Spotlight on Ralph Berkien, Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management, Robeco
Global Thought Leader Spotlight
Ralph Berkien, Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management, Robeco
As Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management at Robeco, Ralph Berkien leads the global effort to represent Robeco’s fixed income strategies to institutional clients. With over two decades of experience in asset management, Ralph has held roles spanning investment advisory, product management, and communications. His current focus is on systematic fixed income strategies, including enhanced indexing strategies in credits and quant strategies in government bonds, which integrate sustainability and factor-based investing.
Ralph holds a Master’s in Investment Management from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a Bachelor’s in International Business Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and is a Certified European Financial Analyst. He has authored several publications on factor investing and machine learning in credit markets.
Ralph will be presenting at Global Investment Institute’s upcoming Fixed Income & Alternative Credit Investment Forum, taking place on Thursday, 11 September 2025 in Melbourne CBD, Victoria. To register your interest in attending, click here or for more information email zlatan@globalii.com.au.
Smart decarbonisation outperforms naive approaches
At the Global Investment Institute’s Fixed Income & Alternative Credit Investment Forum, Ralph will present on how systematic fixed income can help decarbonise portfolios under Australia’s Your Future, Your Super (YFYS) regulation. His approach focuses on smart decarbonisation—reducing average portfolio carbon emissions while minimising impact on risk profile and performance. This is especially relevant for Australian superannuation funds, which face strict performance benchmarks and regulatory scrutiny.
Drawing from Robeco’s research, Ralph will demonstrate how naive decarbonisation approaches can inadvertently increase duration or credit risk in government bond portfolios. Instead, Robeco’s systematic fixed income approach enables efficient decarbonisation by optimising bond selection. This method allows investors to achieve meaningful carbon reductions with reduced tracking error.
In credit portfolios, Ralph will show how an enhanced indexing strategy is able to reduce emissions without sacrificing alpha. Back-tests as well as live data reveal that a 20% decarbonisation target in global investment-grade credit can be achieved with negligible performance impact. Similarly, in government bonds, smart decarbonisation can outperform naive approaches by controlling for duration and spread risk while achieving stronger carbon reductions.
Implications for sophisticated investors
Ralph’s presentation will offer practical insights for asset owners navigating the decarbonisation dilemma: how to align portfolios with climate goals without onboarding extra risk or potential underperformance thanks to risk-controlled portfolio construction. This underscores the importance of combining factor investing with sustainability data to build resilient, future-proof portfolios.
Robeco’s climate investing survey shows that while performance concerns remain high, advanced climate investors are increasingly confident in their ability to balance sustainability with returns. Ralph’s message is clear: with the right tools and strategies, decarbonisation in fixed income is not only possible—it can be done in a risk and return controlled manner.
Ralph will be presenting at Global Investment Institute’s upcoming Fixed Income & Alternative Credit Investment Forum, taking place on Thursday, 11 September 2025 in Melbourne CBD, Victoria. To register your interest in attending, click here or for more information email zlatan@globalii.com.au.
Ralph Berkien, Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management, Robeco
Ralph is Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management with Robeco.
Previously at Robeco, he held positions as Head Fixed Income Investment Specialists, Product Manager and Investment Advisor. Ralph started his career in the investment industry at Robeco in 2002.
He holds a Master’s in Investment Management from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a bachelor’s in international business administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam and is a Certified European Financial Analyst.
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