In this new episode of Sustainable Views, Desiree talks to Silvia Pavoni, your host, about how sustainable finance should change to actually be sustainable – and avoid misleading investors. 

She also shares her views on regulators’ role in this area (she’s not a fan of the EU’s sustainable finance disclosure rules, which she says are a “train wreck”); and calls on companies to build solid ESG expertise internally, rather than outsourcing the work – and the responsibility – to consultants.

Desiree also gives advice on how to tackle greenwashing within companies, and how to deal with life as a whistleblower.

The truth path to ESG enlightenment is not paved with positive intentions but must be drilled home by the threat of meaningful punishment. That is the view of ESG expert Desiree Fixler, who oversee the sustainability efforts at DWS before being ousted and ultimately outlining what she saw as misaligned or misguided industry standards around sustainable investing.

In this special episode, Desiree, who now works for non-profit group VentureESG, casts a critical eye over the world of ESG investing and looks at the most common mistakes investors and companies alike are falling into. We also hear from Jamie Catherwood on a historic treasure hunt that left investors more underwater than the precious jewels they were seeking.

In the first episode, IFA directors and other industry pioneers, including ESG whistleblower Desiree Fixler and SRI Services’ Julia Dreblow, share what it was like getting into ESG decades ago when the number of ESG funds ‘could be counted on one hand’.

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They share personal accounts of how the industry has changed and how this has led clients to be more curious than ever about ESG.

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Where does the reality of sustainable investment end, and where does the hyperbole begin?

Desiree Fixler, is a tough, no-nonsense New York investment banker. She sprang into the headlines when she blew the whistle on what she saw as exaggerated ESG claims.

With the meteoric rise in net-zero commitments and “green” capital raises by corporations and financial institutions, investors and consumers are wondering if these statements are credible. Do “green” labels actually accelerate the flow of capital to companies and projects seeking to improve our climate future?

In this episode, Chad Reed sits down with Desiree Fixler (former chief sustainability officer at DWS), Tim Mohin (chief sustainability officer at Persefoni), and Erik Becker (senior vice president of corporate development at Arcadia) at the GreenFin22 Conference in New York City to discuss why “green” financial products and labels are ineffective and why actually counting carbon levels the playing field for investors and consumers alike.

Desiree Fixler was a high-flyer in the world of finance until she raised questions about whether sustainable investing is living up to its promise. Her decision to speak out had huge consequences

Jüngstes Beispiel: die Deutsche-Bank-Tochter DWS. Deutschlands größter Vermögensverwalter soll Anlageprodukte als nachhaltiger ausgewiesen haben, als sie tatsächlich waren. Inzwischen ermitteln die Behörden wegen Verdachts auf Anlagebetrug. Ist die DWS ein Einzelfall?

Greenwashing ist in vielen Wirtschaftszweigen verankert, so auch im Finanzsektor. Im Interview spricht Desiree Fixler, ehemalige Nachhaltigkeitschefin der DWS, über fehlende Standards in der Branche, die Glaubwürdigkeit ihres alten Arbeitgebers und dringend benötigte Skepsis.

In this episode of our Breaking the Fever podcast, we speak with Desiree Fixler about her time at DWS and her experience as a whistleblower, as well as the evolution of Wall Street culture over two decades, and being a woman in finance.

Desiree Fixler was formerly the group sustainability officer at German asset manager DWS. But after accusing DWS of publishing misleading information about its ESG integration and assets, she was fired.

In this interview, Fixler shares her story, unpicks common issues within the ESG investment universe, and calls for a reform of how sustainability is regulated.

In this episode of our Breaking the Fever podcast, we speak with Desiree Fixler about her time at DWS and her experience as a whistleblower, as well as the evolution of Wall Street culture over two decades, and being a woman in finance.

Last week authorities raided the offices of Germany’s top asset manager DWS Group and its majority owner Deutsche Bank. The raid was spurred by allegations of greenwashing. That is, that DWS had made misleading claims about how sustainable or “green” some of its financial products were. DWS says it denies those allegations and has cooperated with regulators and authorities, but this move has prompted a larger reckoning throughout the financial industry.   

At the centre of much of this is former DWS sustainability officer Desiree Fixler. In this week’s episode we hear from the whistleblower herself, and explore her allegations about her time at DWS. The FT’s Patrick Temple-West also explains what this moment means for the future of environmental, social and governance or ESG investing.  

"I started doing Google searches- 'is there life after whistleblowing?'"

Desiree is the former Chief Sustainability Officer for financial giant DWS, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. Desiree's allegations of greenwashing against her former company led to regulatory investigations on both sides of the Atlantic and a reassessment of how the financial services industry conducts its business. Desiree's life changed, and she soon went from being a woman on an upward career trajectory to being best known as a whistle-blower.