RI People & Appointments, July 28: PRI’s global networks head Tinelli leaves

Maria Tinelli, head of global networks at the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has left the organisation. Tinelli had been with the PRI for almost two and a half years and lead a team across four continents supporting the PRI’s global network of investors to implement responsible investment. Prior to joining the PRI, Tinelli had been a programme performance advisor at Christian Aid. Fiona Reynolds, Managing Director at the PRI, said that last month’s recruitment of Yann Gindre as director of networks and global outreach, would effectively cover Tinelli’s responsibilities. She said that Maria Lettini, the initiative’s head of signatory relations and outreach, had also been promoted to the position of associate director. She said the PRI had added 12 new staff in the last 12 months and was accenting its hires towards staff with experience at investment organisations.

APG, the €375bn Dutch asset manager and pensions provider, has appointed Philip Neyt, a well known European pensions figure, as a senior public affairs adviser on its strategy and policy team. Working with Theo Timmermans, head of APG’s international public affairs, Neyt will focus on international stakeholder management at APG. Neyt was formerly chief executive at the €5bn pension scheme of Belgacom for 15 years, and acted as an adviser on pensions for several Belgian governments.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has appointed Michael Meehan, a veteran sustainability CEO and entrepreneur, as its new chief executive. Meehan built and managed several successful clean-tech businesses including Carbonetworks (2004-2010) and iVeridis Corporation (2010-2013). He succeeds Ernst Ligteringen who is leaving the GRI after 12 years. In a newspaper article, GRI founder Allen White welcomed Meehan and outlined his view on some of the challenges for the organisation. The GRI has also hired Rashmi van de Loenhorst as its new director of marketing and communications. Van de Loenhorst previously worked for Unilever, where she was Global Sustainable Business Manager in London and then Sustainability Campaigns Manager for Unilever UK and Ireland.

Sir Philip Dilley has been confirmed as the new chairman of the UK’s Environment Agency, whose pension fund is a leading responsible investment advocate. Dilley, the former Executive Chairman of engineering consultants Arup, takes over from Lord Smith on September 8. Link

Iveta Cherneva, editor of The Business case for Sustainable Finance, which came out in 2012 and focused on the bottom line for integrating ESG factors into the operations of the finance industry, has joined the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva as a human rights officer.Nick Gardiner has been named Managing Director, Offshore Wind at the UK’s Green Investment Bank, while Karl Smith becomes Fund Managing Director. Gardiner joins from BNP Paribas where he was involved in renewables project finance with a focus on offshore wind. Smith, previously a Director at the green bank, will head up the planned £1bn (€1.26bn) offshore wind fund announced in June. Announcement

The World Bank’s IFC has integrated its corporate governance teams from investment support and advisory services operations into a single, global team. It means the IFC’s Global Corporate Governance Forum has been “retired” as a separate entity. Ghita Alderman, with the forum since 2003, is now Lead for the Corporate Governance Solutions program. Philip Armstrong has assumed a new role in the CG Group as Senior Advisor. Link

Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Chairman of Assicurazioni Generali, the Italian insurance giant, has been confirmed as chairman of the Italian Corporate Governance Committee. Giordano Lombardo, Chairman of Assogestioni, remains Vice-chairman. The Committee has also approved amendments to the Corporate Governance Code: enhancing the “comply or explain” principle and encouraging full disclosure of severance payments granted to executives.

Adebayo Ogunlesi has been named as Lead Director as well as Chair of the Board’s Corporate Governance, Nominating and Public Responsibilities Committee at Goldman Sachs. Ogunlesi, who takes over from the retiring James Schiro, is Managing Partner and Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners, the private equity firm. Former Mercer Chairman and CEO Michele Burns will become Chair of Goldman’s Risk Committee while former Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer will become chair the Audit Committee. Link

German closed fund provider SachsenFonds has recruited Bernd Rickels as its new Director of Business Development for institutional clients like insurers and pension funds. Rickels comes from KGAL, one of Germany’s biggest closed fund providers, where he worked for 20 years as a specialist for institutional investment in real assets. SachsenFonds said that one of Rickels priorities would be to market the firm’s renewable energy portfolio SWEPP, worth €500m, to institutional clients. It added that SWEPP would soon make its first investment in Swedish wind parks. All told, SachsenFonds runs €5bn in assets.

Stephanie Chang, former group risk sustainability manager at HSBC in London, has joined PWC’s sustainability consulting arm. Chang had been with HSBC for nine years.