ATLAS Infrastructure: Best Climate Impact Responsible Investor UK 2021

ATLAS Infrastructure identifies the nexus of investment and climate change as a pressing world issue. The company was founded in 2017 by five partners and is majority owned and financially supported by Global Infrastructure Partners, a direct infrastructure investor with AUM of over $70bn. ATLAS Infrastructure accounts for the inevitable phasing-out of fossil fuels to mitigate the risk of stranded assets. The firm has long-term vision, assessing companies’ cashflow as well as regulatory and contractual considerations over the life of the asset. It splits its 13-person investment team — with more than 150 years of combined infrastructure investment experience — between London and Sydney offices, giving excellent coverage of global markets. The approach is to analyse the expected investment returns of each portfolio company against three climate-change policy scenarios: Base Case, Fast Transition and Delayed Action. Special emphasis is placed on energy transition and emissions reduction. ATLAS Infrastructure came to the attention of CFI.co in 2019, and since then has given the judging panel plenty of cause for further interest and study. The firm is a founding signatory of the IIGCC’s Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, and one of the world’s first asset managers to implement an investing framework aligned with the Paris Accord. Following its adoption of the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, ATLAS has constructed carbon emission profiles stretching out to 2050 for all the companies it covers, enabling it to construct a portfolio in line with the PAII. Recently it has onboarded two further advisory board members with climate and energy expertise. The CFI.co jury presents ATLAS Infrastructure — a repeat programme winner — with the 2021 Best Climate Impact Responsible Investor (UK) award.