RI People & Appointments, August 3: PRI, Impax, Zevin, Eurosif, ICCR, 300 Club, ISS

The round-up of the latest ESG movers and shakers

The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has made two hires. Kurt Morriesen joins as Senior Manager, Alternatives and Don Gerritsen becomes Senior Manager, Asset Owner Insight. They will replace Karin Malmberg and Fong Yee Chan; they both start today (August 3) and report to Tomi Nummela, Head of Implementation Support. Morriesen joins the PRI from a Senior Consultant role at Eunomix, where he worked on the African extractive industry; he relocates from Mozambique back to London. Gerritsen joins from the Dutch Investors Association for Sustainable Development (VBDO), where he has been Manager, Sustainability & Responsible Investment since early 2014. He is also Guest Lecturer, Stakeholder Engagement at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Sally Bridgeland, the former CEO of BP Pension Trustees Limited and investment consultant, has joined sustainability fund manager Impax Asset Management Group as a non-executive director. Bridgeland is currently also a non-exec director of Royal London and is a trustee of the Lloyds Bank No 1 and No 2 Pension Schemes, and NEST Corporation. Lindsey Brace Martinez has also joined Impax as a non-exec director. Based in US, she currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. Bridgeland joins Impax’s remuneration and audit & risk committees; Martinez joins the remuneration committee.

Greg Peterson has joined Zevin Asset Management, the Boston-based socially responsible investment firm, as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Peterson will take over management of the client portfolios of Robert Zevin, the firm’s founder, and contribute to the economic analysis and models that form the basis of Zevin’s investment process. Peterson joins Zevin from Ballentine Partners where he was Director of Research and a Portfolio Manager for the past twelve years. He holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of North Carolina. Announcement

Eurosif, Europe’s sustainable investment lobby, is looking to hire a new Executive Director (ED) due to the imminent departure of François Passant. According to a job description, the new ED in Brussels will communicate with and influence European regulators to support and grow the market for sustainable investment products and services. Candidates must, among other things, have at least a Bachelor’s Degree or higher; a good understanding of the European investment sector; as well as experience with EU public policy processes.

Danish commercial pension provider PFA has confirmed that Lars Elle-Andersen, Executive Vice President in charge of sales, has left the company. In a statement, PFA CEO Allan Polack said that following a talk with Andersen about PFA’s future strategy, the sales chief “decided he didn’t want to be part of the new PFA.” Polack will take charge of Andersen’s responsibilities for the meantime. According to Danish news reports, Andersen is leaving PFA to join rival Danica. PFA statement
(Danish)*The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility* (ICCR), the US faith-based investor coalition, is looking for a new Chief Executive Officer to take over from Laura Berry who is retiring. The New York-based group operates on an annual budget of $2.1m and comprises nearly 300 organizations including faith-based institutions, socially responsible asset management companies, unions, pension funds and colleges and universities that collectively represent over $100 billion within their own invested capital.
Jan Straatman, Global Chief Investment Officer of Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM), has become the newest member of the 300 Club, the group of investment professionals founded by Hermes’ CEO Saker Nusseibeh. Straatman has held senior roles at ING Investment Management, ABP Investments and Achmea Asset Management.

Shinbo Won has been named as Head of Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) Research at proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. Previously head of ISS’s Korea research unit, Won replaces Jun Frank, who will take on a new role within ISS later this year, the company said. He joined the firm in 2013 after spending over a decade as an investor relations specialist in Seoul.

Steven Blackie has been named UK Head of Investments at Mercer, the investment consultant known for its reports on how funds can tackle climate change. He joined the firm in 2009 and was most recently Commercial Director within its Edinburgh investment team. Prior to joining Mercer, Blackie had stints at Edinburgh Fund Managers and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

Patrick Scheurle has been named chief executive of BlueOrchard, the Swiss microfinance firm. Formerly chief operating officer and chief financial officer, he takes over from Peter Fanconi, the former Vontobel Private Bank CEO, who becomes chairman. The changes take place as of January 1 next year. Boris Collardi, CEO at Julius Baer Group, joins the board.

The Climate Bonds Initiative, the NGO committed to promoting low-carbon and climate resilient investment projects to capital markets, is recruiting a Marketing & Communications Manager, and a Market Analyst to join its team in London.

Kresge Foundation, a $3.5bn private US foundation, is hiring a social investments assistant to provide support to its social investment practice. Last year, the team made commitments totalling $20.4m.

A Director of Customer, Propositions and Corporate Affairs is being sought by Unity Trust Bank, the UK-based specialist bank for organisations and businesses that aim to create community, social or environmental benefit. Unity aims to achieve both a sustainable financial performance and make a positive social impact something. The role reports to the CEO.

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) is looking to hire a membership assistant to support its Network Membership and Investors’ Council program administration, service delivery, and member recruitment. Link