ESG Investor’s weekly round-up of new hires in the sustainable investing sector, including EQT, Tritax Group, Vortex Energy, Climate Impact Partners and WTW.
The United Nations has created a High-Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities to develop standards for net zero emissions pledges by businesses, investors, cities and regions. Appointments to the group include Günther Thallinger, a member of the Board of the Allianz Group and Chairperson of its ESG Board, and Chair of the UN-Convened Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance. Helena Viñes Fiestas, Commissioner of the Spanish Financial Markets Authority and Rapporteur of the European Union Platform on Sustainable Finance, and previously a Senior Policy Adviser on Sustainable Finance at BNP Paribas has also joined the group. Other appointments include Joaquim Levy, Director for Economic Strategy and Market Relations at Banco Safra and a former Managing Director and CFO of the World Bank Group and President of the Brazilian Development Bank. Malango Mughogho, Managing Director of ZeniZeni Sustainable Finance, who led the team that developed the early stages of South Africa’s National Climate Finance Strategy, joins alongside Zhou Xiaochuan, who was Governor of the People’s Bank of China from 2002 to 2018. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said: “Governments have the lion’s share of responsibility to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. But we also urgently need every business, investor, city, state and region to walk the talk on their net-zero promises.”
Swedish private equity firm EQT has established a Sustainability Committee, which it claims is the first board-level commitment to sustainability in the private markets industry. The Committee’s new members are EQT’s Chief Sustainability Officer Nicola Kimm as Chairperson, EGT Chairperson Conni Jonsson, and Board Member Margo Cook. Through quarterly meetings, the Committee will formalise ongoing discourse between management and the board to challenge the firm’s sustainability strategy.
Alan Somerville has been appointed Director of ESG at real estate investment company Tritax Group. Based in London, he will lead the development and implementation of the group’s ESG strategy. Before joining Tritax, Somerville headed Governex Group, providing consultancy on ESG strategy development to a range of boards, investors and international businesses.
Renewables investment manager Vortex Energy has appointed Ana Peris Caminero as COO and member of the Investment Committee. She has more than 20 years of experience in the renewables, power and gas utility sectors, having worked in multiple leadership roles across European public and private sectors. Most recently she was at Spain’s Naturgy where she oversaw the company’s entry into the US through the acquisition of solar and storage development platforms.
Lucy Carmody, a responsible investment specialist, has joined Climate Impact Partners to lead its work with investors who are looking to deploy significant capital in the carbon markets. With more than 20 years of experience in investment management, ESG and sustainability in the US, Asia and Europe, she will identify investment opportunities and new structures for the allocation of capital to fund climate impact via the voluntary carbon market.
WTW has appointed Joseph Noss as Senior Director of the Finance Sector in its Climate and Resilience Hub. Noss will lead engagement with financial institutions, markets and regulators worldwide to support the transition to a resilient, net zero financial system. He joins WTW from the G20 Financial Stability Board (FSB) in Basel, where he led on climate financial regulation for the banking, investment and insurance sectors. Prior to his time at the FSB, Noss spent more than a decade at the Bank of England where he led work to analyse and develop policy across a variety of financial markets and institutions, including capital markets, asset management and insurance industries.
