Gray has also invested in SustainEnable (Pty) Ltd, the holding company which currently owns 100% of Standards & Legal. He will be working with management on Standards & Legal's expansionary plans, including its ambitious plans for Libryo, the company's technology platform.
Gray has spent the last 16 years working at Investec Asset Management in various roles, but ultimately as the global head of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG). Increasingly ESG factors are growing in importance both for corporates and for their shareholders. Good ESG performance by companies is being recognised as a material element in sustainable financial outperformance.
"Malcolm is one of the fathers of ESG in South Africa, having pioneered ESG in the asset management industry, long before it was even called ESG by the industry," says Peter Flynn, managing director of Standards & Legal. "We are delighted to have him both as an investor and as a colleague, and are confident that his input will assist us develop and strengthen our business, through increased product and service innovation for our customers."
Gray was part of the working group that drafted Regulation 28 to the Pension Funds Act of South Africa, specifically the preamble which provides a world-leading ESG focus for pension funds. "His ESG financial expertise complements the existing strengths of the company's multidisciplinary team, which already has experts in the domains of law, science and technology," says Garth Watson, head of ESG Legal at the company.
"We are excited about the future of Standards & Legal, as we focus on bolstering our existing platform to become the ESG platform of choice for operations physically located on the African continent and their investors," says Flynn. "Having Malcolm on board significantly strengthens our ability to execute on our strategy. We are also excited about the potential growth of many other applications for Libryo, around the world."
"Standards & Legal demonstrate a wonderful blend of young and smart thinkers with a powerful technology solution, seeking to help companies understand and meet their environmental and social obligations," says Gray. "I am excited to be part of this team as we look to take our business to the next level."
