Daragh Little, Veon’s Managing Director Forestry, attended the Alternative Investment Forum in London which welcomed institutional investors from across the world to discuss investment opportunities in timber and agriculture to diversify their portfolios and achieve healthy returns.
Institutional investors are looking at forestry not just for its attractive financial returns but also for its fit with their Corporate and Social Responsibility agenda. Investors are now measuring forestry for its contribution to biodiversity, carbon sinks and social good. This was recently evidenced in Ireland following the acquisition by AXA Investment Managers of the entire portfolio of the Irish Forestry Funds and Forestry Growth Plans.
Commenting on the event, Daragh Little, stated that he was encouraged by the willingness of many institutional investors and multi-family offices to fully engage in the concept of Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR). They realise how their actions can have a positive and sustainable impact on climate change. “In the past, many investors were blind to the positive impact their forestry investments had. In only a few short years, this has risen to the top of their agenda and they want to quantify their impact so that they can take action to build upon this. There is no doubt that investors are aware of their stakeholders’ demands to take positive action and make a real difference by embracing the concept of social responsibility and it is reassuring to see the seed change that has taken place over the past few short years – helped in no small part by the Extinction Rebellion which has provided the context for the necessary changes to take place.”
“It will be interesting to see how Irish institutional investors respond to the changing expectations of their underlying investors over the coming years and how they incorporate CSR principles into their long-term investment strategies” he continued.
As Ireland’s leading forest management consultants, Veon provides large-scale afforestation and reforestation projects for corporates who are keen to promote Corporate Social Responsibility in Ireland and overseas. Veon is Ireland’s largest forest management company and has attracted over €100 million in direct foreign investment into the Irish forestry industry over the past five years.