Hidden Gems, Big Impact: Investing in Emerging Companies with Nathan Parkin from Australian Ethical

In this episode we’re speaking with Nathan Parkin, Head of Equities at Australian Ethical, an investment manager established in 1986, with more than $10 billion in funds under management. In 2014, Australian Ethical became the first listed company in Australia to earn Certified B Corp status and it’s also worth noting that they donate 10% of their profits each year through the Australian Ethical Foundation which has resulted in $13M of donations since the year 2000.

In this discussion, we dive into Australian Ethical’s Emerging Companies Fund, which invests in small and micro‑cap businesses shaping the future — particularly in technology, healthcare, renewables, and other positive‑impact sectors that meet the fund’s strict ethical standards. The strategy is an actively managed, bottom‑up stock‑picking approach, and Nathan walks us through exactly what that means in practice, as well as some current stock stories.

Nathan has over 30 years of experience in Australian financial markets, including 12 years at Perpetual as Deputy Head of Equities and 7 years at Ethical Partners Funds Management as founder and portfolio manager. He has also had experience as an equity analyst, equities dealer, and Head of Institutional Business. His not‑for‑profit work includes significant fundraising and school board membership.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with Nathan Parkin, Head of Equities at Australian Ethical. You can find out more about Australian Ethical and the Emerging Companies Fund here.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging.

For more information about JustInvest & EIA: justinvest and ethicalinvestment