Franklin Templeton’s specialist investment manager Martin Currie has launched its first social impact fund. The FTGF Martin Currie Improving Society Fund, categorised as Article 9, will invest in a concentrated portfolio of 20-35 companies globally that contribute to three impact pillars: improving well-being, improving inclusion and supporting a just transition to a sustainable economy. The fund’s investment team consists of Martin Currie’s Edinburgh-based Lauran Halpin, Portfolio Manager and Head of Impact Equities, and John Gilmore, Portfolio Manager, Impact Equities and Stewardship, Sustainability and Impact Specialist. David Sheasby, Head of the Stewardship, Sustainability and Impact team, will act as an advisor to the investment team. Halpin said: “Societal development objectives have historically been grossly underfunded and abandoned in some communities to focus on other important issues like climate change and Covid-19. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates there is a US$2.5 trillion annual funding gap in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is a significant opportunity to create impact at scale by investing in companies that are contributing to pressing societal needs like providing access to clean drinking water, healthcare and education as well as financing job re-skilling for working in a green economy.”
