Little did I realise when I started my first “real job” in October 1990 – marketing an ethical investment fund for charities at Ulster Bank Investment Managers – that the theme of socially responsible investment would weave its way, in different guises, right throughout my career.
At certain times, I have been promoting the responsible investment offerings for a particular asset manager. Then in other roles, I have been the independent intermediary between the investor and the asset manager, overseeing the portfolio to ensure the manager is complying with the investor’s ethical requirements. Over three decades, I have experienced the many iterations of responsible investment – from the days when negative screening was the only way and only charity investors were interested, right up to today’s range of approaches from best in class, active engagement, impact investment and the several shades of ESG in between.
The infographic below charts the different stages in my “Triple Line” journey to date.
The Triple Line Journey
Qualifications & Memberships
- B.Comm (Banking & Finance), First Class Honours & Dean’s List – UCD
- Qualified Tax Consultant: Institute of Taxation in Ireland
- Qualified Financial Advisor: LIA
- Chartered Directors Programme: Certificate & Diploma (with Distinction), Institute of Directors
- Memberships:
- Institute of Directors
- 100 Women in Finance
- The Green Team Network
- The Institute for Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability
- Irish Fund Directors Association
- LIA
people planet profit
Aedín O’Leary
Independent Director, Investment & ESG Consultant with over 25 Years' experience
Aedín O’Leary is an Independent Director, Investment & ESG Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the asset management industry, spanning multiple asset classes, fund types and complex mandates – equities, bonds, property, derivatives, active/passive, ETFs, forestry, renewable energy, infrastructure, microfinance, carbon offset, pension schemes, charities, private investors. She is highly experienced in Fund analysis and monitoring, consulting on Asset Manager Selection (increasingly ESG mandates) and on Strategy for Investment Firms in relation to Launch and Distribution of Funds.
Aedín has significant Not-for-Profit engagement in Governance, Regulation and Risk management, in compliance with prevailing Governance Codes. She is a Director of the Irish Youth Foundation and member of the Events Committee at Children’s Medical & Research Foundation, Crumlin.
Resulting from her team’s win at “Sustainathon 2020”, Aedín is Co-Founder of the Green Team Network, an initiative which devises collaborative solutions for the Irish Funds industry to tackle Sustainability (https://www.greenteamnetwork.ie/about).
Aedín is a member of the Ethical Advisory Group for Appian Asset Management and of the ESG Working Group at the Investment Fund Directors Association
A Qualified Financial Advisor and Tax Consultant, scrutiny and evaluation of financial information has been a constant component within Aedín’s roles through her career.
Aedín is an enthusiast privately and professionally on several aspects of ESG and Sustainability. She accepts she is by no means “greener than green” and is continually trying to learn more and improve her ways. To share her knowledge and experiences with those looking to better understand the world of ESG and sustainability, she has recently launched her “ESG Digest” series of articles and guides.
