Just,
Balanced
& Healthy
2022 | Rally Assets, Impact Investing, Private Research Intern
HANNAH MACRAE
Current Role: Senior Research Associate, ESG at Jarislowsky Fraser Global Investment Management
Hannah is a Senior Research Associate, ESG at Jarislowsky Fraser, Ltd., where she has worked since September 2023. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2023 with a Master of Science in Sustainability Management, where she published research focused on green bonds and energy retrofits. She has previous experience in impact investing at Rally Assets, and won the national 2023 RBC x Rotman Sustainable Finance Case Competition. Hannah also holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Ecology from the University of Guelph.
“My Good & Well internship was a transformative experience. As my first finance role, working at Rally Assets opened many professional doors, and provided an enriching and safe place to learn, ask questions, and pursue my interests. The Good & Well program as a whole allowed me to practice skills in networking, communicating, goal-setting, and many other skills that have been enduringly useful in both my professional and personal life. I also genuinely enjoyed the program, made friends, and looked forward to going to work every day!”
What drew Hannah to apply for a G&W internship was the opportunity to intern at Rally Assets. Having a science background, she was not only interested in trying out something very different from what she was used to… she was also driven by the desire (and a bit of stubbornness, according to her!) to prove wrong anyone who argued that her passion for sustainability had no place in a world molded by financial interests.
Her positive experience at Rally Assets solidified her desire to explore a career in finance. After completing the G&W internship program, she "doubled-down" on the financial component of her Master's in Sustainability Management, focusing her thesis on the use of green bonds and participating in the Rotman x RBC Sustainable Finance Competition (which her team won!).
Joining a more ‘traditional’ finance firm scared her: she did not want to land in a role where she would constantly have to argue with colleagues and stand her ground to ensure sustainability remained on the table. But two years in, she happily shared that ESG was at the very centre of her everyday work.
"When I interviewed, I was very upfront that I came to the sustainable finance world as a 'sustainability first' person, not a 'finance first' person."
Her colleagues and her participate in investment meetings where they bring forward their research and projections on any material ESG risks or potential benefits from the climate transition of specific investments. "It's very helpful to have someone around the table whose job is to look at things a different way. I try to remind myself that I am there specifically because of that; while I wish to understand the others' language, I must not forget that the reason why I was chosen for this role is specifically because I speak my own, different language [of sustainability]."
Hannah is particularly proud of some of her published articles:
The use of green bonds in financing energy retrofits in buildings (thesis)
Achieving deep-energy retrofits for households in energy poverty
Equity-based energy retrofits to address energy poverty in Canada
You can learn more about her time at Rally by looking at her recap below.
