The Sustainable Investing Challenge brings together future leaders seeking to help address today’s toughest sustainability issues through innovative financial solutions

Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University today announced that the BeeBank & Brokerage team was named the winner of the 2021 Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge. The team was one of 16 finalist teams competing in the virtual Challenge on Friday, April 9. The 16 finalists were selected from a field of 123 teams, composed of 414 students from 50 different countries. They represent 87 graduate schools, and their projects targeted impact in 33 countries.

The winning team of graduate students from University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit captivated the judges with their BeeBank & Brokerage proposal. The team presented their idea of pooling loans and contract assurance to help beekeepers scale operations and expand practices that drive biodiversity conservation.

Now in its eleventh year, the Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge is an annual global competition designed to inspire future leaders to develop innovative financial vehicles to help address critical social and environmental issues.

“Our finalist teams truly showcase the creativity of the next generation of sustainable investing talent,” said Matthew Slovik, Managing Director and Head of Global Sustainable Finance at Morgan Stanley. “The winning proposal by the BeeBank & Brokerage team is an excellent example of an innovative financial approach that is necessary to tackle today’s pressing social and environmental challenges.”

Finalists presented their proposals and took questions from a panel of judges over live video conference. After all teams presented, judges reconnected over a separate video call to determine the winner, first runner up and plastics winner.

In recognition of the Firm’s Plastic Waste Resolution, this year’s prize for the best student proposal focused on addressing plastic waste went to The European Circular Fund team from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Their proposal for a plastic packaging-focused cap-and-trade system designed to support a loan fund for waste collection, waste treatment and recycling companies within the EU.

The winning team, BeeBank & Brokerage, consisted of Noah Law, Dawn Musil, Emilé Radyté and Annabella Wainer from the United Kingdom, United States, Lithuania and United Kingdom, respectively.

This year’s runner-up was Fund for E-Bus Batteries from University of Edinburgh Business School and University of Edinburgh School of Engineering. The team proposed a leveraged fund financed by private equity and asset investors seeking to help accelerate the adoption of electric buses in The Netherlands, by creating a solution for second-life application of batteries.

“This year’s winning team inspires us to think about capital for impact in a creative way, and with true progress at the center of their concept,” said Megan Kashner, Director of Social Impact and Clinical Assistance Professor at the Kellogg School of Management. “This concept and the top student ideas demonstrate that these graduate students are impatient for and insistent on change and rapid progress for the benefit of people and the planet.”

The Challenge seeks to inspire the next generation of sustainable investing practitioners, connect emerging leaders with industry professionals, and foster greater emphasis on sustainable finance at graduate schools around the world. More information on this year’s winner and the finalists can be found on the Morgan Stanley website and by following 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 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/.

About The Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing

The Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing builds scalable finance solutions that seek to deliver competitive market rate returns while driving positive environmental and social impact. The Institute creates innovative financial products, thoughtful insights and capacity building programs that help maximize capital to create a more sustainable future. 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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