2019 Innovator: John Streur

“In the investment industry, we have the ability to know almost more than we can fathom,” said John Streur, president and CEO of Calvert Research and Management, formerly known as Calvert Investments. “The ability to harness new sources and forms of information is a tremendous opportunity for us to strengthen what we can do for clients.” 

Making the most of data has been a particular strength for Mr. Streur for the past 30 years, as he developed special expertise in investing that integrates environmental, social and governance factors.

In his four years at Calvert, he has instituted several innovations, including:

• A robust research system that pulls in thousands of ESG indicators from corporations.

• A process of building models to evaluate the data from multiple perspectives.

• The provision of profound insights to companies to drive positive change at more in-depth levels.

With what Mr. Streur calls the largest and most diverse set of data of any organization in the ESG space, he wants Calvert to set the standard for how asset managers think about ESG information. He believes a detailed, research-based format also will enable mainstream investors to say, “This makes sense to me.”

Mr. Streur also developed the Calvert Principles for Responsible Investing, based on his theory that global norms are working in a predictable manner.

“We want to bring values that the majority of the world is marching toward, such as reducing inequality in all forms,” he said.