Editor’s note: This article is part of a continuing series in which Paul Ellis, a well-known advisor and consultant on sustainable investing strategies, interviews industry professionals on the topics of millennials and sustainable investing. What follows is an interview with two industry experts: Sonya Dreizler Schinske is president and CEO of Protected Investors of America Inc., a full-service broker-dealer and an SEC registered investment advisor headquartered in San Francisco, and Bob Dreizler is a chartered financial consultant and a former chairman of PIA.
To read the first article in the series, click here: /news/the-wise-woman-and-the-millennial-23738.html
To read the second article in the series, click here: /news/millennials-leading-the-way-in-sustainable-investing-24019.html
To read the third article in the series, click here: /news/millennials-mainstreaming-impact-investing-24487.html
To read the fourth article in the series, click here: /news/an-sri-collaboration-across-generations-and-genders-24873.html
To read the fifth article in the series, click here: /news/like-minded-people-with-purpose-and-passion-25457.html
Paul: Sonya, I want to congratulate you for being chosen by InvestmentNews as a member of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2015, a distinction that honors millennial generation leaders in the financial services industry. The article mentions that you started an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) speaker series for advisors in your firm, Protected Investors of America (PIA) and other ESG advisors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tell us more.
Sonya: It’s a wonderful opportunity to have lunch, network with peers and share ideas. And we always hear from someone who has an ESG specialty they can share with the group.
Paul: Are all of the advisors at PIA comfortable with the fact that you, as the CEO, have an ESG focus?
Sonya: I think for the most part they are. The advisors know that I support everyone’s practices, even those not focused on ESG. They know this is one area of focus where my network can help to grow the firm, so they’re supportive of that.