Green Talents Moment✨: Meet Will Ng, Stewardship Director at HSBC Asset Management

According to the World Economic Forum, American adults on average change jobs 12 times by the age of 55. Furthermore, statistics show that people may change their careers up to 7 times over their lifetime. Therefore, perhaps the expectation that a person should know the answer to “who do you want to be when you grow up” has become less irrelevant, and maybe even more so in today’s volatile job market landscape. That being said, that does not mean one cannot develop a fulfilling career in sustainability. As we will see from Will Ng’s experience, this can be done by following one’s interests, staying open-minded and being proactive in connecting with like-minded people. 

From natural sciences to investment stewardship: A professional journey, including a trip to Antarctica

Some people grow up knowing exactly who they want to be, and what profession they will pursue. For the vast majority of us, that is not the case, including Will. Having studied Natural Sciences at university, he had “no idea what to do”. Following his interests, he tried out different jobs, including a gap year in Tianjin, China to teach kids English, as well as a temporary position in logistics. Wishing to explore a career in banking, he applied for more than 50 jobs at the height of the global financial crisis and accepted an offer at PwC, focusing on risk assurance. During his time at PwC, he qualified as a chartered accountant, which provided a foundation for business and financial knowledge. He gained exposure to the asset management industry, as well as experience in environmental management, through providing non-financial auditing for companies, on topics such as carbon emission and green bond use of proceeds. On occasion, he worked with the sustainability consulting team, on tasks such as writing a banking client proposal on developing a human rights framework. Overall, the work experience at PwC piqued his interest in sustainability and set the foundation for the eventual change of career direction later on. 

Photo taken during the trip to Antarctica_1

After working for several years, an opportunity came up from Will’s university roommate, who had commissioned a project to film in South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. PwC was generous to grant Will a month of sabbatical leave to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. When asked whether the trip single-handedly triggered his passion for sustainability as a career, Will conceded, “it is not as romantic as that”. Nevertheless, the trip was an eye-opening experience; having grown up in the city, the breathtaking views of colossal icebergs and more than 250,000 penguins gathered together were unforgettable. Seeing how beautiful the world is, he realised that “we really need to protect this pristine environment”. 

Photo taken during the trip to Antarctic_2

As his interest in sustainability grew, Will then pursued a Master of Science in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, where his thesis explored the impact of futures thinking in business sustainability among startups. In learning about the intersection between business and sustainability, he realised that sustainability will be “the rest of my career”.

Day-to-day responsibilities at HSBC Asset Management

After completing the Masters degree, Will worked as a sustainability consultant for several years, before finding an opportunity to combine his passion with his skills and experience in the investment industry, specialising in investment stewardship at HSBC Asset Management. Although sustainability in the investment industry has evolved over the years, the end goal has always remained the same: to protect and enhance the long-term value for asset owner clients. This entails first understanding ESG-related (environmental, social, governance) issues that could have a material impact on a company's financials, which depends on the industry that company belongs to. This includes, for example, health and safety, human capital management (e.g., how a company attracts and retains its talent), governance structure (e.g., competencies of the management team). Having identified company-specific material issues, the team would then engage with the company to discuss their management of these risks, communicate investor expectations and share recommendations and good practices.

For Will, investment stewardship offers continuous learning and intellectual stimulation, whilst providing opportunities to develop connections with both internal and external stakeholders, which he describes as a “real sweet spot” that led to the conclusion: “I love doing what I do”.

Advice for youth and young professionals

Will’s career journey is one of adaptability and resilience; throughout the different transition phases, he followed his interests and stayed committed to expanding and (re)connecting with his network, which made him realise there is “so much in the world of work” within sustainability. In Will’s case, he ventured into different types of work before investment stewardship, including sustainability consulting and corporate training facilitator on environmental sustainability. “Just get on with it” - that was the advice from his master degree convenor, and is also his advice for those who are interested in developing a career in this field; specifically, “think, about don’t overthink”, meaning whenever one comes across a cause or topic that sparks their interest, or an opportunity that they are willing to spend time on, pursue it wholeheartedly, because every experience will yield valuable learnings that help define one’s own career identity and personal branding, and open new doors. 

Throughout his career, Will has adopted a “growth mindset” (as opposed to a “fixed mindset”); the belief that one’s capabilities can be developed through continuous learning and sustained efforts has allowed him to stay open-minded and flexible, which is important for a field that is continuously evolving. This also applies to the skills that one can acquire throughout their career; indeed, according to the World Economic Forum, it is estimated that almost 40% of existing skills are expected to be transformed or become outdated by 2030. In Will’s case, he gained “hard skills” such as analytical thinking from past audit and consulting work, as well as “soft skills” such as effective communication, both essential for his current role which he continues to hone.

Recommended resources by Will

Books:

• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek

• The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek

• The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome's Project on the Predicament of Mankind, by Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jørgen Randers, William W. Behrens III

• Insatiable Curiosity: Innovation in a Fragile Future, by Helga Nowotny

• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, by Simon Sinek

References

• CFA Institute (2020), Stewardship 2.0, Awareness, Effectiveness, and Progression of Stewardship Codes in Asia Pacific (link)

• CFA Institute (2024), How investors achieve impact through stewardship (link)

• TAFE Gippsland (2025), How many career changes will you have in a lifetime? (link)

• The University of Queensland (2023), How many career changes in a lifetime? (link)

• Unmudl Public Benefit Corp (2022), What Is The Average Number of Career Changes in a Person's Lifetime? (link)

• World Economic Forum (2023), Having many careers will be the norm, experts say (link)

• World Economic Forum (2025), The Future of Jobs Report 2025 (link)

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Climate Incubator thanks Will Ng for his candour, insights, and advice for youth who are interested in developing a career in sustainability. 

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Written by: Valerie Chiu 

Edited by: Jessica Wong