SEB is a pioneer in sustainable financing
SEB enjoys a top ranking among all Swedish banks in the “Business” category among young professionals. Fredrik von Platen, who works with Sustainable Finance, explains here what attracted him to SEB.
Fredrik von Platen’s career in sustainable finance began while he was working for Nasdaq, where he created the world’s first marketplace for green bonds. Today, five years later, he is a Sustainable Finance Specialist at SEB (since January), an employer he long had his eye on.
“SEB is a pioneer in the market for sustainable finance and served as adviser to the World Bank when it issued its first green bond 2007/2008,” von Platen notes. “I find it exciting to work in an organisation that has a breadth and depth of knowledge in my area of expertise.”
Long-term perspective and innovation
As a Sustainable Finance Specialist, von Platen serves as an adviser to companies seeking to finance environmentally conscious initiatives with green bonds and sustainable finance solutions. His department, Debt Capital Markets, is based at SEB’s head offices at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm. Von Platen appreciates that SEB is an owner-led company, which he feels gives the organisation a soul.
“Our chairman works in the same building, and I think it means a lot for a company and its culture to have an owner that genuinely cares about what happens with the organisation from a long-term perspective,”
Through the ages this long-term ownership has proved to be one of several drivers of the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation focus that exists within SEB.”
A new economy
Von Platen also thinks that it is this strong culture that has contributed to SEB taking on the challenge to get more companies to focus on sustainability.
“Sustainable financing is not transaction-driven; rather, it’s about us moving toward a better future. Since green bonds are a relatively young market, there are many opportunities for us employees to be creative and come with new ideas. Every time I am in a dialogue with a company I have the opportunity to influence development of the market going forward, to set a new, good example, and to elevate the quality of what is being done.”