Dr Anna Young-Ferris is a Lecturer of Accounting at the University of Sydney Business School. Anna specialises in sustainability and climate change strategy, reporting and impact, combining two decades of academic and corporate experience. Her award-winning PhD study examined the integration of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) accounting information in mainstream investment decisions. Her research interest continues to lie at the intersection of sustainability/ESG data and its use in investment decision making as she considers that profit and purpose do not have to be mutually exclusive. One of her latest research projects examines how the disclosure of the financial impact of carbon risk affects analyst decisions. In addition to transforming investment practice, Anna is also passionate about transforming management education curricula from the single-minded pursuit of profit to advancing a more sustainable and responsible business mindset. To this end, she is undertaking scholarly research that draws on her leadership of the new Master of Commerce core unit Responsible Business Mindset (BUSS5220) unit that challenges Shareholder Primacy as the dominant mindset of business by exploring the emerging mindset of Responsible Business. Anna is also the Business School’s Academic Co-Lead for the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and leads the strategic integration of the SDGs into teaching, research, and organisational practices across the School.

Can ESG integration make investment responsible?
Study examines whether the integration of environmental, social, and governance ratings makes investment responsible.