Episode 138: Nazmeera Moola of Ninety One - from Farming to Emerging Markets to Sustainable Investing

Nazmeera Moola is Chief Sustainability Officer of Ninety One, based in Capetown, where she previously headed up South African investing.  Our podcasts starts with a discussion of her farming background as a child and the lessons that that taught her in terms of planning, market volatility, the importance of diversification and risk management.  It was an interesting preparation for a career in investing, and we talk through the challenges and opportunities of emerging market investing, particularly in Africa.

We move then to her current role in Sustainable Investing, and first ask what a Chief Sustainability Officer does, and then analyze the particular context that living in such a rich country in terms of biodiversity and climate challenges provides.  South Africa has been the cradle of many developments in terms of sustainability - in particular the discussion around extinction accounting, the imperatives around protecting ecosystems and the trade-offs that a just transition may contemplate.

We conclude with reflections on risk-taking, career paths and the diversity of the investment profession.

Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast.