Dr. Emilia Cederberg's dissertation 'The Ins and Outs of ESG: A study on the spatialities of accounting change' deals with the practical internal work on sustainability analysis in asset management and was awarded this prestigious annual scholarship for the best dissertation in business administration. The dissertation was presented at the Department of Accounting and Finance and was funded by the Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets (Misum).

It is increasingly important for investors to demonstrate an integrated approach where both sustainability and financial considerations affect analysis and decision-making. An incredible amount has happened in sustainable investment in recent years, something that will continue, not least with regard to new regulations at EU level.

The dissertation is relevant for everyone who works with sustainability in the financial industry, either as an investor or with tasks within investor relations on the company side. It provides a greater understanding of how investors and companies can have productive conversations about how business models are affected by, for example, climate change and what business opportunities or risks this may entail.

Through its problematization of the concept of integration, Emilia hopes to contribute to critical thinking and reflection also in areas such as gender equality, diversity and risk management, areas where "integration" is often seen as an obvious method.

''At present, sustainability analysts often have many responsibilities, from answering questions about the office's recycling to representing the asset manager's sustainability work externally. I believe that the sustainability analyst, as an expert role, must be given time, resources and technical tools to further demonstrate the link between climate and economics.'' Said Emilia Cederberg.

Emilia Cederberg received the Oskar Sillén Award during a digital ceremony at the Föreningen Företagsekonomiska Institutet (FEI) premises in Stockholm on 9 December.