Meet the class of Ogier's first Talent4Impact fellowship

Ogier's new Talent4Impact programme has launched with five successful candidates undertaking a three-month fellowship in Hong Kong.

40 people, from a range of industries, applied for the first-of-its-kind programme, which has been designed by Ogier to nurture the next generation of ESG and impact professionals.

Talent4Impact offers fellows practical work experience at Ogier and its programme partners Dream Impact and the Sustainable Finance Initiative, building a community of mutual learning and support for up-and-coming impact leaders.

The fellowship was devised by the head of Ogier's Sustainable Investing and ESG Consulting, Leonie Kelly, and Head of ESG (legal) Kate Hodson.

“We have selected five talented, passionate individuals who we believe will really thrive on the opportunity to gain practical experience at local businesses and organisations striving to transition Hong Kong to a sustainable economy. The exposure, skills and insights they gain will be instrumental in helping then carve out a career in ESG and impact," said Leonie.

"As a firm, our CSR efforts have long had a focus on education. This new impact talent programme is an extension of the pride we take in investing in skills, training and helping people to achieve everything that they can."

The first five fellows selected for Ogier's Talent4Impact programme are Armeen Bhesania, Anuja Agarwal, Jonathan Mok, Pritya Pravina and Edward Sukendar.

"As a trained biologist, I joined banking sector after graduating from business school as I believe finance can help direct capital to the right activities and solve the most pressing issues in society," said Pritya, who works for a global bank in Hong Kong.

"With increased awareness of ESG issues, we have the chance to mobilise capital and change the course of our collective actions, but we need to plan it well and act in a collaborative manner. This is why a good understanding of this complex issue is very critical."

Ogier's Talent4Impact fellows explain why they want to join the next generation of ESG and impact professionals:

Armeen Bhesania

"Talent4Impact seems like a great opportunity to expand my education and experience in the fields of ESG and impact. What appealed to me, specifically, is that the programme immerses you into three key facets of the local ecosystem: asset managers, investee portfolio companies, and institutional investors. An accelerated realignment of capital towards ESG and impact strategies ensures the protection of our precious planet and its inhabitants," said Armeen, a Senior Analyst at Albourne Partners, an investment consultant providing research and advisory services to its clients’ investments in hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds, real asset funds, private credit funds and other alternative investments.

Anuja Agarwal

"I have been passionate about sustainable investment for a long time, especially gender lens investing and circular economy. This programme is a good way to meet a network of professionals focused on this area. Also the learning process through practical work exposure is quite unique, " said Anuja works at Trikon Asset Management , an Asia-focused hedge fund.

Jonathan Mok

"As far as Talent4Impact has been framed as a programme for people interested in careers relating to ESG and impact investing, I consider the programme to be providing all fellows with on-the-ground experience to examine how different factors can collaborate for human societies to flourish on a sustainable basis," said Jonathan, who works for the Fair Trade Hong Kong Foundation.  

Pritya Pravina

"It has become clear to me that there is a shortage of people with passion, knowledge and practical experience in ESG in banking industry vis-à-vis the amount of work that needs to be done to transition the economy and achieve the climate targets. Given the critical role of banks in mitigating the effects of climate change and building a more sustainable economy, I have made it my personal goal to deepen my understanding of ESG to address challenges both locally in Hong Kong as well as in the Asian region," said Pritya, a trained biologist who now works in real estate finance for a global bank in Hong Kong.

Edward Sukendar

"Talent4Impact is able to give me real practical experience touching different aspects of sustainability in the wider ecosystem. I was intrigued by the possibilities of this practical experience: understanding financial regulations from different jurisdictions, working with impact investors, impact investees/beneficiaries, intermediaries and potentially local government and academia," said Edward, who recently worked with an international investment company."