Necessity prompts innovation: AI and the energy transition with Wendy Cromwell
In the latest episode of The Astute Investor, LGT Wealth Management's Head of Sustainable Investment Tessa Volkmer speaks with Wendy Cromwell, Vice Chair and Head of Sustainable Investment at Wellington Management.
Wendy has spent 30 years at Wellington, where she sets the research agenda and strategy for the firm’s sustainable investment practice, including impact, climate and long-term engagement strategies. She also serves as a director on the board of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. Earlier in her career, she led Wellington's Global Multi-Asset Strategies group, and that investment-led perspective continues to shape how she approaches sustainable investing today.
In this episode, Tessa and Wendy discuss the structural forces reshaping energy markets and the investment opportunities emerging from them. They discuss AI's complex relationship with the energy transition, why the most interesting opportunities may lie beyond the obvious names, and how economics, more than policy ambition, tends to determine whether large-scale transitions actually succeed.
The conversation also explores China's dual role as the world's largest emitter and dominant force in clean energy supply chains, the case for paying more attention to climate adaptation, and how the global shift toward national resilience and energy security is reshaping investment opportunities across regions.
26 Aug 2026
A macro muse: from Australia’s missing reform agenda to global rates and AI
In the latest episode of The Astute Investor, LGT Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Officer, Scott Haslem speaks with Stephen Miller, one of Australia’s longest serving economists and investors.
Stephen spent his early years in Canberra, including a stint as the Private Secretary to the Treasurer, the Hon Paul Keating MP. After this, he embarked on a long career at Bankers Trust (both in New York and Sydney) and BlackRock in Australia where he was a Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income, before joining GSFM Funds Management as an adviser in 2018.
Scott and Stephen embark on a wide-ranging macro discussion beginning with Stephen’s early career then springboarding into the state of politics in Australia today. In particular, Steve bemoans the lack of a reform agenda in Australia, the cost to our standard of living, and the seeming unwillingness of today’s politicians from both sides of politics to prosecute the case for reform.
The two then discuss the outlook for global rates and the return to normal yields (as well as Australia’s high inflation challenge associated with our poor productivity). Stephen highlights key themes such as climate change, artificial intelligence (AI) and ageing populations as some of the global megatrends that are adding to the challenge of calling markets today.
Given Stephen’s background in fixed income, we hear from him on how to best use bonds in today’s portfolios. We look at the economic outlook overall, and end with a note to young students of economics who are embarking on their careers.
29 Jul 2026
The backbone of Main Street: opportunities in asset-based finance
In the latest episode of The Astute Investor, LGT Wealth Management’s Senior Investment Analyst Darragh Kennelly speaks with Nicole Drapkin of global alternatives asset manager Blue Owl.
Nicole is a Senior Managing Director and part of Blue Owl’s credit investment team. She is also a Portfolio Manager and a member of the investment committee for Blue Owl’s credit strategy, and has over 25 years of experience in the industry.
In this episode, we define asset-based finance and explore its growing role in portfolios. Drapkin explains how financing everyday economic activity – from mortgages and credit cards to aircraft and small business finance – presents an opportunity for investors. As such, asset-based finance offers exposure to different parts of the economy than direct lending, at a time when banks are stepping back from some lending markets.
Nicole discusses the potential benefits of asset-based finance, which can include income, diversification and shorter-duration structures, and explains why data and careful underwriting are critical to managing risk. The episode offers a clear introduction to a fast-growing area of private credit and why it is attracting attention from investors seeking new sources of income and diversification.
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