Second College Tour of the 2024/25 Season at Wageningen University & Research
In mid-November, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) hosted the second edition of the College Tour 2024/25 season, in collaboration with the Lifecycle Assessment program. Held in the Forum building on the university's impressive campus, the event brought students together for a fireside chat with San Lie, CEO of ASN Impact Investors. Over the course of an hour and a half, he engaged with students in a discussion moderated by Jeroen van Wijngaarden on behalf of DUFAS.
Doing Good with Money
The session began with San Lie sharing his personal motivation for choosing a career in finance. During his youth, the financial sector—partly due to the film Wall Street—was often associated with materialism and greed ("greed is good"). However, influenced by the Brundtland Report (Our Common Future), published that same year, San explained how he came to believe that money could also be a force for good. Given the numerous questions about the impact of investment decisions, many students clearly recognized the influential role of money.
Many Questions About Dilemmas
There was a strong interest in the asset management sector, especially in addressing the dilemmas faced by impact investors when dealing with companies that fail to transition to sustainability quickly enough. Students asked, for instance, how to approach divesting from a company that isn't advancing fast enough. Wouldn't exiting mean losing influence? On the other hand, investing only in companies that are already fully sustainable doesn’t support those genuinely working on their transition. The clothing industry was a significant focus of discussion. Some students argued that the trend of ultra-fast fashion is unsustainable and said they would not invest in such companies as asset managers.
Interest
There appeared to be considerable interest in working in the asset management sector. Many were drawn to the ability to make an impact through investments and the international nature of the field. The sector's efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion were also positively received by students. The College Tour at Wageningen complemented the course Financial Markets and Institutions. Additionally, it attracted interest from students specializing in other economics fields and those focused on Life Cycle Assessment.
At the same time, a conference on sustainable finance in agro-food supply chains was taking place, and some participants joined the College Tour. This created a diverse audience of students and researchers in a packed lecture hall, all united by a shared interest in sustainable finance.
More information
It was a successful event for DUFAS as well as the University and the students and we look forward to the next editions. More information about the College Tour or curious about career opportunities within the asset management sector? Take a look around this website.
