Taking inspiration from action – how investors are responding to a new global order

What does it take for investors to turn stewardship and system-level thinking into real-world impact?

As a three-time judge for the PRI Awards, which celebrate leadership and innovation across the investment ecosystem, Clare Hierons, Head of Finance & Capital Markets, shares her perspective on how responsible investment has evolved. This year’s 139+ entries, spanning climate, nature, human rights, stewardship, and communication, reveal growing sophistication and ambition. In her piece below, Clare dives deeper into her experience judging the ‘Innovation in Systems Stewardship’ category and highlights the entries that impressed her most.

Watch the video to hear Clare's reflections on the evolution of responsible investment

This was my third year as a judge of the annual PRI Awards. I was allocated the ‘Innovation in Systems Stewardship’ category, which looks for ways that investors can create long-term value and act to protect the economic, social and environmental systems in which their investments exist. I was stunned by the level of ambition in the entries this year and by how many regions of the world were represented. Here are some of my takeaways:

1. Investors are not just committed to sustainability; they're getting more sophisticated

This year’s awards reflected a clear trend: investors are not just committing to environmental, social, and governance principles —they are doing so with ever-greater sophistication. Over 30 shortlisted entries across six categories indicate both broad adoption and depth of engagement. PRI Awards 2025: Winners and shortlist | PRI Web Page | PRI

Standout examples include:

• MSCI, the data and index provider, claimed the Recognition for Action – Climate award for its GeoSpatial Asset Intelligence tool, which harnesses remote-sensing data to measure climate exposure at scale.
• Summa Equity secured Innovation in Responsible Investment Strategy by integrating sustainability with impact-driven value creation frameworks.

These winners underscore a shift beyond policies into data-rich, strategy-led, and outcome-focused investment—a hallmark of maturity in sustainable investing.

2. Game-changing innovation from the Global South

This year's awards spotlighted the Global South as a hotbed of innovative solutions. For example:

• The Special Award – Emerging Markets was captured by Summit Africa, which operates impact-driven private equity across Southern Africa.

This recognition goes far beyond token inclusion; it demonstrates that groundbreaking, scalable ESG innovations are flourishing outside traditional financial centres, and that investors are eager to recognise and support this emerging talent.

3. Collaboration is still key

Collaborative efforts have faced criticism recently, but the result has been a genuine shift from commitment to action – investors are working together to drive systemic change. It’s quieter, but it’s still happening. For example:

• People’s Pension secured the Innovation in System Stewardship award for both the foundation of the collaborative Asset Owner Statement on Climate Stewardship and the reallocation of £20 billion AUM to improve climate outcomes

Why this matters

The convergence of these three themes reveals a powerful story:

1. Sophistication: ESG is no longer a buzzword—it is being operationalised through data-driven tools and investment frameworks.
2. Global South momentum: Innovation ecosystems in emerging economies are producing impactful and investable ESG solutions that command global attention.
3. Collaboration is key: Times are tough, but opportunity is still out there, and collaborative efforts allow pioneers to derisk experimentation and share the load.

Responsible investment can be a challenge when economic times are tough, but sophisticated tools, emerging-market breakthroughs, and impact-focused collaborations are inspiringly at odds with this view, and the 2025 PRI Awards show that we are entering a new phase of strategic maturity and inclusivity.