An interview from Emerging Markets ESG
Five Questions about SRI – Weekly Expert Interview with Søren Bertelsen, CFA, Chief Portfolio Manager, BI SICAV Global Emerging Markets Debt SRI, Denmark – June 24, 2011
By Geoffrey on June 23, 2011
Each week Emerging Markets ESG publishes an interview entitled, “Five Questions about SRI.” The interview features a practitioner’s insights about SRI in emerging markets and through Emerging Markets ESG shares this expertise with a wide global audience. The goals of Five Questions about SRI are fourfold:
To reflect on what SRI in emerging markets means to practitioners; To collect a catalogue of examples of SRI in practice in emerging markets; To raise awareness about SRI in emerging markets; and To enable SRI practitioners in emerging markets to network with peers around the world. This week’s interview is with Søren Bertelsen, CFA, Chief Portfolio Manager, BI SICAV Global Emerging Markets Debt SRI, Denmark.
BankInvest (BI), founded in 1969, is an independent Danish asset manager, owned by 40 small- and medium-sized Danish banks. It was one of the first asset managers to invest in emerging markets corporate debt, in 2001. It is an affiliate member of Eurosif and a signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project. BI SICAV Global Emerging Markets Debt SRI invests in corporate bonds in emerging markets. Its strategy is to create alpha by avoiding structurally weak countries and focus on companies with a strong strategic position, good corporate governance and strong cash flows. More than half of the portfolio is investment grade. Based in Singapore, Søren Bertelsen is responsible for corporate bonds in the emerging market fixed income portfolios. He heads a team of three who manages the fund. Søren Bertelsen joined BankInvest in 2000. Before joining BankInvest, he was a portfolio manager at Danske Capital responsible for equity investments in Latin America for eight years. He is a member of the education committee of the Danish Society of Financial Analysts. He is a CFA and holds a M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration.