Give To Get Welcomes Tim Stegner, Director ESG Solutions

Photo by Ahmer Kalam on Unsplash

Tim Stegner, Director of ESG Solutions

Most individuals link the interest in environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) investing to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing climate crisis that has been responsible for wildfires in the west and global droughts. Financial professionals, however, have been bullish on these assets for quite some time. Between 2018 and 2020, total U.S.-domiciled sustainably invested assets under management, both institutional and retail, skyrocketed 42% to $17.1 trillion. 

Tim Stegner, who recently joined Give To Get as the company’s first Director of ESG Solutions, has witnessed this transition firsthand at BlackRock, Nuveen, and Northern Trust Asset Management — among other well-known financial institutions. In his newly created role at Give To Get, Tim will develop data-driven, yet practical solutions, to ESG and CSR strategic challenges.

We’ve invited him to discuss his career to date as well as the goals he’s set for himself as he settles into his new role. 


You’ve been involved in ESG investments for more than 20 years. Tell us a bit about how you first got interested in the space.
Early in my career I advised retirement plans with a special focus on the Health, Education, and Government sectors. I found the plan sponsors and their participant employees (doctors, teachers, and scientists)  were more sensitive to what types of companies they were investing in. For example, they would say that they didn’t want to invest in tobacco companies. We developed products that were based off Indexes that screened out the worst offenders. This was the start of socially conscience investing.  Unfortunately, at the time, these investments were often considered negative performers, giving up potential earnings. However, I began to believe if we evolved these products that they could become “Alpha” generating, meaning improve performance and risk management as well as put the awesome power of the Capital Markets behind good. That idea solidified my interest.


Over the years, how have you seen ESG investing evolve? 
ESG investing has evolved tremendously from simple negative screening to highly sophisticated and specialized products that target positive ESG metrics and advance sustainability. This is more exciting as additional skills and tool are used in portfolio construction to focusing on a specific social or environmental theme or outcome.   


We’ve discussed how individual investors are paying attention to ESG information. How have you seen companies change their approaches to ESG information to improve their appeal to investors, potential investors, and other stakeholders? 
Today the investment demand is being driving by Institutional Asset Owners — Endowments, Sovereign Wealth Funds, and Pension Funds. When they develop ESG policies, their investment managers and, in turn, the companies they invest in, must as well. Therefore, in any given sector, organizations with better ESG metrics are going to have a higher multiples for their stock than those that do not — that is a game changer for company’s CEOs and their Boards.

We’ve long known the benefit of paying attention to environmental and governance factors, but in the last two years, social factors have risen to the forefront of the public interest. How can Give To Get help measure social factors?
Yes, the world’s leading companies are making steady progress on the ‘E’ and the ‘G’ and it’s good for their stock price and the planet. Now, the pandemic has brought inequality to the forefront. It is clear that the ‘S’ is in the spotlight and will attract greater attention from investors, regulators, and customers. The pandemic has also shown us the important role corporations have in fighting not just the pandemic but in looking after their greater stakeholders. The ‘S’ is harder to get right, though. A recent Global ESG Survey by BNP Paribas found that 46% of institutional investors surveyed found the ‘S’ to be the most difficult to analyze and layer into investment strategies. Give To Get is helping change this with a forthcoming ratings system that’s in development. That product will offer a 360-degree view that assigns an organization an ‘S’ score and provides a ranking within a firm’s industry sector. It is also a valuable tool to understand areas of strength and weakness as well as how leadership can advance an organization and meet its stakeholders’ needs. These valuable insights make the forthcoming product not only an important tool for asset managers, but also for companies’ community affairs, human resources, investor relations, and marketing teams.

After a career at financial institutions, you’ve chosen to go a different route. What attracted you to Give To Get and the opportunity here?
I am passionate about finding solutions for clients, which is essential to building great relationships. The services that Give To Get offers have never been more needed. The company is in a position to provide data and intelligence as well as implement ESG strategy and executions to leading companies.  

Most individuals create aggressive goals when they start at new companies. What will success at Give To Get look like for you?
Global domination — but, the good kind. I would like to see us become and household name in ESG rankings and consulting.

Now that we’ve discussed business, how do you like to spend your free time?
I love cycling. I love wine. And I love to travel. I have not had much in the way of free time lately, but I look forward to putting those three things together again in the future and getting out into our world. In the meantime, you should see the tomatoes I grew in my garden!

If you’re interested in learning more more about Give To Get’s ESG Solutions, let us know!