managing Sustainability Risks
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In Episode 21 of Sustainability in Motion, Matt Orsagh and Maria Maisuradze speak with Jo Paisley, President of the GARP Risk Institute, about the evolving landscape of sustainability risk in the financial sector. With deep experience from the Bank of England to HSBC, Jo brings a unique lens on how financial professionals can better prepare for climate and nature-related challenges. We cover: Jo’s journey from economist and regulator to sustainability thought leader What GARP and the GARP Risk Institute are doing to advance risk literacy in sustainability Key findings from their...
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Episode 20: The Boardroom Illusion
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In this eye-opening episode, we unpack the quiet crisis in corporate governance: how boardrooms are often shaped by personal networks over real skills, leaving major ESG blind spots at the top. Guest Matt Moscardi, Co-founder of Free Float Analytics, joins us to explore signals that companies send by backtracking on their commitment and why treating investment stewardship as a cost center may be a costly mistake. We dive into the DEI backlash, flip-flopping climate commitments, and how surface-level sustainability reports (complete with curated optics) reveal more about a company’s culture...
info_outlineSustainability in Motion Podcast – Episode 7: How well are financial advisors serving client sustainability needs?
Hosts:
- Matt Orsagh, Chief Content Officer at ED4S
- Maria Maisuradze, CEO of ED4S
- Guest: Stephen Kibsey, Analyst, Portfolio Manager, and Lecturer
Episode Overview:
This episode dives into ED4S’s latest report from a “secret shopper” campaign, evaluating how well financial advisers across Canada handle client interest in sustainable investing. ED4S engaged financial advisers from various firms to understand their readiness to meet clients’ ESG and sustainability goals. Joined by secret shopper Stephen Kibsey, the discussion unpacks the findings, challenges, and potential solutions to improve sustainable investing advice.
Key Takeaways:
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Background and Motivation
- Maria Maisuradze shares her experience with financial advisers who were dismissive of sustainable investment inquiries, which inspired the secret shopper initiative. Since Canada’s regulations now require ESG factors to be part of the "Know Your Client" process, this study seeks to understand if advisers are integrating these requirements effectively.
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Study Findings
- Less than 25% of advisers mentioned ESG or sustainability without prompting, even though surveys indicate strong client demand for these considerations. Once prompted, about 67% of advisers addressed ESG topics, yet only half demonstrated a good understanding of various ESG approaches.
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Challenges for Advisers
- High turnover, lack of formalized training, and a disconnect between personal interest and corporate priorities hinder advisers’ ability to fully serve clients seeking ESG investment options. Even advisers with over 10 hours of sustainability training sometimes struggled to effectively guide clients.
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Importance of Training and Incentives
- Both Stephen and Maria stress the need for better ESG training and communication. Maria points out that the complexity of fund sheets and inconsistent ESG labeling adds confusion. Additionally, Stephen highlights that financial institutions should invest in ongoing, practical education and tools for advisers.
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Cultural Shift in Financial Institutions
- To truly embed sustainability, companies need support from top leadership. A culture that values ESG, starting from the CEO, will drive meaningful change across financial services, aligning firms with long-term sustainability goals.
Conclusion:
This secret shopper report highlights a clear gap between client demand for sustainable investing and the financial industry’s ability to deliver. Better training, incentives, and alignment from the top down can bridge this gap, ensuring advisers are prepared to meet the growing interest in ESG investing.
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