Jon Hale: ESG Is a Paradigm Shift

<p><p>Our guest this week is Jon Hale, Morningstar's head of sustainability research. In that role, he directs our research into the environmental, social, and governance investing practices of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. An incisive analyst and writer, Hale authors the biweekly "Sustainability Matters" column on Morningstar.com. He's regularly quoted by the media on ESG matters and speaks often on sustainable investing at industry conferences and other events. Prior to assuming his current role, Hale held a number of other leadership positions in Morningstar's research and investment management divisions, most recently serving as head of manager research in North America. Hale, who holds the <span>Chartered Financial Analyst designation, </span>earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Oklahoma and his doctorate at Indiana University. We're pleased to have him as our guest.</p></p><p><p><strong>Background</strong><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-hale-516b2245/" target="_blank">Jon Hale bio</a> </p></p><p><p>"<a href="https://www.morningstar.com/collections/433/sustainability-matters">Sustainability Matters</a>" columns</p></p><p><p>Hale's "<a href="https://medium.com/the-esg-advisor" target="_blank">The ESG Advisor</a>" blog </p></p><p><p><strong>Morningstar's Approach to Assessing ESG</strong><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.morningstar.com/content/dam/marketing/shared/research/methodology/744156_Morningstar_Sustainability_Rating_for_Funds_Methodology.pdf" target="_blank">Morningstar Sustainability Rating methodology</a></p></p><p><p><a href="https://www.sustainalytics.com/" target="_blank">Sustainalytics</a> </p></p><p><p><strong>Investor Interest and Demand</strong><br /></p><p>"<span class="CMS__Document" title="961765">Sustainable Fund Flows in 2019 Smash Previous Records</span>," by Jon Hale, Morningstar.com, Jan. 10, 2020.</p></p><p><p>Morgan Stanley's "<a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/sustainable-investing-growing-interest-and-adoption.html">Sustai