Schulich School of Business and CIBC partner to establish Research Chair in Sustainable Finance

The Schulich School of Business and CIBC are partnering to produce next-generation research in the emerging field of sustainable finance. As a result of a $1.25-million commitment made by CIBC, the Schulich School of Business announced June 15 that it will establish a new research chair in sustainable finance.

The CIBC Chair in Sustainable Finance will pursue pioneering research that meets the growing sustainable investment needs of the financial sector. The Chair will also help bridge the gap between academia and industry in areas such as green energy transition, the low carbon economy, and the political, regulatory and governance challenges of a sustainable financial system.

Schulich is recognized internationally as a thought leader in the areas of sustainability and responsible business. The school is ranked among the top five business schools in the world in responsible business education, according to the latest survey conducted by Corporate Knights, and is home to the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business, one of the world’s largest and most influential academic centres dedicated to sustainability research and knowledge development. The new CIBC Chair will expand the school’s expertise in the emerging field of sustainable finance and bolster its leadership in the field.

“With new and intensifying environmental challenges, we recognize that the best path forward is working with stakeholders to enable solutions that shape a more sustainable future,” says Roman Dubczak, managing director and head, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets. “This partnership underscores our bank’s commitment to support clients in transitioning to the low-carbon economy while accelerating our actions aimed at addressing climate change.”

“The new CIBC Chair will undertake ground-breaking research that will help guide businesses and policy makers in their efforts to shift to a low-carbon economy,” says Detlev Zwick, dean of the Schulich School of Business. “The CIBC Chair will also address the unmet need for the education and training of industry practitioners in the rapidly growing field of sustainable finance.”

Schulich will undertake a full, international search for the new chairholder, who will be a leading researcher in this fast-changing and prominent new field. The Chair will add cutting-edge thinking and teaching, while also contributing to the school through a combination of teaching, research, program development and outreach.