Sustainable finance technology solutions provider Arabesque announced a series of high-profile senior appointments today, including the addition of former Deutsche Bank CEO Jürgen Fitschen to the board of AI-based sustainability data and insights services provider Arabesque S-Ray. Additionally, the company has appointed former Allianz COO Dr Christof Mascher and Dr Lars Jaeger, the head of Alternative Risk Premia at GAM Systematic, to the Senior Advisor Committee of AI-based portfolio management tool provider Arabesque AI. "Arabesque is on a path to help transform finance and industry by the intelligent application of market-leading sustainability know-how and innovative technology. It's an approach based on the understanding that ESG and AI will re-shape the global marketplace over the next decade." "I am delighted to welcome Mr Fitschen, Dr Mascher and Dr Jaeger as new Senior Independent Advisors at Arabesque, all three of them global leaders in their field with exceptional careers. Their wealth of experience at the forefront of finance and digital transformation will be invaluable as we grow to become the leading sustainable technology company."

With the growth in sustainable investing, there's been a surge in data on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors over the past few years. Demand for ESG data is rising as asset managers look to incorporate ESG factors such as low-carbon emissions or gender diversity on boards into their investment analysis and decision-making processes. Fund managers, including BlackRock and Vanguard, are offering sustainable funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on sustainable indexes to capture assets from millennials and women. But the uptake has moved beyond specialty funds and has spread to pension funds, particularly in Europe, looking for long-term returns, reported Bloomberg Intelligence in April. "The financial cost of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and better disclosure is spurring uptake," wrote Bloomberg Intelligence in "Sustainable Investing Grows on Pensions, Millennials."

On a recent Saturday morning, my wife, Susan, and I slipped into the city to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a place we hadn't gone together since before our sons were born. The crowds hadn't yet descended and for an hour or so we wandered around and absorbed the cavernous hush of art. We separated for a bit, together but apart; while Susan roamed among the Manets and Van Goghs I slipped into a small side gallery, not much larger than a subway car, that held a series of glass cases with small bronze sculptures by Degas. There were a few busts and several horses in stride and the figure of a woman stretching, a small bronze rising to her feet and curling her left arm upward as if waking from a long nap. At the end of the gallery, in one long case, were two dozen ballerinas in various states of motion or repose.