Part 3: Experience Counts and a History of Synergy

Special Three-Part Series

In the third part of an interview with the Calamos Sustainable Equities Team, Tony Tursich, Jim Madden, and Beth Williamson recall how they came together two decades ago and evolved into an enduring team through a shared belief in the business case for sustainability in investing and a desire to achieve excellence and outperformance.

Read Part 1 of the interview addressing the team's common-sense approach to macro factors.

Read Part 2 of the interview discussing the financial and nonfinancial components of an investment approach to identify leading companies.

1. Your history in sustainable investing puts you at the forefront of the asset class. What sparked your interest in ESG investing so long ago?

   It has always been about making money and generating returns. ESG is the business case for sustainable corporate behavior. We realized the way a company interacts with the environment, the community where it operates, its supply chain, its employees, shareholders, and society at large matters. Companies that make continual progress in these purviews create a competitive advantage that we believe will ultimately be reflected in their financial statements and stock prices. Companies that are focused on the long term, not just meeting this year’s earnings guidance, can mitigate negative externalities, gain efficiencies, attract talent and capital, and outperform their peers, in our view.

2. What underpins your conviction in this approach?

   When we started managing a fund in 1999, we knew we needed an edge. Many smart people and many computers were trying to outperform the market, and we needed something that would allow us to compete successfully. The fact that not too many investors were identifying material nonfinancial information and using it in their investment process was our edge. Our conviction comes from seeing the returns our consistently applied approach has generated over 20-odd years.

3. To what do you attribute your team’s longevity?

   We’re a great team because we have a shared belief in the business case for sustainability in investing and a desire for excellence and outperformance. We have mutual respect for one another’s viewpoints and work ethic. Confidence and trust are not built overnight. They are earned over time. We have confidence and trust in our teammates, and we generally like each other. We are colleagues and friends.

4. Why did you choose Calamos?

   Calamos was looking for the same things we had our sights on: an authentic team with a good track record. We were looking for a company with the resources—distribution, marketing, trading and other operational resources—that would allow us to spend more time doing what we love—investing in sustainable businesses for the shareholders. From our point of view, it’s been better than expected.

About the Portfolio Managers

Jim Madden, CFA; Tony Tursich, CFA; and Beth Williamson manage the Calamos sustainable equities suite, including Calamos Antetokounmpo Global Sustainable Equities ETF (SROI) and Calamos Antetokounmpo Sustainable Equities Fund (SROIX), as well as separately managed portfolios. Our team has been at the forefront of sustainable investing since 1997 and launched one of the first fossil-fuel-free funds in the United States. Prior to Calamos Investments, Jim, Tony, and Beth were portfolio managers for the Trillium ESG Global Equity Fund Retail (PORTX).

Perspectives on Innovation

• Why “Net Zero” Wins over “Carbon Neutral”
• Sustainable Building Trends Drive Investment Opportunity
• Biodiversity is Abuzz
• Stock Exchanges, A Catalyst for Improved Transparency
• Sustainable Commodities
• The China Conundrum
• We are Bullish on Energy