Expansion of ESG strategy into new marketplace supports sustainability efforts of Nasdaq´s corporate clients

STOCKHOLM, June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) today announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Puro.earth, a leading marketplace for carbon removal. Puro.earth is the world´s first marketplace to offer industrial carbon removal instruments that are verifiable and tradable through an open, online platform. The platform already provides carbon removal services to some of the world’s leading corporations, including Microsoft and SEB.

The partnership with Puro.earth will scale the marketplace to address a growing demand for carbon removal by corporations, as well as enable new carbon removal methodologies as technology evolves. The addition of Puro.earth’s marketplace capabilities to Nasdaq’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-focused technologies and workflow solutions gives Nasdaq’s corporate...

Working through a pandemic has meant that employees and organizations have had to grapple with both professional and personal adjustments. As we highlight health and wellness this month, we connected with a few thought leaders who are experts on guiding organizations through times of change, coping with uncertainty and maintaining performance.

Last year, we sat down with Brad Stulberg, writer and performance coach, to weigh in on staying connected from afar. Stuberg is an expert on all things health, wellness and mastery of capabilities that transcends domains. He has written "Do It Better," his popular column with Outside Magazine, as well as essays and articles for other leading outlets such as The New York Times, Wired, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and more.

How has being socially distant affected our ability to stay connected as a society?

In some ways, it has diminished it vastly. In other ways,...

Despite wearing many hats – not least tech entrepreneur, real estate investor, nurse practitioner and author of children’s books – Dr. Irene Okoronkwo-Obika was one of them.

The CEO and Co-founder of Afrinanny reveals that, while she was elated at being selected for the invitation-only Mentorship Circle program at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, she was also plagued by self-doubt.

“I felt my company was too early on to be among seasoned entrepreneurs,” says the Texan native. “But I felt welcomed and eventually settled in with the help of the program.”

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Board Chair, President of the National Council of Negro Women and Dean of the Herndon Directors Institute, discusses advancing board diversity, the importance of education and advice for women pursuing a path to leadership.

Mar 30, 2021

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we speak with members and leaders of our APAN (Asian Professionals at Nasdaq) employee resource group (ERG) to learn more about their roles at Nasdaq, the impact they drive every day and how other groups can be allies to the Asian community at large. We spoke with Taiwai Yun, a motion graphics designer at Nasdaq.

What is your role at Nasdaq and what does it entail? 

As a motion graphics designer on the marketing team, my primary responsibility is the creative that goes on the Tower and Marquee signs at MarketSite in Times Square. I work closely with the events, broadcast, wall ops and listings teams to facilitate our IPO and bell clients.

What role do you serve within APAN and why did you decide to take on this leadership role?

Working through a pandemic has meant that employees and organizations have had to grapple with both professional and personal adjustments. As we highlight health and wellness this month, we connected with a few thought leaders who are experts on guiding organizations through times of change, coping with uncertainty and maintaining performance.

We spoke with Morra Aarons-Mele, host of The Anxious Achiever podcast by Harvard Business Review and owner of Women Online, to hear more about what makes a good leader in a time of transition. Read her work on leading through anxiety in Harvard Business Review.

What have we learned makes a great leader in times of crisis?

I think a great leader feels and acknowledges the feelings that people are having while making sure people feel held and contained. A great leader doesn't pretend like everything is fine. A great leader doesn't act like they are immune...

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we speak with members and leaders of our APAN (Asian Professionals at Nasdaq) employee resource group (ERG) to learn more about their roles at Nasdaq, the impact they drive every day and how other groups can be allies to the Asian community at large. We spoke with Santosh Bharadwaj Rangavajjula, senior QA analyst at Nasdaq.

Can you please tell us about your role at Nasdaq?

Quality is central to my role at Nasdaq. I work towards implementing tools, methods and processes to keep our systems up and running in their intended way.

Why did you decide to join APAN? What will you hope to take away and bring to the community?

I wanted to get to know about the Asian community at Nasdaq. I hope to actively engage with the community, bring good vibes, voice my views and get guidance from the community.

Lori Keith of Parnassus, Shelly Heier of Verus, Carlo Funk of State Street, Stuart Dalheim of Calvert, and Paul Yett of Hamilton Lane gathered last week for a virtual panel hosted by Nasdaq’s CFO Ann Dennison to discuss transformative trends shaping ESG investing in 2021 and beyond. 

Below, Ahad Minhas of Nasdaq Corporate Platforms expands on key trends and topics from the panel.

Key Takeaways For Corporates To Consider

Marcel Benson knows a thing or two about that.

Unhappy at work, Marcel decided to quit his high-flying consulting job on the spot, which resulted in the immediate breakdown of the relationship with his live-in girlfriend and the eventual loss of his home.

But he gained something priceless in the process: the knowledge that he was somehow on the right path. His intuition told him so. 

Marcel’s abandonment of a promising consulting career  was fueled by an unshakable belief that “time should be spent doing what you love.”

And Marcel has loved watches ever since he was a child.

Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and the first woman governor of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1947. Nicknamed the “Nightingale of India” due to her music and poetry, Naidu started college at the age of 12 and graduated by age 19. Naidu also played a notable role in the Indian Independence Movement, which sought to separate India from British rule. She lectured on issues surrounding emancipation, female empowerment and social welfare.

In 1971, Nasdaq transformed the financial markets with the introduction of the world’s first electronic stock market, which eliminated the need for a trading floor and in-person trading. 50 years later, it is the world’s largest electronic stock exchange, and the second-largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization. Nasdaq is not only home to trillion-dollar companies, but is also a name which symbolizes innovation, growth, diversity, and global appeal.

The universe of companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market is best represented by the Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP). Here’s a look at the Nasdaq Composite, and how to invest in it.

Who's in the Nasdaq Composite?

The Nasdaq Composite Index, popularly referred to as ‘The Nasdaq’ by the media, covers more than 3,000 stocks, all of which are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Nasdaq Composite is as old as the exchange and is different from another popular...

The 2020s are shaping up to be a transformative era of impact. Increasingly, investors, markets, employees, and customers view environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and priorities as being essential to a company’s long-term success and viability. Companies that overlook the growing importance of ESG may leave themselves open to serious financial, operational, and reputational risks.

“More than ever before, ESG is becoming central to corporate strategy,” said Adena Friedman, president and CEO of Nasdaq. “One of the primary factors is the realization that climate change and other social dynamics are now significant threats in a company’s overall risk management strategy.” 

But ESG can be complex to navigate. Corporations, issuers, asset managers, and investors have different ESG requirements. Multiple standards and ratings organizations provide overlapping and sometimes conflicting information. 

...

Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and the first woman governor of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1947. Nicknamed the “Nightingale of India” due to her music and poetry, Naidu started college at the age of 12 and graduated by age 19. Naidu also played a notable role in the Indian Independence Movement, which sought to separate India from British rule. She lectured on issues surrounding emancipation, female empowerment and social welfare.

Leaders and CEOs have a uniquely challenging opportunity to lead their employees through this crisis by imparting the right information that will help inspire people to feel hopeful that positive change will come. Optimism is sometimes what separates those who are anxious and depressed from those who are able to persevere and make it to better days ahead, unscathed.

Since the global historical events of 2020, organizations have been tasked with pivoting strategies to meet stakeholders’ needs. The new era of corporate governance requires adaptation to complexities driven by the pandemic, social justice movements, and economic changes. In their efforts to achieve excellence, organizations—and their boards and management teams—should consider focusing on seven key areas of corporate governance.

Leaders model behavior and inspire others to emulate them in their personal lives and on a bigger scale. Just as we have a choice to do the right thing in our personal lives, business leaders have that choice at work. Many strive to be people of good character in all aspects of their lives. But, what does it really mean to be a person of good character? Or, from a business perspective, a company of character? If character is the critical component of ethical leadership, how do we cultivate it in ourselves and in our organizations? In this episode, Gautam Mukunda speaks with the Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point and Soldier’s Medal recipient, Col. Everett Spain and the legendary former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi about how today’s leaders can model courage to do the right thing. “The character of a corporation is not the personality. The character of a corporation is the integrity and morality of...

Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and the first woman governor of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1947. Nicknamed the “Nightingale of India” due to her music and poetry, Naidu started college at the age of 12 and graduated by age 19. Naidu also played a notable role in the Indian Independence Movement, which sought to separate India from British rule. She lectured on issues surrounding emancipation, female empowerment and social welfare.