Team ASEAN Storm Resilience Fund Aims to Help Communities Withstand Extreme Weather Events in Southeast Asia; Wins 2018 Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge

LONDON, April 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in the U.S. today announced that ASEAN Storm Resilience Fund was named the winner of the 2018 Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge. Comprised of students from Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, the team was one of 12 finalist teams competing in the Challenge at Morgan Stanley’s London offices on Friday. The team proposed a storm resilience fund, with development impact bond enhancement feature, to allow investment in storm resistant structures to help communities withstand extreme weather events in Southeast Asia.

Now in its eighth year, the Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge is an annual global competition designed to inspire future leaders to innovate conventional financing vehicles – or even devise new ones – so as to better address environmental, social and governance problems. The 12 finalist teams were selected from 307 students at 65 schools across 34 countries.

“These proposals from students around the world demonstrate a breathtakingly bold ambition to tackle the toughest challenges we face as a global society. That passion is combined with an impressive level of sophistication about how private capital can help create positive change in the world alongside potentially attractive financial returns,” said Audrey Choi, Morgan Stanley’s Chief Sustainability Officer and CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Investing. “We believe these students represent the future of finance. They continue to inspire us and we look forward to what they will accomplish in the future.”

The winning team consisted of Mayoying He, Felicia Shaw and Teng Kai Loh. This year’s runner-up was Resilient Infrastructure Swap Exchange (RISE), who proposed insurance-linked security with parametric triggers to mobilize investment and increase liquidity for resilient infrastructure in Vietnam.

“This year’s finalist teams brought forward creative financial approaches to the most pressing issues of our time: climate change resilience, rural health, equity of opportunity and vulnerable communities worldwide,” said Megan Kashner, Clinical Assistant Professor & Director of Social Impact at Kellogg School of Management. “Today’s students are leading us towards action and solutions. We have but to follow.”

The Challenge seeks to identify the next generation of sustainable investing practitioners, connect emerging leaders with industry professionals, and foster greater emphasis on sustainable forms of finance at graduate schools around the world. More information on this year’s finalists and winner can be found on the Sustainable Investing Challenge website. You can also follow the conversation on social media with #SIChallenge.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 42 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. 

About the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing

The Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing maximizes capital to build a more sustainable future – seeking both competitive financial returns and positive social and environmental impact. The Institute is dedicated to accelerating mainstream adoption of sustainable investing by developing industry-leading insights and scalable finance solutions to address global challenges. For more information about the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, visit www.morganstanley.com/sustainableinvesting.

About Kellogg School of Management

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University develops brave leaders who inspire growth in people, organizations and markets. Based just outside of Chicago, the school is a global leader in management education, renowned for its distinctive thought leadership and pioneering approach to learning. Kellogg offers an innovative portfolio of programs: four Full-Time MBA programs including leading one-year program and joint degree programs with the engineering, law and medical schools; a Part-Time MBA Program; the premier Executive MBA global network; and extensive non-degree Executive Education programs. To learn more about Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, please visit http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu.

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