#29 Leaders in Investment podcast: Rasmus Bessing, Co-Chief Investment Officer Responsible Investments and Investment Products, PFA

#29 Leaders in Investment podcast: Rasmus Bessing, Co-Chief Investment Officer Responsible Investments and Investment Products, PFA

From Leaders in Investment - IPE by IPE

May 28, 2026 · 28 min · Season 1 · Episode 29

About this episode

Rasmus Bessing discusses PFA's ESG framework for defence investments and the associated risks.

In conversation with Liam Kennedy, Editorial Director, IPE. In this episode of IPE’s Leaders in Investment, Rasmus Bessing, Co-Chief Investment Officer Responsible Investments and Investment Products and PFA – Denmark’s largest pension – discusses the fund’s decision to create an ESG framework to guide their investment in defence across asset classes. The conversation covers getting the combination right between risk/return and buying into Europe’s re-armament, focusing on the governance of defence sector investees to ensure weapons do not wind up in the wrong hand post-conflict and understanding the ESG and supply chain risks inherent in defence investment. “We don't consider defence a sustainable investment but we consider it a responsible investment.” In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content.  Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset…

People in this episode

Host: Liam Kennedy

Guest: Rasmus Bessing

Topics covered

  • ESG framework
  • defence investment
  • risk and return
  • governance
  • supply chain risks
  • responsible investment

Keywords

  • ESG
  • defence
  • investment
  • risk
  • return
  • governance
  • supply chain
  • responsible investment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PFA, IPE, IPE Real Assets

Places: Denmark

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