People & Appointments: Tae-Young Paik and Elizabeth Seeger join ISSB

Tae-Young Paik and Elizabeth Seeger are the latest appointments to the International Sustainability Standards Board. Seeger has spent 13 years at KKR, rising to managing director, sustainable investing, and sits on the SASB Board, while Paik is a professor of accounting at Seoul’s Sungkyunkwan University and chairs the sustainability evaluation and disclosure committee of the G7 Korea Impact Alliance. The remaining four members of the 14-member board will be announced by the end of the quarter, with additional members from Asia-Oceania and Europe.

Morgan Després, director of strategy at the Banque de France and former head of secretariat at central banking climate body NGFS, has joined the European Climate Foundation as a senior adviser. The NGFS [Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System] was launched in December 2017 and Després, the group’s first head of secretariat, stepped down from the role in May 2021. Writing on Twitter, he said: “I am opening today a new chapter, joining the Berlin office of the European Climate Foundation as senior advisor [sic] green finance. Looking forward to leveraging the power of philanthropy!” 

NN Investment Partners’ CIO, Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, has been named global head of sustainability for public investing at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, as Goldman continues the integration of its new acquisition. Alongside van Nieuwenhuijzen, NN IP’s CEO and chief client officer have been handed non-ESG roles in Goldman Sachs AM’s EMEA operations.

Laura Clarke has been announced as the new CEO of legal NGO ClientEarth as its founder James Thornton steps back to a non-executive role. Clarke, currently British high commissioner to New Zealand, has had a 20-year career in the civil service, with diplomatic roles across Africa, Asia and Europe, as well as a stint as governor of the Pitcairn Islands. Thornton will take the titles of founder and president.

Simon Connell, outgoing chair of the Net Zero Banking Alliance, has joined consultancy Baringa as a director. Connell, who stepped down as chair after he left his job as global head of sustainability strategy at Standard Chartered, said his new role would involve supporting banking and financial services firms as they look to integrate sustainability into their operations.

Gabriel Malek, project manager, investor influence at US nonprofit the Environmental Defense Fund, has been appointed as deputy chief of staff at the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), the body launched last year to coordinate net-zero pledges in the financial sector.

Yasuhiko Ushikubo has been promoted from his role as head of the research and consulting unit at Mizuho to become the Japanese financial giant’s first chief sustainability officer.

AXA Investment Managers has appointed Mariana Villanueva and Matthieu Firmian as ESG analysts. Villanueva, who leaves her role as credit analyst at AXA Group, will work on biodiversity and labelled debt, while Firmian moves from a role as product manager at Aviva Investors, working on social topics.

Bronwyn Claire has joined Ortec Finance as a business specialist, climate and ESG solutions. Claire, who has previously held roles in KPMG’s China and Australia businesses, leaves her job as lead on the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s ClimateWise insurance sustainability group.

Priya Bellino has been appointed head of ESG solutions APAC at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. She leaves her role at EY’s sustainable finance practice and previously spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs.

ShareAction is hiring for a head of asset owner initiatives.

Albertine Pegrum-Haram has joined Columbia Threadneedle Investments as a senior associate, responsible investment, working on climate change and net zero. Pegrum-Haram, who has previously worked at the European Climate Foundation and UK’s government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, leaves her role as an ESG specialist at S&P Global.