EDHEC Business School Professor Gianfranco Gianfrate Appointed Co-Chair of Sustainable Finance Research Alliance GRASFI
Written on 15 Sep 2023.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Gianfranco Gianfrate as Co-Chair of the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI). Professor Gianfrate shares this prestigious appointment with Director of the Centre for Sustainable Finance at SOAS, University of London, Professor Ulrich Volz. The appointment took place during the 6th Annual GRASFI Conference hosted by Yale University, which gathered over 200 researchers from across the globe last July.
GRASFI comprises 24 world-class research universities, including institutions such as Yale University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Zurich, and is dedicated to promoting rigorous and impactful academic research in sustainable finance and investment. EDHEC Business School joined the alliance in June 2020.
Professor Gianfrate, a renowned authority on internal carbon pricing, was previously a Director to the alliance. This new appointment celebrates his expertise and underscores EDHEC Business School's continued commitment to advancing research in the field of sustainable finance.
Professor Gianfrate expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment: "I am honoured to co-chair GRASFI, an organisation dedicated to fostering innovation and excellence in sustainable finance research. This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the global dialogue on sustainable finance, and I look forward to collaborating with colleagues from leading institutions worldwide."
Frédéric Ducoulombier, Director of EDHEC-Risk Climate, commented "Gianfranco's appointment as Co-Chair of GRASFI is a testament to his outstanding contributions to sustainable finance research and we look forward to supporting his agenda with emphasis on advancing understanding of climate issues by the financial industry."
Professor Rob Bauer, the founder and inaugural co-chair of GRASFI, and Professor of Finance and Holder of the Elverding Chair of Sustainable Business, Culture, and Corporate Regulation at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, said, “I am very pleased that two dedicated and complementary sustainable finance researchers take over our Co-Chair positions. I am confident they will guide GRASFI to the next step in its evolution. I wish them all the best in their new roles.“
Dr Ben Caldecott, the founder and inaugural co-chair of GRASFI, who is the Lombard Odier Associate Professor of Sustainable Finance and Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group at the University of Oxford said, “The alliance has gone from strength to strength over the last six years and it is a delight to hand over co-chairing to Gianfranco Gianfrate and Uli Volz. Their appointments as co-chairs highlights the importance GRASFI places on multi-disciplinarity, given their respective disciplinary interests and backgrounds. It underlines how sustainable finance speaks to a wide variety of topics and fields.”
About Gianfranco Gianfrate
Gianfranco Gianfrate is Professor of Finance at EDHEC Business School and Research Director at EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute. He writes and researches on topics related to innovation financing, corporate valuation, and climate change finance. Prior to joining EDHEC Business School, he held teaching and research positions at University of Cambridge (UK), Erasmus University (Netherlands), Harvard University (USA), and Bocconi University (Italy). Gianfranco also has extensive experience in the financial industry, having worked, among others, for Deloitte Corporate Finance (Italy), Hermes Investment Management (UK), and iStarter (UK). Gianfranco holds a BA and a PhD in Business Administration from Bocconi University and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University.
About GRASFI:
The Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (the ‘Alliance’) was founded in 2017 to promote multi-disciplinary academic research on sustainable finance and investment. The Alliance consists of global research universities, each with expertise in this emerging field.
The Alliance aims to: organise the major annual academic conference on sustainable finance and investment internationally; develop academic collaboration between researchers working on sustainable finance and investment; and nurture the growth and development of graduate students and junior academics working on sustainable finance and investment.
About EDHEC
Operating from campuses in Lille, Nice, Paris, London and Singapore, EDHEC is one of the world’s top 15 business schools. Fully international and directly connected to the business world, EDHEC commands a strong reputation for research excellence and the ability to train entrepreneurs and managers capable of breaking new ground. EDHEC functions as a genuine laboratory of ideas and produces innovative solutions valued by businesses. The School’s teaching is inspired by its research work and a focus on “learning by doing”, all with the aim of equipping people with the skills to succeed in business.
