Member Spotlight: Altiorem
We're thrilled to introduce one of our newest cohort members, Altiorem. In this discussion, the Altiorem team delves into the inspiring journey behind its creation and mission to revolutionise the finance industry through sustainable practices.
Founded in early 2019, Altiorem emerged from Pablo Berrutti's extensive experience in responsible investment and his frustration with the difficulty of sourcing relevant sustainable finance research. Learn about Altiorem’s mission to change finance for good by bridging the gap between research and action, providing a rich library of resources, and fostering a community of sustainability-focused finance professionals. Altoriem shares insights on how the not-for-profit engages and educates the next generation of business and finance leaders on critical sustainability issues.
Join us as we delve into Altiorem’s innovative approach to sustainable finance, and its vision for a future where environmental sustainability and respect for all living things are at the core of financial decision-making.
1.Can you tell us about the founding story of Altiorem? What inspired you to create the world’s first community-built sustainable finance library?
Founded by Pablo Berrutti in early 2019, Altiorem emerged from Pablo’s experience in the finance industry as a responsible investment expert. In his years of experience working in the sector, Pablo was often asked for help to build and inform the case for sustainable investment. Despite a large, strong and growing body of resources he found it difficult to source useful and relevant sustainable finance research. Finding that his peers were facing similar frustrations, Pablo realised that access to good quality research does not have to be a barrier to sustainable finance.
The need for Altiorem was encouraged in the context of increasing external pressure on the finance industry to address environmental and social issues, with initiatives like the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting the role of finance industry in achieving sustainable development and the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
Understanding the role sustainable finance has in supporting flourishing social and environmental systems, Pablo recognised that one potentially significant catalyst for change remains largely untapped. Around the world, millions of finance professionals and other stakeholders are concerned about and want to advocate for action on social and environmental issues but lack the support needed to convince internal stakeholders and overcome systemic and organisational barriers to change.
Launched in May 2020, Altiorem, which is Latin for higher, envisions a higher purpose for the finance industry. Altiorem is the world’s first community built sustainable finance library with a global platform dedicated to supporting advocates for sustainable finance while also engaging and educating the next generation of business and finance leaders on critical sustainability issues like climate change and sustainable development.
2.What are the primary goals and purpose of Altiorem, and how do you envision it contributing to the sustainable finance landscape?
To change finance for good. What we mean by this is a vision of a future where environmental sustainability and respect for the rights of all living things are at the core of financial decision-making. Working within the finance sector, we seek to achieve this through bridging the gap between research and action. Our library of over 1,000 resources supports finance and sustainability professionals to confidently navigate the complexities of ESG (environmental, social and governance) transforming research into actionable and strategic solutions.
Our primary goals are to:
Provide a platform for sharing information: We curate and summarise high-quality research and educational content on sustainable finance, making it accessible to everyone.
Build a community of professionals: We foster a community of finance professionals interested in sustainability, providing them with a platform to share knowledge and collaborate on initiatives.
Promote action: We go beyond just providing information, we also offer resources to help people take action, such as expert guides, webinars and best practice resources.
We envision Altiorem as a central hub for sustainable finance information and a catalyst for change. We believe that by making it easier for people to invest in a way that aligns with their values, we can create a more sustainable future for all.
3.How has your extensive experience in responsible investment, risk management, and sustainable finance influenced the development and direction of Altiorem?
Altiorem was founded by Pablo Berrutti, Alexandra Brown and Mariana Wheatley, who brought a complementary set of skills and interests which have made Altiorem what it is today.
Pablo had gained considerable experience in responsible and sustainable investment while Alexandra had built a career supporting financial advisors to give ethical financial advice. This helped shape the design and early content in the library, particularly by focusing on resources that have practical applications. Mariana, meanwhile, brought creativity and discipline to how Altiorem communicated what we were trying to achieve.
There are many barriers for financial professionals (and businesspeople generally) in making the case for sustainability and implementing new strategies and practices that have genuine and long-lasting impact. The team’s experience helped to identify and source the type of information that can help overcome these challenges. This included separating the investment, business, economic and ethical cases for change, so that advocates could better tailor their arguments to connect with their audience.
However, as the library evolved to include content suggested by the broader Altiorem community, it has achieved a diversity of content which the founding team could only have dreamed of. The key to success for Altiorem will be if it can continue to exemplify the best qualities of a community-built resource, like Wikipedia, while offering the next generation of sustainable finance leaders a platform to grow their knowledge, skills, and profile.
4.How does Altiorem engage and educate the next generation of business and finance leaders on sustainability issues like climate change and sustainable development?
Alongside access to our free library, Altiorem supports university students and recent graduates through our internship and volunteer opportunities. We’ve hosted over 150 interns and volunteers to date. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with students reporting that the experience provided a deeper understanding of sustainable finance and enhanced their research, analysis, and writing skills, supporting their future careers:
“The internship has expanded my insight and knowledge into the ESG industry outside the scope of my university degree that otherwise I wouldn't have had. The experience has also improved my writing skills.” one Altiorem intern reported.
Altiorem fosters a community of learning, offering mentoring and collaboration opportunities that encourage a culture of shared knowledge and collective advancement towards sustainable goals. Students work with industry experts to co-create articles and expert guides. Expert guides are a community-built resource for members of the Altiorem library. These guides showcase the knowledge and perspectives of thought-leaders and deepen our community’s understanding of important sustainable finance topics.
5.What role do you see Altiorem playing in helping finance professionals drive change within their organizations through internal advocacy and enhanced financial decision-making practices?
We recognise that finance professionals have huge but largely untapped power to protect the planet and to change the systems and values that shape ‘business as usual’. However, many struggle to make it relevant to their own operational contexts or feel disempowered by organisational and system constraints. We are here to change this by making it easier for busy professionals to find the information they need to act on the ESG issues that they care about.
How we do this:
Chat with research: Our interactive AI tool delivers personalised, accurate and quick insights.
Diverse library: Our collection of research, tools, articles, and expert guides help you to address ESG issues.
Expert guides: Gain practical advice and strategies from experienced professionals, accelerating your career in sustainable finance.
5.Being a part of Subak Australia is a significant step for Altiorem. How do you believe this partnership will enhance your mission and impact?
Joining the Subak Australia programme/village, Altiorem intends to achieve several strategic objectives:
Scaling Educational Resources: Enhance the distribution and availability of educational materials to a broader audience, particularly focusing on the APAC and European region through Subak Australia and UK networks.
Systemic Change in Finance: Aim to influence the finance sector to adopt more sustainable practices by providing access to high-quality, practical and/or action-orientated information that can inform decision-making.
Content Enrichment: Benefit from Subak’s collaborative environment to enrich Altiorem’s library with diverse insights and perspectives, potentially including climate data and research that aligns with our sustainable finance focus.
Knowledge Sharing: Participate actively in the Subak community to both learn from and contribute to the collective knowledge pool, promoting best practices in sustainability.
Collaborative Partnerships: Forge partnerships with other organisations in the Village Hub to collaborate on projects, research, and initiatives that further the mission of sustainable finance education.
6.In your opinion, what are the most critical steps the finance industry must take to address sustainability challenges, and how is Altiorem positioned to support these efforts?
Stop investing in fossil fuels and environmentally harmful companies and instead invest in companies that contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Paris Agreement and the SDGs have identified the finance industry as a critical enabler for sustainable development and the transition to a new economy that values nature and human wellbeing.
However, the industry is moving too slowly with an estimated financing gap for delivering the SDGs of $2.5-3 trillion per year in developing countries, and hundreds of billions of dollars are still being invested in new fossil fuel and other misaligned assets.
7.Looking ahead, what are Altiorem’s key priorities and goals for the next few years, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Efforts to reduce carbon emissions are moving too slowly and urgent action is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change. We seek to mitigate climate change by empowering finance professionals to integrate sustainable and responsible practices into their decision-making processes.
We plan to accelerate financial system changes through:
Scaling library resources: We provide finance professionals with access to a rich, curated online library of research materials on sustainable finance, including more than 750 high-quality research report summaries covering various dimensions of ESG (environmental, social and governance) from solutions to adaption, to effective organisational and investment governance. This resource is pivotal in spreading knowledge about the importance of environmental considerations in financial decisions.
Expanding our Expert Guides and webinar resources: We produce expert guides on subject-specific topics, host webinars, and facilitates discussions that are designed to educate and inspire professionals about actionable steps towards integration and main-streaming of sustainable finance.
Increasing our membership and reach globally: Increasing our members will support our goal to support finance and sustainability professionals to confidently navigate the complexities of ESG transforming research into actionable and strategic solutions.