ESG Investor’s weekly round-up of appointments in the sustainable investing sector, including OTPP, IOSCO, Legal & General, AXA IM, Persefoni and UKSIF.
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board has appointed Anna Murray as Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable Investing. Working in the firm’s Total Fund Management’s Investment Division, Murray will take a leadership role in supporting Ontario Teachers’ long-term plan to create a lasting, positive and sustainable impact while creating value for members. She will execute on the fund’s climate strategy and net zero targets, advancing its approach to impact investing and overseeing corporate governance activities, including proxy voting and investee company engagements, while working with senior leaders and investment teams across the organisation. Murray will also oversee the continued integration and assessment of ESG opportunities and risks in the investment process. She was most recently the Global Head of ESG for Sun Life Capital Management, where she was responsible for integrating ESG risk management and value creation practices into investment decisions and management across the firm’s global investment platform. Ziad Hindo, Ontario Teachers’ CIO, said: “We look forward to Anna and her team helping us meet our impact-related commitments, as well as continue to evolve our approach and build on our leadership in sustainable investing.”
Rodrigo Buenaventura is the new Chair of the Sustainable Finance Taskforce (STF) at the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) , and will lead IOSCO’s evaluations of the International Sustainability Standards Board, assessing whether it can act as a global baseline standard for climate disclosures. Buenaventura, who is also Chair of the Spanish Securities Market Commission (CNMV), will further lead IOSCO through the finalisation of its work on carbon markets and promote independent assurance of corporate sustainability disclosures. He was formerly Vice-Chair of the STF, and has also previously served as a member of the Standing Committee on Standards Implementation of the Financial Stability Board and the Board of Supervisors of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). On his appointment, Buenaventura said: “I am honoured by the confidence of my fellow IOSCO Board members in asking me to lead this critical work. There is intense demand from investors to be able to invest in assets which make a contribution to that transition and we will continue to push ahead firmly with our ambitious agenda to make that feasible.”
UK-based financial services group Legal & General has appointed Tegs Harding as a Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee for the L&G Mastertrust. Harding is a professional trustee at Independent Trustee Services (ITS) and has more than 15 years of experience in the finance industry, having previously worked in roles across investment consulting, asset management and retail banking, implementing ESG policies and designing and implementing changes in investment strategies. Rita Butler-Jones, Legal & General Investment Management’s Co-Head of Defined Contribution, said: “We are really pleased that Tegs will be joining the trustee board. Her experience is so relevant to what we are striving to achieve – from our net zero commitments and ESG focus to ensuring our default funds and self-select investments offer good value for members.”
AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has strengthened its Responsible Investment team with the appointments of Clément Bultheel as Sustainability Coordinator and Benjamin Jacot as ESG Quantitative Analyst. Bultheel joins from Quantis, where he worked as a Sustainable Finance Consultant. In his new role, Bultheel will work on AXA IM’s sustainability policies and support AXA IM’s ESG efforts. Jacot joins from La Française, where he was Quantitative Risk Manager and Financial Engineer. At AXA IM, he will be charge of developing climate metrics and models to assess physical and transition risks, as well as portfolio alignment to climate scenarios.
Emily Pierce has joined climate reporting platform Persefoni as Associate General Counsel and VP of Global Regulatory Climate Disclosure. In her new role, Pierce will be responsible for assisting customers and partners as they respond to evolutions in global climate disclosure regulations, ensuring compliance through adoption of best practices when measuring, managing, and reporting on their carbon emissions. She joins Persefoni from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where she served as Assistant Director in the Office of International Affairs, working with regulators around the world and advising the Commission on cross-border regulatory policy issues, particularly on climate and sustainability disclosure. Pierce also led the SEC’s engagements with IOSCO, including the IOSCO STF, which collaborated with the IFRS Foundation in the establishment of the ISSB. Kentaro Kawamori, Persefoni’s CEO and Co-Founder, said: “The insight and international relationships Emily has gained forming and deploying disclosure regulations is truly second to none; her experience will be central to ensuring the support we provide our customers and partners is of the greatest possible value as they disclose their emissions and develop decarbonisation strategies.”
Jason Mitchell – Man Group’s Head of Responsible Investment Research – is the new Chair of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF). Mitchell will work closely with UKSIF CEO James Alexander to ensure that the board’s decisions are implemented and that the organisation’s strategic goals are met. Alexander said: “Jason is a hugely respected thought leader on sustainable finance and investment, and will bring enormous expertise to the organisation and our membership. I’m looking forward to working closely with Jason and the whole board to advance UKSIF’s mission and drive forward the financial services industry’s role in advancing the UK’s sustainable future.”
