Robert Walker

Feature News

Skills - the global currency of 21st century economies
Skills have become the global currency of 21st century economies. Without proper investment in skills, people languish on the margins of society, technological progress does not translate into economic growth, and countries can no longer compete in an increasingly knowledge-based global society.
Home Energy Management Market Will Surpass $2 Billion in by 2020
May 16, 2012 - Even as deployments of smart grid infrastructure have accelerated in recent years, the once hyped home energy management (HEM) market has struggled to gain traction.
Rethinking the role of government in cleantech
Is it time for a different tune when it comes to government involvement in cleantech, focusing more on enabling the private sector to deploy capital to assume risk in cleantech?
Is The World Ready For Your Innovation?
Our current retail system is set up to sell new products, which are used and then disposed of – very much a linear (and inefficient) process. The Closed Loop system implies that once products are used they can be reconditioned and brought back into the sales loop
Europe`s future depends on cities resilient to climate change
Around three quarters of Europeans live in cities. Most of Europe's wealth is generated in cities, and urban areas are particularly at risk due to climate change.

Robert Walker

Vice President of Environmental, Social & Governance Services & Ethical Funds, NEI Investments, Canada

Robert Walker is the Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Services for NEI Investments, an investment management company with approximately $5 billion in assets under management.

Working out of the Vancouver office, Robert leads a 10-person team responsible for implementing NEI's ESG Investing Program, a set of activities designed to enhance risk-adjusted returns to investors and contribute to the creation of long term sustainable value. Core elements of the program include corporate ESG performance evaluations, corporate engagement, and creating a public policy environment conducive to ESG investing and corporate sustainability.

A former executive director of the Social Investment Organization, Robert currently participates on the Boreal Leadership Council and has recently joined an Advisory Group for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers' Responsible Canadian Energy program. He speaks widely on the role of the investor in sustainable value creation and has participated in several United Nations, Government of Canada, and multi-stakeholder initiatives in support of enhanced ESG performance among publicly-traded corporations. The ESG Program at NEI has received numerous awards from both the investment industry and the world of sustainability. He has an undergraduate degree from McMaster University and graduate degrees from Dalhousie and the University of Toronto.