Kempen Capital Management names Narina Mnatsakanian as Director of Impact and Responsible Investment

Kempen Capital Management, the asset manager that is a subsidiary of the Dutch merchant bank Kempen & Co, has named Narina Mnatsakanian as Director of Impact and Responsible Investment.

Mnatsakanian was most recently with Sarona Asset Management, the boutique private equity firm where she was responsible for investor relations, impact management and ESG.

Before that she was Senior Advisor Responsible Investment & Governance at MN for four years. She is also a former Head of Networks, Global Outreach and Emerging Markets at the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

She told RI: “I had a great time at Sarona Asset Management and will miss the team and our focus on impact investing in private equity in frontier and emerging markets.”

KCM, which became a signatory to the PRI in 2008, already integrates ESG criteria into its portfolio construction processes, saying this goes “hand-in-hand with a focus on financial returns”. It aims to avoid investments in controversial companies, but opts for engagement.Marieke De Leede, the former Director, Responsible Investment at Kempen, a keen cyclist, now lists herself on LinkedIn as “In Between Jobs”: “Exploring a new path in consciousness & vitality coaching.”

Erik Luttenberg, managing director and chairman of the ESG council at Kempen, said Mnatsakanian’s appointment “further cements” the firm’s longstanding commitment to responsible investment.

“Narina’s extensive experience within this space, particularly among institutional investors, will be key in leading this initiative forward,” he said. She starts her new role on June 1.

CIO Lars Dijkstra added that her experience in impact investing would “boost Kempen’s ethos and market standing as a long-term responsible investor”. It was part of its commitment to active ownership and shareholder engagement for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Last month €7.3bn Dutch pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds UWV signed a letter of intent with Kempen for fiduciary services.