Daniel Wild explains what brought him to Bank J. Safra Sarasin and what drives his passion for sustainability and what keeps him awake at night.

Daniel Wild, you started your career as an environmental engineer. What prompted you to make the switch to finance?

It was less a switch than evolution to have a greater impact. Different professions bring different perspectives about problems and their solutions, which is particularly important for sustainability challenges. I believe the financial sector is one of the most powerful levers to achieve sustainable goals and combat climate change.

You joined J. Safra Sarasin Sustainable Asset Management as chief sustainability officer last March. What was your motivation and what do you hope to achieve in your new role?

The bank has played a pioneering role in sustainability for over 30 years. That gives us a lot of clout and credibility in the sustainability space and in my role. It’s what our clients want, along with family ownership that has guided the bank along this path.

Our Climate Pledge to Net Zero by 2035 is more ambitious than most competitors. Sustainability at the bank is not just a niche but integrated at the core into our main product lines. In combination, this is a great foundation to take sustainability at the bank to the next level.

Do you believe the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees within the timeframe set by the Paris Agreement is feasible?

According to the latest IPCC report, we are not on track. The shrinking time window of action to avoid warming is limiting our options. We can still react in time, but the current pace is not good enough for sufficiently reducing greenhouse gas emissions and installing carbon removal technologies.

Government leaders say they are committed to the goal, but most of their plans are not ambitious enough to meet the Paris targets. Tackling climate change costs a lot. But the costs of not doing it now are further aggravated by costs resulting from damage to society and the economy.

What are currently the biggest challenges and opportunities in climate finance and sustainable asset management and how well placed are you to benefit from them?

Ten to twenty years ago the challenge was to convince investors to take sustainability seriously. Today, the challenge is confusion about different valid ESG approaches (environmental social and governance) among clients and stakeholders.

Furthermore, there are diverging sources of ESG data and emerging standards are not aligned. Interpretation and implementation of regulations like the new EU Taxonomy are very challenging.

Are you skeptical about some of the net zero commitments made by companies and governments? How can investors, shareholders and stakeholders hold them to account?

Transparency is important as it stops greenwashing and allows clients to compare approaches by using common standards. What we want to see are credible interim targets and progress toward them, preferably following robust methodologies like the science-based targets initiative (SBTi).

What do you think JSS SAM offers that other asset managers don’t when it comes to sustainability?

Our strong foundation is our experience and credibility with a methodology that is consistently applied. Our clients expect full transparency for their sustainable and climate-relevant investments, which is the basis for a dialogue about their portfolios.

Our methodology is continuously developing to reflect the latest insights and research outcomes. We already have a strong offering when it comes to ESG, but there’s always an opportunity to create more and serve our clients even better.

As Chief Sustainability Officer at J. Safra Sarasin since March 2022, Daniel Wild develops the bank’s sustainability strategy and ESG analysis. He began as an environmental engineer before switching to sustainable finance at RobecoSAM in 2006.