RI People & Appointments, July 30: Head of ESG Research sought for State Street Exchange

State Street Associates, the academic affiliate of the US banking and asset management giant, is seeking a Head of ESG Research for the Global Exchange data and analytics division. The role is responsible for new research, thought leadership and “innovative investment applications in support of State Street Global Exchange’s ESG product strategy”. The successful candidate will apply research concepts to create “customized practical solutions” for clients. The role is a client-facing leadership role, having to author “robust and forward-thinking white papers and research reports” – as well as leading development projects for new indicators, indices and other research-led products.

Simon Messenger has been named Director of France and UK at global think tank the 2° Investing Initiative (2°ii), where he will lead its engagements with companies and investors on climate scenario analysis. As Managing Director of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) he led the organisation’s work on the recommendations from the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). He has also held roles as Head of Consulting at the Energy Saving Trust and a sustainability manager at PwC and Deloitte.

Stefan Björkman, President and CEO of Finland’s Ilmarinen, is leaving the pension firm to take on a new position as head of Konstsamfundet, the Finnish arts foundation. He passes the role onto Jouko Pölönen, who will take it up at the beginning of August.

Man Group, the listed alternatives firm, has named Jason Mitchell as Co-Head of Responsible Investment. Together with Steven Desmyter, Co-Head of Responsible Investment, Jason will oversee responsible investment activities across the group, reporting to Sandy Rattray, Chief Investment Officer. Mitchell was previously Sustainability Strategist at Man Group and a member of the Responsible Investment Committee.

All nine members of the board of Khazanah, Malaysia’s $39bn (€33.5bn) strategic investment fund, have resigned en-masse following criticism from the prime minister. Mahathir Mohamad, 92, was sworn in as the world’s oldest leader in May. Since then, the two-time prime ministers has criticised the management of government-linked companies (GLCs).

Nicholas Moore has decided to retire as Managing Director and CEO of Macquarie Group in November 2018 after a decade in the role. The board has appointed Shemara Wikramanayake, who has been Group Head of Macquarie Asset Management since 2008, as his replacement. Since joining Macquarie in 1987, Wikramanayake’s work has included establishing and leading Macquarie’s corporate advisory offices in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and the infrastructure funds management business in the US and Canada.

Shared Value, the social impact initiative guided by Boston-based consultant FSG, has appointed former Gap Inc. executive Bobbi Silten as its new Managing Director. Most was most recently Executive Vice President, Global Talent & Sustainability at the clothing firm.Elsa Ben Hamou Dassonville has joined MSCI ESG Research as Senior ESG Consultant for the French market and French-speaking clients in Switzerland. She will be based in MSCI’s Paris office. Prior to joining MSCI, she worked as a consultant developing the sustainability strategy for corporates in different industries. Prior to the completion of her MBA at INSEAD, she was a sustainability and equity analyst for five years at RobecoSAM.

Gabriel Ferrero y de Loma-Osorio has been appointed Director General of Sustainable Development Policies in Spain. He replaces Cristina Pérez. The role had been created under the former Foreign Affairs Minister Alfonso Dastis. Ferrero, a Professor of International Development and Cooperation at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, has been an Advisor for the Agenda 2030 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Eurosif Executive Director Flavia Micilotta and Bruno Gabellieri, Secretary General of the European Association of Paritarian Institutions (AEIP) are to join the Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group at EIOPA, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. ClientEarth’s Stephanie Morton, Better Finance’s Guillaume Prache and Finance Watch’s Paul Fox join EIOPA’s Insurance and Reinsurance Stakeholder Group.

Ellie Mulholland has been appointed as the first director of the Commonwealth Climate & Law Initiative (CCLI), the international initiative examining the legal basis for company directors to take account of climate risk. Moving from law firm Allens, Mulholland will be responsible for expanding the initiative and co-ordinating further research.

Anne Richards is ending a two-year stint as CEO at M&G to head up Fidelity’s international business. She replaces outgoing president Brian Conroy, who left his position to pursue US-based work with Fidelity.

Ray Cameron has been named head of Americas within BlackRock’s investment stewardship team, according to a memo cited by Reuters. Moving from Stifel Financial Corp where he was Managing Director – Head of Corporate Access, Cameron takes up a position that had been vacant since Zach Oleksiuk left in October. Cameron will report to Michelle Edkins, the firm’s Global Head of Investment Stewardship.

Former McKinsey Managing Director and long-termism advocate Dominic Barton has been appointed chairman of Canadian copper and coal mining firm Teck, according to media reports. He will replace Norman Keevil, who will leaving his position in September, staying on as Chairman Emeritus and Special Advisor to the Board. While heading up McKinsey, Barton co-authored a report which found that long-term companies outperform their shorter-term peers and was instrumental in the Focusing Capital on the Long-Term (FCLT) initiative.

The Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) is looking for an Associate Director of Policy Development to join its team in Toronto. Link