John Lobb

Nanuk Asset Management (Nanuk), an industry leader in sustainable and responsible investing, this week announced the appointment of John Lobb as a Portfolio Manager. The appointment adds further resources to Nanuk’s experienced investment team which is focused on opportunities arising from the long term trends associated with environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.

With over 32 years experience as an equities analyst and portfolio manager, Mr. Lobb brings a wealth of experience to Nanuk. Prior to joining Nanuk, he served as a Global Equities Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst at Insync Funds Management. Previously, he has also held key investment positions at Orion Asset Management, Credit Suisse Global Asset Management, and Citigroup Global Asset Management.

Mr Lobb joins an experienced investment team at Nanuk which includes Chief Investment Officer, Tom King, London based Portfolio Manager Binya Even, along with Australian based Portfolio Managers Jane Henderson, Tristan Patience, Peter Wilmshurst and Marie Miyashiro.

Mr King commented, “We are delighted to have John joining our team. His focus on identifying quality, undervalued businesses benefitting from structural tailwinds is very well aligned with our approach. He is well known to us having previously worked with Tristan and Nanuk director Tim Ryan.”

“John’s experience will improve our capacity to research the expanding numbers of opportunities related to the emerging ‘sustainability revolution’ and his focus on quality and growth will complement the approaches of our existing team.”

“It is an exciting time for sustainably themed investment, with technologies such as electric vehicles, renewable energy and the internet of things moving from infancy to maturity and new opportunities emerging in areas such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and artificial intelligence,” Mr King said.

Nanuk recognises that environmental challenges present both opportunities and risks for investments. The recent breaking of global temperature records, with average global temperature reaching 17C this month, surpassing the previous record of 16.9C set in August 2016, serves as a clear reminder of the likelihood of further government support for more sustainable technology as we move through this decade.

Dan Powell, Head of Distribution for Nanuk, commented, “Investor and financial adviser demand for sustainable investment continues to grow due to several key factors. Investor preferences, regulatory mandates, corporate pledges, increasing recognition that climate factors impact investment performance, and that significant change at a global level creates investment opportunities and risks which all contribute to this trend”.

Mr Lobb holds a Bachelor of Economics Majoring in Finance and Accounting from Macquarie University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment through FINSIA.

Mr Lobb is based in Sydney and started with Nanuk on 17 July 2023.

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Marie Miyashiro

Nanuk Asset Management (Nanuk), an industry leader in sustainable and responsible investing, has appointed Marie Miyashiro to the newly created role of Senior Investment Analyst as the firm experiences strong growth.

Marie Miyashiro has over 20 years of experience in global equities research and was most recently Global Equities Analyst at Platinum Asset Management Limited. Prior to Platinum Asset Management, Ms Miyashiro has also previously held roles at AMP, Credit Suisse and Citi Research.

Nanuk Asset Management is exclusively focused on sustainably themed responsible investments – specifically, investing globally in listed companies whose activities and practices contribute to or benefit from the transition to greater global sustainability.

In 2022, Money Magazine recognised the Nanuk New World Fund as ‘Australia’s best international shares ESG fund’ and in March 2022 the Nanuk New World Fund was listed on the ASX as an exchange traded managed fund under the ticker code NNUK.

Paul Chadwick, Managing Director of Nanuk Asset Management, said that in addition to Marie’s strong experience in global equities she also has extensive expertise in the Asian equities sector, particularly in Japan, as well as extensive experience with infrastructure and utility projects. This will extend Nanuk’s footprint in these growing markets.

“Investing in areas related to sustainability shows no signs of slowing down. Our focus is global and the ongoing expansion at Nanuk comes as we continue to see an increase in investors and advisers seeking global equities strategies that deliver both strong returns and positive environmental benefits,” Mr Chadwick said.

I am delighted to have Marie join our talented team. Marie provides further depth to the Nanuk investment team as she brings highly valuable insights into the global equities market from a career spanning over two decades. Her deep knowledge and understanding of the market will play a pivotal role in our active approach moving forward.”

Marie joins a talented investment team at Nanuk which includes Chief Investment Officer, Tom King, London based portfolio manager Binya Even, along with portfolio manager’s Jane Henderson, Tristan Patience and Peter Wilmshurst.

Marie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. Marie is based in Sydney and started with Nanuk on August 16, 2022.

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Binya Even

Whether it’s plastic bag charges or the National Energy Guarantee, environmental sustainability is becoming a hot topic.  One industry that’s enjoying quiet but steady growth against this backdrop is the Sustainable Materials sector where we see manufacturers changing the way in which their products are made to achieve lower emissions, reduced waste, reduced water consumption – and save money.

Aerospace is a pioneer sector in sustainable materials.  Driven by fuel bills that are literally sky high, today’s aeroplanes have 50% of their weight made from carbon fibre composites, a material that barely existed outside military usage until the 1980s.  Carbon fibre is roughly twice as light as and five times stronger than aluminium, enabling aeroplanes such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 achieve 20% lower fuel consumption than their predecessor models.  Leading manufacturers in the aerospace sustainable materials sector include companies such as Hexcel in the US and Toray in Japan.

The multi-trillion dollar automotive sector is now following aerospace’s lead.  The non-steel share of a car’s body is forecast to almost triple over the period 2015-2040, from 20% to a staggering 58%. As befits such a huge sector, a wide range of companies are involved.  Toray and Hexcel are using their aerospace experience to make automotive material grades.  France’s Plastic Omnium already makes tens of millions of lightweight exterior parts out of plastic, including bumpers and fuel tanks.  Switzerland’s Georg Fischer and Canada’s Linamar are focused on heavier duty structural parts, where steel is replaced with lighter magnesium or aluminium alloys.  Lighter car bodies translates to improved fuel efficiency and, in the case of electric vehicles, extended range.

Outside the transport sector there is increasing focus by companies to reduce waste in the production, usage or disposal of their products.  As an example, Apple, the world’s most valuable company, has switched parts of the iPhone’s packaging from plastic to paper.  This paper packaging is supplied by Finnish forest products giant Stora Enso, whose strategy is to replace as much as plastic as it can with paper – which is both renewable and biodegradable.  Apple is part of an army of consumer goods companies which are waging a “war on plastic” as the Financial Times put it, including Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, McDonald’s, Nestle, Danone and many others.

In the clothing sector, focus has been centred on sustainable production.  Consumers are increasingly wary of cotton, which the World Wildlife Fund says requires 20,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of cotton produced (equivalent to a single t-shirt and a pair of jeans), as well as oil-based fabrics such as polyester.  Austrian fabric manufacturer Lenzing reuses close to 100% of the water used in production of its Tencel fabric, leading to a net water consumption approaching zero.  Lenzing spent 20 years developing Tencel and its time appears to have come, with customer demand easily exceeding the company’s production capacity.  Notably Tencel has been deployed in the sustainability collection of the world’s top apparel brands, including H&M and Zara.

Nanuk Asset Management is wholly focussed on investing in listed global companies which benefit from or contribute towards the broad themes of environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.  Advanced and sustainable materials represent one of the 8 core sectors in which Nanuk invests.  Companies are held in Nanuk’s portfolios for their expected risk-adjusted financial performance and their contribution in transitioning to a more sustainable planet for the benefit of future generations.

By Binya Even, Portfolio Manager

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