Suggestions
Matthew Sheppee
Sustainable Infrastructure Investments and Corporate Development at Octopus Investments
Matthew Sheppee is an experienced professional with a background in investment, corporate finance, and strategy.
He has a strong interest in sustainability and the circular economy.
Matthew studied Mathematics at the University of Oxford and is a CFA Charterholder from the CFA Institute.
His notable roles include Investment Manager positions at Octopus Investments, where he was involved in sustainable infrastructure, corporate development, and institutional funds.
He also worked as an Investment Manager at Octopus Energy Generation, an Associate at Ludgate Investments Ltd, an Associate at Oxara Energy Group, and an Analyst at Accenture.
Highlights
Q: Is the Circular Economy “investible” for institutional investors?
A: Yes!
As one of the four target sectors for the Octopus Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (OSIF), we think there are some great Circular Economy companies who are making a huge contribution to the UK’s net-zero objectives.
Green flags for us include: 🔲Proven recycling technologies 📓Feedstock contracts with waste producers or collectors who view the company as a trusted partner ♻Offtakers who value that the end product is recycled, rather than just seeing it as a commodity 🌟A top-quality management team who know their sector inside out 🚭Diverting waste from incineration and landfill
Red flags include: 🧠Overcomplicated technologies that have never worked at scale 🛢Volatile markets for the feedstock and end product 🚪Dependencies that gate fees will stay high 🐌Reliance on future legislation © Low barriers to entry 💄Tenuous net-zero credentials
I'd love to hear your ideas.
#circulareconomy #sustainableinfrastructure #sustainablefinance
So what do you mean by “sustainable infrastructure”?
I get asked this a lot. In a sentence: sustainable infrastructure systems are those that are designed, constructed, operated and decommissioned in a manner that delivers economic, social and environmental sustainability over the entire life cycle.
As an investment class, sustainability means: 🥊 Impact – investments that make the world a better place 🌍 Responsibility – companies’ values and culture are indicators of future growth 💪🏻 Resilience – sustainability issues that could affect the performance of an investment are identified and mitigated against
With classic infrastructure characteristics: 🧱 Asset-intensive 💰 Cash generative ⚓Inflation protection and low volatility
But some other ones too: 😎 Early mover advantage before any yield compression 🧠 Methods, IP and pipeline 🚢 Platform premium
What does sustainable infrastructure mean to you? #sustainableinfrastructure #sustainablefinance
