ESG Investor’s weekly round-up of appointments in the sustainable investing sector, including M&G Real Estate, EFRAG, Newday Impact, Deepki, Agilitas and Jonathan Rose.
Laura Jockers has joined UK-based M&G Real Estate as Global Head of ESG. With 15 years’ experience, her prior role was Head of Sustainability at The Howard de Walden Estate, where she set out the ESG strategy for its 92-acre portfolio. In her new role, Jockers will work with M&G Real Estate’s global teams to drive the implementation of its ESG strategy, enhance the existing work being done by net zero-aligned M&G’s funds and ensure the business continuously improves its GRESB targets, such as acquiring green certification for half of its global real estate portfolio by value. Jose Pellicer, M&G Real Estate’s Head of Investment Strategy and Research, said: “It is fantastic to have someone of Laura’s calibre on the team. She is one of the leading experts in real estate ESG with a deep understanding of how the industry can play a leading role in reducing carbon emissions and how we can be ambitious with our targets.”
In its meeting of 15 November, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) General Assembly appointed Wolf Klinz as the Chair of the EFRAG Financial Reporting Board and Patrick de Cambourg as the Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB). The Chairs were nominated by the European Commission having heard the views of the European Parliament and Council. The EFRAG General Assembly also approved the appointment of three EFRAG SRB members: Aleksandra Palinska, jointly nominated by EFFAS and Eurosif for the user sector seat; Thierry Philipponnat, jointly nominated by BETTER FINANCE and Finance Watch for the consumer sector seat; and Laurence Rivat, nominated by ANC (France).
San Francisco-based asset management and financial technology company Newday Impact has appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Ger Duany to its executive team. Duany will launch the Newday’s Advocacy and Corporate Engagement and Stewardship programme to help drive sustainability within its portfolio companies, and will also support the company’s corporate outreach and engagement to assist corporations with advancing sustainable practices. Duany was ensnared by the Sudan’s north-south civil war and was forcefully taken from his family, recruited as a child soldier at age 13. A year later he escaped to Ethiopia and was eventually resettled in the US from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. He later completed a college education, established a successful modelling and acting career, and was appointed as UN Goodwill Ambassador for the East and Horn of Africa region in 2015. Doug Heske, Newday Impact’s CEO, said: “As a refugee who overcame unfathomable challenges and a powerful advocate, Ger is a perfect fit for Newday and our new Advocacy and Corporate Engagement and Stewardship programme. His global perspective, relationships within global NGOs and talent brings enormous benefit to the programme and its members. We’re thrilled to have him join our team.”
French ESG data intelligence firm Deepki has announced three senior hires to its leadership committee. Élise Jacques has joined as Vice President of Transformation and Mergers and Acquisitions, Anastasia Petrova as Global Head of Partnership, and Christophe Temple as VP of Experience and Design. Jacques will be responsible for supporting the enhancement and development of the company’s commercial performance and external growth. Petrova will be using her two decades of industry experience to develop Deepki’s network of trusted partners with key industry players. Temple will be in charge of connecting different departments within Deepki to improve the user experience through design. Vincent Bryant, Deepki’s CEO and Co-Founder, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Christophe, Elise and Anastasia to Deepki. Their experience at strategic levels of responsibility, in international environments, will be invaluable to the company. With these arrivals, Deepki is fully prepared for its next phase of growth.”
Agilitas Private Equity, a pan-European private equity (PE) firm, has strengthened its team with six new appointments. Alex Brebbia, Hamza Ben Abderahmen, Marcus Risland and Matteo Recchia have all joined Agilitas’ investment team. Brebbia will be working as a senior member of the team with more than 25 years as a mid-market PE investor. Prior to the new appointment, Brebbia was head of a pan-European PE and development capital fund. Ben Abderahmen started his career at JP Morgan before focusing on growth and impact PE in EMEA. Risland began his career at Morgan Stanley in New York before moving to PE, moving to Sweden and developing experience in Nordic investments. Recchia was previously a CFO and has experience partnering with management teams to deliver growth and execute transformational programmes. Mia Sendlbeck and Sam Berry have also joined Agilitas’ finance team. Sendlbeck joins as Finance Director, while Berry joins from PwC as Finance Manager. Martin Calderbank, Agilitas’ Managing Partner, said: “Since Agilitas was established, the firm has been harnessing the power of PE to help create a positive impact on society and the environment. These new appointments will help to further drive the ambitious transformation plans of the companies that we back and the growth of the Agilitas platform.”
Carolyn Au has been appointed as Chief Administrative Officer of green, affordable, and mixed-income multi-family communities investor Jonathan Rose Companies. In her new role, Au will be responsible for overseeing the internal operations of the company, including Jonathan Rose Companies’ shared business services across marketing, talent and culture, Rose digital services, and risk management, as well as the programme areas of property management, social services, Rose community capital and mission title. Au most recently served as Executive Vice President and COO of the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), where she spent 34 years leading day-to-day corporate and loan servicing operations of the nation’s largest affordable housing lender, including direct oversight of a US$4 billion permanent loan portfolio. Jonathan Rose, the firm’s Founder and President, said: “Carolyn’s track record of contributing to purposeful organisational growth will fuel the continued expansion of our company and deepen our mission impact. We look forward to her contributions to our senior leadership team.”
