Some voices of our employees

I started my career at SAM Research as an intern, working towards the completion of my master's thesis on the relationship between corporate sustainability performance and a wide range of corporate financial performance metrics. I then accepted a full-time position as an equity analyst. Initially, I generally worked on how we integrate sustainability considerations into our fundamental valuation process, before focusing on actual equity analysis. For the past two years, I have been working in our Energy team together with two other equity analysts, covering renewables (except solar) and energy storage technologies.

What makes my job fun?

I greatly appreciate the diversity of my job here at SAM. On the one hand, I get to deal with companies' senior management teams on a daily basis, perform fundamental analysis and provide investment recommendations to our portfolio managers. On the other hand, I am required to continuously think about the sustainability issues that are likely to surface going forward and how these will impact the companies under my coverage. Lastly, in supporting our Sales department, I get to meet current and prospective clients, and better understand their needs. So there is an incredible diversity both in the tasks that I perform and the people I interact with, something I value hugely.

But the single most important factor that makes my job fun is the people I work with. In my view, this is really what makes SAM a special place. It is the people who create the working environment that is so unique to SAM, somewhat informal and yet highly professional. Seeing this level of dedication and professionalism from down-to-earth people is something that truly motivates me.

Why did I choose SAM?

SAM had been firmly on my radar screen for many years before I joined the firm, mainly because of its outstanding reputation in the sustainability arena. Once I had met a few people, toured the offices and got a feel for how they worked together, I knew this was a company I could stay with for many years. The question isn't "why choose SAM?", but rather "why not choose SAM?"

I joined SAM in 2007, a decision I haven't regretted for a single day. SAM was "the perfect fit" and came at a time when I was looking for a company managing assets in a sustainable manner. I studied economics and international management and very soon started to be engaged in sustainable investing. During my studies, I decided to write a thesis about sustainability investing as (i) I very much believed one can generate superior investment results for investors and (ii) I was certain that sustainable investing would become very popular and would definitely not be considered hype, but was rather a trend that is here to stay. SAM offered me the great opportunity to develop a network and deploy our business model in the Middle East and Asia. From my point of view, these regions definitely represent the most appealing markets around the globe. Whereas Europe has entered the stage of a preservation-driven market, Asia and the Middle East are still considered to be accumulation-driven markets. Could there be any better opportunity to conquer these foreign markets? As our activities have picked up pace over the last one and a half years, I was lucky enough to expand the team. We are now travelling to Asia and the Middle East on a frequent basis. In addition, we are leveraging our relationship with our Robeco colleagues in the regions in order to capture new business opportunities.

What makes my job fun?

The beauty about having joined SAM is definitely being part of a company that (i) offers innovative investment solutions, (ii) constantly develops new investment ideas, (iii) enjoys a well-recognised brand going far beyond our Swiss boundaries and (iv) stands for credibility, reliability, quality and sustainability. I enjoy travelling to Asia and the Middle East because encounters with new cultures enhance my experience. And even if one occasionally gets lost in translation, we will always find a common way forward. In addition, the fact that the appetite for sustainable investments and ideas remains high on the agenda in Asia definitely helps overcome some of the cutbacks on leisure time one faces when travelling across different time zones.

I enjoy working for SAM to the point where I consider the company to be my second family. We have more than 15 nationalities on board, which brings such a positive cultural spirit as I have never, ever experienced in any other company. SAM expects dedicated staff and expects us to act in an entrepreneurial manner - and that's exactly what I appreciate about this investment boutique. If you have a good idea, bring it up. While in some large organizations your ideas may get diluted, at SAM you can really make a difference as an individual.

Travelling, meeting people and getting to know different cultures, opportunities as well as challenges, most of all working for a company that lives up to its own values definitely give real satisfaction and lots of energy.

Why did I choose SAM?

During my studies, in particular during the time I wrote my thesis (Sustainable Investing - a Trend not a Hype), I learned to understand that one can manage assets in a sustainable way without losing out on performance. By joining SAM, I knew that I could deploy my expertise and therefore help SAM promote our capabilities to third parties in Asia and the Middle East in a reliable manner. I was, and still am, convinced that my personal goals were/are definitely in line with those of SAM. Working for a company that has asserted its role as a pioneer in sustainability investing by developing investment solutions was definitely the place where I wanted to be. As a result of my research, I was convinced the financial world would one day turn around and integrate sustainability criteria into its investment decision-making process. I am very proud to have become part of the SAM family, and I am even more proud to see that SAM is helping to reshape the financial industry in a responsible way. We are setting the benchmark with regard to sustainable investing, and it is encouraging to see that this field has attracted a lot of interest over the last couple of months.

I joined SAM in 2005 as Senior Portfolio Manager and have since then been responsible for running the Sustainable Global Active Fund and other actively managed institutional mandates. Throughout my studies and career, I was always fascinated by financial markets, in particular the more unconventional forces driving financial market returns. Because of my interests, I was looking for a company managing assets with a different approach from other mainstream players. SAM was simply the perfect fit.

What makes my job fun?

The fun part of my job is the challenges represented by investing in global equity markets every day. In my role as Senior Portfolio Manager, I am responsible for running sustainability equity portfolios. This task entails several interesting activities such as meeting analysts to discuss a companys investment case, constructing portfolios that meet clients' risk-return targets and using my judgment and expertise to make investment decisions. Of course, the ultimate goal is to ensure that clients optimally benefit from SAM's expertise in sustainability investing. Moreover, as a member of the Portfolio Management Team, I interact with other departments within SAM such as Marketing, Sales and, of course, with the Investment Team of SAM Research. Working together with this enlarged team also makes my job interesting and fun every day.

Why did I choose SAM?

I chose SAM for two reasons. First of all because I believe that investing in sustainability is a more complete approach. Valuing companies requires necessarily considering any long-term impact on company fundamentals driven by sustainability considerations such as environmental or social aspects. If we didn't do that, we would miss an important part of information. In addition, I chose SAM because it is at the forefront of sustainability investments - our products and our investment process are clear proof of this. SAM is a young company where you can easily put your ideas and talent to work while being in touch with people from different cultural and professional backgrounds. Moreover, because SAM is at the forefront of sustainability investing, it offers great opportunities to constantly challenge your personal know-how and expertise.