RI People & Appointments, August 27: ex-Daimler CFO to chair German governance panel

Manfred Gentz, a former chief financial officer at German car giant Daimler Benz, has been named as the new chair of the commission that oversees Germany’s corporate governance code. Gentz takes over from former Commerzbank chief executive Klaus-Peter Müller. After leaving Daimler in 2004, Gentz served on the supervisory boards of Swiss insurer Zurich and, between 2008 and 2012, Deutsche Börse, the operator of Frankfurt’s bourse. He is currently president of the German chapter of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Gentz has been an advocate of good corporate governance. Last year, Gentz and Müller sent a letter to the supervisory boards of the 30 firms traded on Germany’s blue-chip Dax index to urge a limit on their executive pay.

Activist investor Edward Bramson is stepping down as chairman of UK-based fund firm F&C Asset Management. Bramson, who took control of F&C in a boardroom coup in 2011, will be replaced in the role by Kieran Poynter

Wei Dong Zhou has been named as the new China Director of the Sustainability Consortium (TSC), the consumer product sustainability group. He joins the TSC with more than 20 years of experience in Chinese government, non-profit organization management, CSR and sustainability strategy, philanthropy and state owner sector and multinational companies. The consortium has also announced a partnership with Nanjing University to identify the social and environmental issues and improvement opportunities associated with consumer products. Link

Jeroen de Munnik has been appointed Chief of Institutional Business and member of the Executive Committee at €140bn Dutch pension fund investor PGGM. He succeeds PGGM’s current CEO Else Bos in the role. De Munnik, who left his former post as head of AEGON’s pensions business at the end of 2012, will start at PGGM on October 1.

Professor Hiroyuki Kansaku of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Law and Politics, is to chair the Japanese government’s panel looking at developing a ‘stewardship code’. The 18-member panel includes figures such as Akiyoshi Oba, president and CEO of Tokio Marine Asset Management, Sakie Fukushima, president of G & S Global Advisors and Daisuke Hamaguchi, Chief Investment Officer of Japan’s Pension Fund Association. The panel is expected to publish its recommendations by the end of 2013.Diederik Timmer, Global Director of Institutional Relations at Sustainalytics, has moved to New York City from his former base in Amsterdam. The company said the move was in response to the continued momentum of responsible investment in North America. Timmer will retain his responsibilities overseeing Sustainalytics’ global institutional relations team.
Dan Badger and Kevin McCullough have joined the board of Greencoat UK Wind, the newly listed wind investment vehicle. Badger, who has been proposed by the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is a former Enron executive who is currently a Partner at renewables advisory firm Hideal Partners. McCullough, the former Chief Operating Officer of RWE Innogy GmbH, is currently chief executive of UK Coal Mine Holdings Ltd.

Richard Gillies, director of sustainable development at retailer Marks & Spencer and head of its ‘Plan A’ sustainability project, is leaving for a similar role at rival retail firm, DIY group Kingfisher, according to trade paper Retail Week.

Anders Runevad has been appointed as president and chief executive of Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems, replacing Ditlev Engel who will leave the company after eight years. “The company is now entering a new phase, where we want to realise our growth potential, and I am confident that Mr Runevad has the right experience to lead the company going forward,” said Chairman Bert Nordberg. Runevad joins from telecoms firm Ericsson, where he was president of western and central Europe.

Clive Callister has been named as Chief Operating Officer and as a board member at Renewable Energy Holdings, which develops European onshore wind farms. He is a former Technical Services Director at the company and has worked as a consultant for five years. Earlier this year the company said it would dispose of its assets and operate as a virtual company with no employees, instead using external consultants as required. Link

The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition is seeking a Communications Director in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2011, FACT unites small business, labor, government watchdog, faith-based, human rights, anti-corruption, public-interest, and international development organizations. It seeks “an honest and fair corporate tax code, greater transparency in corporate ownership and operations, and commonsense policies to combat the facilitation of money laundering and other criminal activity”.