RI People & Appointments, July 9: Changes at Citi’s sustainability research team

Meg Brown, Director of Climate and Sustainability Research at Citi Research, has told clients she is stepping back from sell-side research to undertake an internal project for Citi’s Private Bank on sustainable finance and philanthropy. Brown remained with Citi when the firm integrated its SRI research into mainstream broker research departments in late 2008. The firm subsequently built out a more specialist sustainability research approach. Citi is directing all research related to green energy via Jason Channell, Director, Citi Investment Research & Analysis, and a specialist on utilities, gas, and renewable energy/cleantech coverage. Jenny Anderson, Sustainability Research Analyst at Citi, who runs the broker’s SRI coverage, is currently on maternity leave but Citi says it will resume SRI coverage with her return. Anderson was a former SRI analyst at Jupiter Asset Management and worked with the SRI teams at Citigroup, Henderson Global Investors, and RCM.

Thomas Seale, the CEO of European Fund Administration in Luxembourg and board member of ALFI (the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry), has been elected as chairman of LuxFLAG, the Luxembourg Fund Labelling Agency. Seale, who also chairs ALFI’s Technical Committee on Responsible Investing, takes over from Kenneth Hay. Link

Per-Erik Eriksson has been named as the Managing Director of Swedish renewables firm Arise Windpower’s new Arise Joint Ventures AB division. He was formerly Global Head of Energy at SCA Group. “The Company now sees significant opportunities in continuing to develop the concept, inviting other investors to acquire stakes in major wind farms,” it says. Separately, Lars Fröding has been appointed Deputy Chief Executive, in addition to his role as Chief Operating Officer. Link*Michelle Edkins has been named* as the new chair of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), the global network of investors with over $18trn of assets. Edkins, Head of Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment at BlackRock, takes over from Christy Wood in the role. Erik Breen, Head Responsible Investing at Robeco, becomes vice chairman. Four new board members were named: Philip Armstrong, head of the Global Corporate Governance Forum; Heloisa Belotti Bedicks, head of the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance; Jon Feigelson, General Counsel and head of corporate governance at TIAA–CREF; and Philippe Zaouati, deputy CEO at Natixis Asset Management. They take over from Arnaud de Bresson, Sandra Guerra, Nasser Saidi and Christy Wood, immediate past chairman. Link

Former UK Environment Secretary John Gummer, now known as Lord Deben, has been named to succeed Lord Turner as chair of the Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government on energy and climate change policy. Turner announced he was stepping down in January to focus on his role as Chair of the Financial Services Authority regulator.

Jonathan Marren has been named as Chief Financial Officer and member of the board of clean energy project developer Camco International Ltd. He was most recently Deputy Head of Corporate Finance at Singer Capital Markets. Link

Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum, is seeking a Communications Executive. The Brussels-based role reports to the Executive Director and the deadline for responses is August 1. Link