RI People & Appointments, August 22: Niklasson joins Investec as Head of ESG Research

Therese Niklasson has joined Investec Asset Management, the fund management group with $94bn (€65.5bn) in assets under management, as Head of ESG (environmental, social and governance) Research. She joins from rival firm Threadneedle Asset Management, which she left last month. Investec, which is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and the UK’s Stewardship Code, is now publishing its global proxy voting results quarterly in arrears as of the second quarter 2011.

APG Asset Management, the Dutch asset manager, is looking for a Sustainability Specialist to join its eight-member ESG (environmental, social and governance) team. “We are looking to recruit for a role focussed on the integration of ESG in the investment processes of Listed Equities and Fixed Income (which represent about three-quarters of assets under management,” the job ad states.

Amina Mohamed has taken up office as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Mohamed, a former Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of Kenya’s Ministry, takes over from Angela Cropper of Trinidad and Tobago. Announcement

Lee Schipper, the co-founder the World Resources Institute’s sustainable transport programme EMBARQ, has died following a battle with cancer. “Lee was a friend, leader and mentor to countless WRI staff, where he was known for his tremendous intelligence, his agile mind, his warm manner and his wit,” said WRI interim president Manish Bapna. In July the WRI named Holger Dalkmann as the new director for EMBARQ. WRI Statement.

Stefanie Shelley has been named Chief Marketing Officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions, the proxy services infrastructure company. Shelley, a former Executive Vice President at Capital One, will report to Peter Benzie, Corporate Vice President of Sales. She has been working with Broadridge as a consultant since August 2010. Announcement

Kirkland Andrews has been named as chief financial officer at NRG Energy, the US power generation firm which is making a play to become a leading green energy producer with a raft of clean energy projects. Andrews joins from Deutsche Bank Securities, where he was Co-Head of Power and Utilities–Americas. He succeeds Christian Schade who is leaving the firm. Announcement*Jens Meyerhoff,* the former chief financial officer of Arizona-based solar module maker First Solar, is to leave the firm as of September 30. Meyerhoff – who joined in 2006 – was most recently president of the company’s Utility Systems Business Group, in which capacity he will be succeeded by James Brown, currently Senior Vice President of Utility Systems Business Sales. Announcement

David Pummell has been named as CEO of AIM-quoted alternative energy company Ceres Power. Pummell, who takes up the role on September 5, succeeds Peter Bance who resigned in June. Pummell is a former senior executive with oil major BP.

Simon Walker, former chief executive of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, has been appointed as the next director general of the UK business lobby group the Institute of Directors. Walker, a former Communications Secretary to Queen Elizabeth whose career includes spells at Reuters and British Airways, takes over from Miles Templeman at the end of September.

Terri McCullough has been named Executive Director of the Tory Burch Foundation, the philanthropic endeavour of fashion designer Tory Burch that provides microfinance to women. McCullough was formerly Chief of Staff to Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic Leader and first female Speaker of the House. Announcement

Michael Dempsey has been appointed Head of consulting firm Mercer’s Investment Management business for Europe, Middle East & Africa, after four years leading the firm’s Investment Management business in Ireland. He succeeds Tom Murphy, who becomes Regional Head of Investment Management in Boston.

Wellington Management Co., the US funds firm with around $676bn in client assets, is looking to hire an SRI/ESG Analyst for its Boston office. The candidate should have between three and five years experience.

News and data giant Bloomberg has advertised vacancies for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data Analysts, based in Hong Kong. “This team is responsible for researching and analysing ESG data as part of the Bloomberg Equities product,” according to Bloomberg’s careers web site.

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