Making sense of CSP one text at a time — the first attempt

Welcome to CSP’s freshly launched Medium site!

As this page, I am a new addition to the CSP team. Despite being a CSP freshman, it is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to this platform where we will be making our work visible and our insights available. This is a playground I am to manage, hence, it is only reasonable for me to introduce you to what is coming.

I joined the team of the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth exactly a month ago. I moved to Zurich from Geneva, where I worked in a humanitarian data initiative. My work revolved around making the information created by the organization available to various stakeholders, who would use the data to make informed decisions. Prior to that, I worked in peacebuilding and journalism.

The years spent in modern offices, newsrooms, and behind the camera left me with little doubts about questions regarding inequality, suffering, and the asymmetry of power. The world is unequal. Suffering seemingly unending. The ones with the power to steer the world towards the better often refuse to do so.

At the same time, those very same experiences made it clear to me that information, visibility, and knowledge are part of the solution — but they are not ends themselves. They are means to the ends. Knowledge is only worthwhile when it leads to action and alters behavior. Something that I noticed while listening to stories in refugee camps and government press rooms, was that some of the most desperately needed actions are those related to capital. Be it the prioritization of a humanitarian crisis, legislation enabling refugees to make a living or free HIV medication, many life-changing decisions involve money. Yes, I am cutting corners here, but I hope you see what I mean.

This realization is — and the support of the CSP team — all relate to why I am here at CSP, starting a new Medium site. I have the goal of making the knowledge, insights, and work of CSP more visible, accessible, and understandable. This is an attempt to alter behavior and inform decision-making. In our case, decision-making related to sustainable finance.

I have created an editorial calendar that has inputs from the team on a weekly basis. We start the blog officially next week with an opening text from the Initiator and Managing Director of CSP, Falko Paetzold. Falko will be followed by insights from SOCAP and news about the 2019 edition of the Sustainable Investing Capabilities of Private Banks report. Other themes we plan to cover include art and impact, investor impact, and climate change.

Now, without further ado, I ask you to watch this space. I hope to make this site a place where you can come for answers, thoughts, and inspiration. And I hope that these, in turn, support you in using your role, position or place in life to make decisions that lead to impact.

More to follow!

Anna Tevahartiala
anna.tervahartiala@uzh.ch
Head of Communications
The Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth