People & Appointments: Julie Moret joins Northern Trust

Julie Moret has been hired by Northern Trust Asset Management as its Global Head of Sustainable Investing and Stewardship. Moret, who left her role as Global Head of ESG at Franklin Templeton in March, has served as a member of a number of industry organisations including on the Investor Advisory Group of SASB and ESMA’s Stewardship, Market Integrity and ESG Investment Steering Committee.

UBS has appointed Michael Baldinger as its first Chief Sustainability Officer. Baldinger, the former CEO of RobecoSAM, joined UBS in 2016 as Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing for UBS Asset Management. Phyllis Costanza has also been appointed as Head of Social Impact.

John Alker has been hired as Head of Sustainability for Legal and General Capital, L&G’s alternative asset platform. Alker joins from his role as Director of Policy and Places at non-profit the UK Green Building Council. He has previously worked for the WWF and was Board Director for the World Green Building Council.

Lise Moret has been hired by Banque Hottinguer as its Head of Sustainable Impact Investing. Moret, who is a member of the Commission on climate and sustainable finance at the French Financial Market Authority and President of the French Sustainable Investment Forum Research Commission, leaves her role as Head of Climate Strategy and Solutions at AXA Investment Managers. Olivier Eugène has been appointed as her replacement.

Leading green finance scholar Charlie Donovan is to leave Imperial College London at the end of the academic year to join the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. Donovan is currently Executive Director of the Centre of Climate Finance and Investment at Imperial, and Academic Director for its business school’s Master of Science in Climate Change, Management and Finance. He began his career as a Policy Analyst at the US Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration and was the co-founder and chief financial officer of cleantech start-up Cleandrone.

David Swensen, the Head of Yale University’s endowment, has sadly passed away aged 67. Swensen, who began his career at Saloman Brothers and Lehman Brothers, joined the Yale investment office in 1985, and is credited with revolutionising its investment strategy.

Delphine Dirat has become a Senior Manager in Industry and Government Affairs Sustainable Finance at the London Stock Exchange Group. Dirat leaves her role as Head of Issuers Policy at French financial regulator Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). From 2017 to 2019, she was on secondment from AMF to the European Commission’s department for financial stability and capital markets, DG FISMA. 

UK regulator the Financial Reporting Council has made a number of new appointments to its advisory panel, including Alice Bordini Staden, Shareholder Engagement Consultant at ClientEarth; Mardi McBrien, Managing Director at the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, and Deborah Gilshan, who is currently a fellow of ICSA: The Governance Institute, as well as Chair of the Ethics and Systemic Risk Committee of the International Corporate Governance Network. 

WHEB Asset Management has appointed Victoria MacLean as Associate Portfolio Manager. MacLean, who was at Aberdeen Standard Investments for 10 years, most recently as Investment Director, serves as co-chair of the CFA Special Interest Group for Impact Investing.

Sara Orr has joined Kirkland and Ellis as a partner in its ESG and Impact Practice Group. Orr leaves her role as leader of the ESG Task Force at Latham and Watkins.

CalPERS has relaunched its search for a new Chief Investment Officer after failing to fill the position during its initial search. The $445bn fund said that potential candidates were unwilling to move their families during the pandemic, and “it became clear that we need to provide greater clarity regarding the position’s compensation and incentive structure”.

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility is hiring an analyst to join its team. 

Jo Saleeba has become Head of Sustainable Investment Australia and New Zealand at FTSE Russell. Saleeba, who was Director of ESG and Sustainability at Thrive, was the CEO of the Investor Group on Climate Change from 2005 to 2011.

Katherine Collins has been elected Chair of the Santa Fe Institute’s Board of Trustees. Collins, Head of Sustainable Investing at Putnam Investments, is the first woman to chair the board since the institute was founded in 1984. She has appointed Ian McKinnon as Vice-Chair.

Meghan Conklin has become Policy Director at the Coalition for Green Capital. Conklin served in a number of political roles in the Obama administration including Chief of Staff to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and was most recently Policy Adviser for Energy, Environment and Agriculture for Democratic Senator Chris van Hollen.

David Cruickshank, former Chair of Deloitte’s UK Corporate Responsibility Committee, has been appointed as a non-executive Director at Jupiter Fund Management. Cruickshank, who also chaired Deloitte’s Social Impact Committee, spent 32 years at the firm in a number of roles including heading its UK Tax Practice and chairing its Global Board, before his retirement in June 2020. 

Rick Smith has announced that he will step down as Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute in June to become President of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.

Kalle Kinnunen has been appointed to the newly established role of Corporate Responsibility Manager at Finnish financial services firm Kuntarahoitus.