The head of ABN Amro Investment Solutions has ambitions to grow the firm’s footprint in the UK as it continues its ESG push.
The asset management company of ABN Amro Bank has €20bn (£17bn) assets under management and runs a range of funds which have an ESG requirement.
ABN Amro Investment Solutions CEO, Francois Xavier Gennetais, said the firm provides access to open architecture investing and is passionate about the ESG requirement, which he said is more than just a trend.
Gennetais said the firm sees ESG as essential.
He told FT Adviser: “We can see what clients want to see. We do see those who are truly looking for ESG and then those that are looking for more growth than value.
“When we started the trend wasn’t there, but we identified it and have been doing this for 25 years.
“Today, our peers think they need to follow the trend and build ESG portfolios.
“We really need an ESG drive if we want to protect human beings, because it is not only about the investments being made.”
He told FT Adviser while the firm is currently focusing on the markets it serves in Europe it has ambitions to expand into the UK.
He said: “We would like to have a footprint in the UK but for now our focus is on our own market.
“We have wealth manager activity in the UK so it is natural to have relationships with the DFMs, we would like to develop this business.”
The firm offers investors a panel of funds on which they have already done all of the operational and fund manager due diligence.
It claims to give access to fund managers European and UK investors would not normally be able to access.
tara.o'connor@ft.com
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