RI People & Appointments, April 18: Rhode Island’s Magaziner names pension CIO

The latest ESG movers and shakers

Alec Stais has been named chief investment officer of the $7.9bn pension fund of Rhode Island, according to a Reuters report citing the state’s Treasurer. He was formerly a managing director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Global Portfolio Solutions Group. Stais joins in May, taking over from Anne-Marie Fink, the former JP Morgan executive who left last year. The Treasurer of Rhode Island is Seth Magaziner, the former Trillium Asset Management vice president (see March’s RI Interview with Magaziner here).

Christine Bosse, former CEO of Scandinavian insurance company Tryg, and UN Advocate for the Millennium Development Goals, has been appointed to the Global Impact Investing Network’s (GIIN) Board of Directors. Bosse, who has featured twice in the Financial Times’ ‘Most Influential Business Women in The World’, also currently occupies board positions at Allianz and TDC Group, and serves as Board Chairman for BankNordik.

Sports Direct, the scandal-hit UK sports retailer, has elected Barnstable-based Store Manager, Alex Balacki as its worker representative to the Board. The appointment comes as the company attempts to recast itself as a progressive employer in the wake of several scandals culminating in its billionaire founder, Mike Ashley being hauled before MPs to be questioned over “Victorian” working conditions at the company’s warehouses.

Jennifer Arasimowicz has been promoted to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at FuelCell Energy. Arasimowicz, formerly Vice President at the US based fuel cell energy firm, will be responsible for legal and government affairs.

Pule Segale, a Cape Town-based Civil Engineer with renewable energy firm Mainstream Renewable Power, is one of 35 ‘exceptional young professionals’ to be selected to take part in The World Energy Council’s (WEC) annual Future Energy Leaders’ Programme, which is designed to identify, encourage and inspire the next generation of energy leaders.

Brad Burke, Equity Research Analyst at Goldman Sachs, has joined US real estate investment giant CBRE Group as Head of Investor Relations. Reporting to Jim Groch, Chief Financial Officer and Global Director of Corporate Development Burke will lead CBRE’s investor relations strategy.Donald MacDonald, former Trustee Director at BT Pensions and inaugural Chair of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, has been appointed Chair at the Investment Innovation Benchmark (IIB), the international sustainability innovation initiative which counts Bill Harnett, Head of Sustainability at Australia’s Local Government Super (LGS) and Faith Ward, Chief RI Officer at the UK’s Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF) amongst its committee members.

Helen Lowman, who served as an appointee of President Barack Obama at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has joined US not-for-profit Keep America Beautiful as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Lowman will join the US environmental and community improvement organisation in May 2017. Link

Karl Åberg, Partner and Portfolio Manager at independent Stockholm-based investment manager Zeres Capital, has been reportedly named as head of Industrivärden’s investment and analysis organisation. Åberg, who will take up his new role at the Sweden based asset manager in August 2017, also becomes a member of the company’s Executive Management.

David Swallow, Client Practice Leader for Defined Contribution at US consulting firm Aon Hewitt, has joined TIAA as Senior Director, Consultant Relations. Swallow will reportedly serve as a strategic advisor to the retirement organisation.

Sustainability stalwart Shaun McCarthy, former Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, has been appointed Chair of the Professional Standards Committee at the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA), taking over from Gillian Gibson. The committee has responsibility for ensuring IEMA’s membership and professional standards are ‘robust, upheld and future-fit’.

UK based ‘Community Interest Company’ Preventable Surprises is looking to hire a new Chief Executive Officer to take over from founding CEO Raj Thamotheram – who becomes Co-Chair at the London based not for profit. Link

The Finance Innovation Lab, the London based fairer finance campaign group, is recruiting a Lab Coordinator to support the smooth running of the Lab’s core communications, day- to-day operations and creative, participative events.