ESG Investor’s weekly round-up of new hires in the sustainable investing sector.
LGPS Central, which manages £45 billion of pooled assets for eight UK local government pension schemes, has appointed of Patrick O’Hara as director of responsible investment and engagement. O’Hara has gained 20 years of experience across the investment management industry, and joins LGPS Central from USS Investment Management, where he led ESG integration and stewardship across public markets. “We believe the integration of responsible investment factors, particularly those related to climate, into our investment process both supports long-term returns and is the right thing to do. We’re really pleased that Patrick will be joining the team here to lead our work in this field,” said Mike Weston, CEO at LGPS Central.
Marissa Rossi and Jason Kururangi have been appointed to senior roles at New Zealand fund manager Milford Asset Management. Rossi, who joined the firm from UBS Asset Management in 2019, takes up the post of head of sustainable investments in which she will be responsible for further developing Milford’s sustainable investment framework. Kururangi, a former analyst and fund manager with Aberdeen Standard, has been appointed senior analyst within the Australian equities team.
Edinburgh-based thematic global growth manager Aubrey Capital Management has appointed Camelia Huang and Erin Elliot to senior roles within its investment and marketing teams. Huang joins as investment analyst, having previously worked as a graduate investment analyst with Aberdeen Standard Investments, whilst Elliot has been appointed as sales and marketing support, joining from SVM Asset Management where she was an investment marketing specialist.
Chicago-based investment management firm Segall Bryant & Hamill (SBH) has appointed Suresh Rajagopal as its new director of ESG research. In the newly created role, Rajagopal will lead SBH’s ESG initiatives and oversee ESG research framework as part of the firm’s broader commitment to further integrate ESG into its investment processes. With 30 years of investment experience, Rajagopal currently chairs the firm’s ESG committee and advises on the formulation of new corporate ESG policies. “We believe the integration of ESG factors into investment analysis and portfolio construction can be valuable in identifying attractive long-term investment opportunities,” said CEO Philip Hildebrandt.
A new ESG advisory board has been established by German asset manager DWS to further advance its holistic ESG Strategy. Consisting six international sustainability experts from diverse disciplines, the board will actively advise CEO Asoka Wöhrmann and executive board of DWS on the acceleration of its ESG strategy. Peter Damgaard Jensen is Chairman of the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change, the main European investor body focused on climate change. He is joined on the board by Marie Haga, Associate Vice President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Ioannis Ioannou, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School and Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple. Georg Kell, founding Executive Director of the UN Global Compact will serve as co-chair, alongside Roelfien Juijpers, Global ESG Client Officer at DWS.
Emilie Mazzacurati has been appointed global head of climate solutions at the credit ratings agency Moody’s. Mazzacurati will oversee the climate solutions suite within Moody’s ESG Solutions Group, formed earlier this year to serve growing global demand for ESG and climate analytics. “Emilie’s extensive climate expertise will be vital to our continued development of climate solutions and to ensuring that Moody’s is a leading voice in this important area,” said Andrea Blackman, global head of Moody’s ESG Solutions.
Marjorie Tang has joined the board of directors at Measurabl, an ESG data management solution for commercial real estate. Tang, former interim chief investment officer for the New York State Common retirement Fund and former member of the USAA Real Estate board of directors, currently serves the needs of asset owners, retirees and pension fund members as an institutional investment executive and attorney. “Her perspective and breadth of experience will be invaluable to Measurabl as ESG has become a priority among real estate stakeholders,” said Matt Ellis, CEO at Measurabl.
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has announced Clare Shine will succeed founding director Dame Polly Courtice from April 2021. Shine, currently vice-president and chief programme officer at international non-profit Salzburg Global Seminar, has experience of building high-level coalitions involving governments, research institutions and philanthropies. Previously, she worked as an independent environmental lawyer and policy expert for intergovernmental organisations, national governments, the private sector and NGOs. Dame Polly will step down after more than 30 years leading the organisation, during which time CISL has grown to become an internationally recognised centre of excellence in sustainability leadership.
