RI People & Appointments, Nov. 26: CEOs resign at Denmark’s ATP and South Africa’s PIC

Christian Hyldahl has stepped down as CEO of Danish labour market pension giant ATP ahead of an extraordinary supervisory board meeting to debate his future. It comes amid revelations that Hyldahl – who replaced Carsten Stendevad in 2016 – had links to the so-called ‘Cum-Ex’ tax scandal via his previous role at Nordea Asset Management. ATP said in a statement that the “particulars” of his resignation and the appointment of a temporary CEO would be “clarified as soon as possible”. Hyldahl, an advocate of active ownership and corporate governance, acknowledged that some stakeholders no longer had faith in him as CEO.

Matshepo More has been named Acting Chief Executive Officer of South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation – Africa’s largest asset manager – following the resignation of Dan Matjila. Matjila had faced an internal investigation into allegations of kickbacks but defended himself in an open letter last month. More is CFO of the PIC, which manages the assets of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund (GEPF).

Mikel Postigo, formerly a consultant with Novaster, has stepped in to work as an interim in-house SRI expert for Spain’s Anesvad Foundation, whose whole portfolio is invested in SRI products. Anesvad is seeking the services of an EAFI (empresa de asesoramiento financiero or independent financial adviser firm) to replace Novaster’s EAFI unit, led by the late Jon Aldecoa. Novaster’s EAFI will be dissolved after Aldecoa’s death on 3 October due to a sudden illness.

NEST Corporation Chairman Otto Thoresen – the former Director General of the Association of British Insurers – is to become Chairman and Trustee Director of the £51bn BT Pension Scheme (BTPS), one of the UK’s largest company pension schemes. He replaces Paul Spencer who steps down after over nine years as Trustee Director including over seven years as Chairman.

Richard Sexton has joined the board of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), having been Vice Chairman of Global Assurance at PwC.

Nachu Chockalingam has been named Senior Emerging Market Debt Portfolio Manager at Hermes Investment Management, reporting into Fraser Lundie, Co-Head of Credit. She joins from Jupiter, where she worked on the firm’s emerging markets strategy, and has had stints at J.P. Morgan and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Mahua Acharya has joined the Climate Policy Initiative as a Senior Advisor and Asia Director. She was previously with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as Assistant Director-General and Head of GGGI’s Investment and Policy Solutions Division.

UN Environment chief Erik Solheim has stepped down following scrutiny over his travel expenses, media reports have confirmed. Solheim ran up costs of $488,518 while travelling for 529 out of 668 days, with “no oversight or accountability” on behalf of the UN body to monitor his travel. Solheim says he has repaid the costs associated with “instances of oversight”.

Mark Burgess, Columbia Threadneedle’s chief investment officer for Europe the Middle East and Africa, has reportedly been appointed as Chair of the Investment Association’s Investment Committee, taking over from Fidelity International’s Dominic Rossi.Nandita Parshad is to head up the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Sustainable Infrastructure Group, newly created through the consolidation of the EBRD’s energy and infrastructure teams. Parshad, currently Managing Director for Energy and Natural Resources, has 30 years’ experience investing in the energy sector.

Elisabeth Seep has joined MSCI ESG Product as Executive Director, a New York-based role that will see her lead ESG Fixed Income Solutions. She joins from BNP Paribas where she spent over 10 years in various fixed-income roles and, in the last two years, led the Global Banking Americas Innovation Team. Seep was previously a credit analyst at Moody’s Investors Service. The news follows other recent appointments to the MSCI ESG Fixed Income team, including Mervyn Tang, Head of APAC ex Japan, ESG Research, and Kevin Kwok, VP for ESG Fixed Income Research.

Caroline Grinda-Kalbacher has reportedly left French boutique investment manager Conseil Plus Gestion. Grinda-Kalbacher hands over her Valeurs Feminines fund, which invests in European equity stocks operating in female-dominated sectors, to Arnaud Roux. Roux also currently runs the CPG Oblig, Placeuro Arpege and Placeuro BG Opportunites funds.

Finnish pension firm Ilmarinen is seeking a Responsible Investment Analyst, with responsibilities including assisting and supporting portfolio managers in the areas of responsible investment and corporate governance and conducting corporate responsibility analysis and risk assessment.

New York City’s Comptroller’s Office is recruiting a Director of Corporate Engagement for its Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment unit and its Bureau of Asset Management – the body overseeing the New York City Retirement System’s $200bn investment portfolio. Reporting to the Assistant Comptroller for Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment, the chosen applicant will oversee strategic priorities and develop policy and advocacy campaigns.

Evli Bank Wealth Management is looking for a Responsible Investment Analyst for a maternity leave substitute. The successful applicant’s responsibilities will include analysing portfolios and producing ESG-related reports, and developing tools for ESG portfolio analysis.

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), the not-for-profit body, is recruiting a Research Manager. The chosen candidate will be responsible for the development and delivery of RIAA’s research program, working closely with the Executive Manager Policy, Research & Certification and the CEO.

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) is recruiting a Research Officer in low-carbon competitiveness – a post doctoral research position.

S&P Global Ratings is recruiting a Ratings Analyst to join its Sustainable Finance team, part of the Corporate & Infrastructure Ratings group.

Australian ESG research house CAER is looking to hire two ESG analysts to be based in its Canberra office.