People & Appointments: GRI hunts for new CEO

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is on the hunt for a new CEO after current head Tim Mohin resigned. Mohin is leaving the Netherlands-based job to move back to the US and become an ESG and sustainability consultant, citing family commitments. A committee of members of the GRI’s board and other experts is being established to find a new CEO.  

Allianz Global Investors has poached responsible investment head Matt Christensen from AXA Investment Managers. Currently Global Head of Responsible Investment and Impact Strategy at the latter, he will join Allianz as Global Head of Sustainability and Impact Investing in December. He has held the role at Axa since 2011, and will succeed Beatrix Anton-Groenemeyer, who is retiring as Chief Sustainability Officer at Allianz. According to Citywire Selector, AXA won’t replace Christensen because “ESG integration is de facto the standard for its portfolio management activities”.

The Church of England has appointed Dami Lalude, Senior Vice President at Helios Investment Partners, to its Ethical Investment Advisory Group. Lalude also serves on the Board of Directors of GBfoods Africa. 

Mirabaud Asset Management has hired John Kisenyi as a senior analyst on its global equity team, where he will focus on ESG analysis. He was previously an impact investment consultant at Wellers Impact. 

CEO of Enel, Francesco Starace, has been appointed Chair of the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Administrative Board – a non-profit international organization dedicated to Sustainable Development Goal 7: access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Starace will help shape strategy and operations for the organization, and will continue to serve as a member of the UN Global Compact Board of Directors and the Global Commission to End Energy Poverty.

After nearly six years as Head of Sustainable Investments at Storebrand, Matthew Smith has joined KPMG Norway as Director for Sustainable Finance. 

Edward Bonham Carter has taken another step back from Jupiter Fund Management, saying he will stand down as board member and Vice Chairman at the firm’s 2021 AGM. He will become chairman of both Jupiter's stewardship committee and its CSR committee, in a move he said would allow him more flexibility to focus on his external obligations. Bonham Carter, who has been with Jupiter for over 25 years, stepped down as Chief Executive in 2014. 

Former UK Minister for Energy and Clean Growth and ex- President of COP26, Claire O’Neill, is joining the board of climate consultancy Ikigai Capital. O’Neill was fired as convener of COP26, originally scheduled for November 2020, earlier this year, prompting her to pen a high-profile open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson slamming the UK’s efforts on climate so far. 

The Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing has appointed Jessie Duncan as Program Officer. She previously held roles at Boston Consulting Group, Monitor Group, the Brookings Institution and the US State Department.