Guy Gresham Joins SESAMm Advisory, Bolstering US Footprint
December 11, 2025
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5 mins read
SESAMm is pleased to welcome Guy Gresham to its Advisory Board. A globally recognized capital-markets strategist and former Group Head of Global Investor Relations Advisory at BNY, Guy brings more than two decades of experience in global financial services, specializing in equity capital markets, investor relations, and sustainability. Originally from New Zealand and now based in New York, he has deep expertise in regulatory compliance, ESG governance, and aligning global standards with business operations. His presence in North America will further strengthen SESAMm’s footprint in the U.S. market at a time of rapidly evolving expectations around sustainability and reputational risk.
"Guy’s experience advising companies across more than 50 countries, combined with his understanding of the North American market, brings a tremendous amount of insight and credibility,” said Sylvain Forté, CEO of SESAMm. “He has a remarkable ability to bridge sustainability, regulation, and capital-markets strategy, and we’re delighted to welcome him to our advisory board.”
During his time leading BNY’s Global Investor Relations Advisory group, Guy oversaw a global team supporting issuers across multiple markets and guided companies through major shifts in regulation, geopolitics, and capital markets expectations. As co-chair of BNY’s enterprise ESG Advisory Council and the Sustainable Client Solutions Working Group, he advised executive management on governance and regulatory requirements, embedding sustainability into core decision-making and risk management.
Today, Guy sits on the advisory committee of Sedex, a leading global supply-chain sustainability data platform, and serves as a non-executive director at Strategy&Ops, an international consultancy focused on sustainability and digital transformation. He holds an MBA from Cornell University, a BA (Hons) in International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington, and is a 2026 Digital Statecraft Fellow at Cambridge University.
“The growing convergence of sustainability, regulation, and technology is reshaping how companies engage with investors and manage risk,” said Guy Gresham. “SESAMm is at the forefront of this transition, using advanced AI to surface insights that were previously inaccessible. I’m delighted to support the team as they scale these capabilities globally.”
We’re thrilled to welcome Guy to SESAMm’s Advisory Board and look forward to working together as we continue advancing AI-powered ESG and reputational risk analysis worldwide, including expanding our partnerships and presence across North America.
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Summer is almost over for us in the northern hemisphere. (We know. It's sad for us, too.) And with this seasonal shift comes back-to-school and back-to-work activities, including taking a last-minute vacation. And vacations mean time for reading, right?
While they may not be beach reads, we think we have some great choices. These are the posts that have been most popular on SESAMm's blog in the past five months. Let's get started with SESAMm's most-read blog posts since this spring, starting with number 10.
Read this quick guide about what natural language processing is, how it’s used, why it's important to uncover financial alternative data. Bonus: Get an overview of how NLP works at SESAMm.
Review SESAMm's analysis based on its ready-to-use data streams, revealing red flags that support the decision to oust Tesla, Inc. from the S&P 500 ESG Index.
Watch CEO Sylvain Forté at Japan Investor Forum, discussing ESG data, its challenges, and how to use AI and NLP to generate insights on millions of companies.
See how we apply our NLP capabilities to identify companies likely to engage in greenwashing practices by analyzing text in billions of web-based articles.
Based on alternative data, discover how Elon Musk’s personal and related brands measure up to public sentiment following his failed acquisition of Twitter.
Discover why SESAMm’s data lake is ideal for investment research and other basics like what a data lake is, why it’s important, what it does, and how it works.
Learn how SESAMm’s AI and NLP platform is used to gain financial and ESG insights from alternative data for systematic trading, fundamental research, and more.
Learn what SESAMm’s Knowledge Graph is, what it does, and how it’s used in text analysis for financial research, such as in private equity and hedge funds.
Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company and SESAMm work together to predict stock price movements using NLP-generated data from news and social media.
Thank you for reading through our Summer Roundup: the 10 most-read blog posts this year.
Which is your favorite? How would you rate these posts? Let us know what you think on Twitter or LinkedIn.
In recent years, consumers have become increasingly conscious about the impact of their purchases on the environment and society. As a result, many companies have jumped on the bandwagon of sustainability and green initiatives to attract consumers who prioritize ethical and environmentally friendly products. However, not all companies are authentic in their claims and practices, leading to a phenomenon known as greenwashing. In the first article of this two-part series, we gave an in-depth analysis of reputational laundering and greenwashing. In this article, we will explore the prevalence of greenwashing across various industries. We will also study the case of a company practicing greenwashing and a genuinely sustainable company.
Reputational Laundering by Industry
Reputational laundering is a common practice across various industries. Traditionally, the ‘Oil and Gas’ and ‘Financial’ industries have been identified as the main culprits. However, we have recently observed a substantial increase in the frequency of mentions in the ‘Food & Drug Retail’ industry, surpassing all other sectors by a significant margin. To evaluate this trend, we calculated the percentage of reputational laundering mentions in relation to the total number of mentions for each industry.
Reputational laundering over time
We looked at the last three years to find how each industry has evolved. Most industries have remained fairly static within a reasonable range. However, ‘Industrials’ have seen a significant decrease in mentions. Conversely, ‘Oil and Gas’ and ‘Food & Drug Retail’ significantly increased in 2023.
‘Food & Drug Retail’ more than tripled its mentions percentage due to a large number of mislabeled eco-friendly products (Walmart & Kohl’s) and green initiatives claims (Coca-Cola, Unilever, Amazon…).
The ‘Oil and Gas’ industry ranked second, and its recent spike can be associated mainly with greenwashing on actions such as their direct negative impact on the environment and the impact on local communities (TotalEnergies - Uganda & Tanzania). Another example is related to sportswashing with ‘Oil and Gas’ advertising heavily in sports events and even sponsoring sports clubs.
Figure 1: Reputation laundering by industry over time.
When examining the prevalence of reputational risks across sectors, greenwashing is the predominant concern in most industries. This is particularly evident in sectors like Industrials, Oil & Gas, and Financials, where greenwashing mentions are especially prominent. On the other hand, Telecommunications & Social Media stands out as an exception, with the bulk of its mentions skewing towards colorwashing, which encompasses specific practices such as blackwashing and sportswashing (Netflix accused of 'blackwashing' new docu-series Queen Cleopatra by casting black British actress).
Figure 2: Reputational laundering breakdown by industry.
The financial industry's footprint in reputational laundering might not be the most pronounced in terms of direct mentions, but its influence stretches wide via its investment activities in other sectors. This means the ripple effect of the financial sector's actions can be substantially more impactful than those in other industries. Our investigation into this phenomenon included a rigorous examination of the frequency with which financial institutions are cited in discussions of greenwashing. Additionally, we assessed their efforts in driving positive impact initiatives. We scrutinized a group of 144 financial entities, arranging them on a scale from the greatest to the least number of greenwashing mentions in proportion to their overall volume of mentions.
Top financial firms by greenwashing claims
Below, we listed the financial firms with the highest relative volume of greenwashing mentions. Beyond the first two institutions on the list, which are related and had a big scandal in 2022, we can see many very recognizable names, such as Blackrock (investing in fossil fuels), JP Morgan (for fossil fuel investment policies), and HSBC (false advertising green claims) making our top ten list.
Case Study: DWS Group
The DWS Group, previously known as Deutsche Asset Management, found itself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in 2022 and 2023. The scandal landed them at the top of our list, a position highlighted by the significant number of mentions they received — a figure that is an order of magnitude higher than that of any other entity on the list.
As a German asset management firm under the umbrella of Deutsche Bank, DWS was embroiled in severe greenwashing allegations. The last two years were marked by high-drama events: starting with greenwashing allegations at the end of 2021, their offices were searched in May 2022, which led to the resignation of the DWS chief in June 2022. The saga concluded with a substantial $25 million fine paid to U.S. regulators in September 2023.
The accompanying chart provides a visual representation of the timeline for these events, contrasting the number of absolute mentions with those specifically related to greenwashing. The alignment in the timing and scale of these mentions with the unfolding events is unmistakable.
Figure 3: DWS Group relative greenwashing mentions.
Best-in-class companies
In our effort to wrap up our study on an optimistic note, it's important to recognize that the heightened scrutiny of greenwashing and its associated initiatives ultimately serves a beneficial role by significantly raising our collective consciousness about crucial ESG issues.
While it's true that numerous companies have come under fire for greenwashing, it's equally important to highlight those that are genuinely advancing initiatives with positive environmental and social repercussions across the globe.
Employing the same method used to scrutinize financial firms implicated in greenwashing, we focused on the same group of 144 companies, honing in on the top 10 that stood out based on normalized mentions of their positive environmental actions.
The findings are quite encouraging: mentions of these positive initiatives dwarf those of negative impacts when viewed as a proportion of total mentions. Brookfield Asset Management (Brookfield) shines as the most notable, garnering almost double the mentions of its closest peer.
Also noteworthy is BlackRock's appearance on this list. Despite its presence on the greenwashing list, BlackRock has made strides in positive efforts, too. The company's initiatives—some counterbalancing the negative—have received more attention for their positive impact than for greenwashing, suggesting a complex but proactive ESG engagement.
Furthermore, companies like EQT, Berkshire Hathaway, and Standard & Poor's have actively engaged in initiatives that drive positive impact, earning them significant—and rightfully so—media coverage.
Figure 4: Brookfield sentiment vs environmental initiatives.
In terms of visibility, these environmental initiatives represent a significant portion of the company’s profile, surpassing 50% of total mentions in September 2022. This highlights the dominant role these actions play in the public discourse surrounding Brookfield.
The company’s polarity(1) — a measure of sentiment in mentions — shows a steady and positive trajectory beginning in late 2021. This trend points to a growing positive reputation and increased positive online discussions regarding the company.
Web Sentiment Analysis: Financial Industry vs. DWS & Brookfield
Figure 5: Sentiment over time.
When assessing the landscape of ESG engagement within the financial sector, we consider the comparative reputations of two key players: the leader in positive impact initiatives against the firm with the highest number of greenwashing mentions. How do they stack up against the broader sentiment within the financial industry?
The finance industry at large grapples with a challenging reputation shaped by various issues, including regulatory shortcomings, perceived corporate greed, opacity, and environmental impacts, among others.
Against this backdrop, we observe that:
DWS: The company's reputation trajectory is on a downward slope compared to the industry average, with the aftereffects of recent controversies culminating in a reputation low as of October 2023.
Brookfield: In contrast, Brookfield's commitment to the environment appears to buoy its reputation, maintaining a consistently positive trend that surpasses the market standard. Notably, from January 2023 onward, there is a discernible uptick in positive sentiment.
Conclusion
While the prevalence of greenwashing poses a considerable challenge within the corporate sphere, our study reveals a silver lining. The intensive scrutiny and debate surrounding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have led to heightened awareness and, more importantly, action. Amidst the cacophony of claims, our analysis has found a discernible pattern of positive ESG initiatives overshadowing negative impacts, indicating a shift towards genuine sustainability efforts.
Particularly encouraging is the performance of certain frontrunners like Brookfield Asset Management, which has emerged as a beacon of positive action, outpacing its peers in driving meaningful change. This illustrates the potential for firms to lead by example and underscores the importance of rigorous analysis in distinguishing substantive ESG commitments from superficial ones.
Ultimately, this study underscores the transformative power of informed scrutiny and the pivotal role that advanced analytical tools play in propelling the ESG agenda forward. As the financial community continues to refine its approaches to evaluating ESG metrics, we can remain cautiously optimistic about the journey from mere green-tinted narratives to deeply rooted, impactful corporate practices.
(1) Polarity aggregates positive and negative sentiment (opinions, reviews) on a company. It ranges from -1 to 1. A 0 score means that positive and negative sentiment are equal. Well-regarded brands generally have polarity scores over 0.5.
At SESAMm, we used AI to study billions of articles and analyze greenwashing trends. Download this comprehensive ebook for an in-depth understanding of the evolving landscape of reputational laundering, notably greenwashing, and dive into its trends in the corporate world.
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Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.
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