Picking better firms through ESG lens

Singapore

EVALUATING potential investments through an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens is a logical process that can help investors pick better companies, said Mary Jane McQuillen, head of ESG Investment at US equities manager ClearBridge Investments. "Because we're concentrated, with high conviction in those stocks, ESG helps navigate, steer us towards better companies," Ms McQuillen, who co-manages a number of ESG-related strategies, told The Business Times in an interview.

She was speaking about a topic gaining ground among institutional investors, especially in the…