Mercer’s Ambachtsheer joins BNP Paribas AM as Global Head of Sustainability

Mercer’s Jane Ambachtsheer is joining BNP Paribas Asset Management as Global Head of Sustainability, where she will report to Frédéric Janbon, CEO and Head of Investments.

She was previously Partner and Chair of Responsible Investment at consulting firm Mercer, where she oversaw the strategy for the Responsible Investment team and advised investors around the world.

She will work with Helena Viñes-Fiestas, BNPP AM’s Deputy Head of Sustainability, to lead on sustainability-related research, ESG integration, engagement, advocacy and governance. Ambachtsheer will also manage BNPP AM’s overall corporate social responsibility efforts.

BNP Paribas AM manages and advises on €568bn in assets.

Ambachtsheer has been involved in numerous industry initiatives. She was consultant to the United Nations through the development of the Principles for Responsible Investment.

She’s been a Trustee of the Carbon Disclosure Project, a member of the Financial Stability Board Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and a member of the PRI Academic Working Group.She’s also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and a Research Affiliate at the University Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

BNPP AM has implemented its own responsible investment policy, applying ESG criteria to all its collective investments. It also implements parent BNP Paribas’ bans on investments in specific companies in controversial sectors.

“Having Jane on board will definitely accelerate the path to achieving our goals”

The firm has been a member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) since 2003 and was a founding signatory of the PRI in 2006. It has almost €35bn under SRI strategies.

Janbon said Ambachtsheer, who will join on August 27 and be based in Paris, “adds outstanding expertise to a central pillar” of the firm’s strategy. She has been based in the French capital for the past few years.

“Having Jane on board will definitely accelerate the path to achieving our goals as a leading player in sustainable finance.”