Ernst Ligteringen, who was chief executive of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability reporting body between 2002 and 2014, has died. Prior to joining GRI, Ernst had a 23-year career in various non-governmental and international organizations. His posts included Executive Director of Oxfam International. Current GRI Tim Mohin said: “Everyone at GRI is devastated at the news of Ernst’s passing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. In part due to his efforts, sustainability reporting has become a commonplace practice for many organizations, leading to greater transparency and in turn the ability to transform the world. We are very grateful for everything he has done and are proud to continue to build on what he started.” GRI co-founder Bob Massie added that behind his “quiet style and patient temperament” was “a soul filled with empathy, compassion, and wit”. And co-founder Allen White paid tribute to his “warmth, steady hand and love for family”. The GRI has set up an online remembrance page here.
Hervé Guez, Head of Responsible Investment Research at Mirova, will now take on the additional role of Head of Equities and Fixed Income at the firm, which is an affiliate of Natixis Global Asset Management. Guez will be in charge of coordinating the fund management teams in Paris, reporting to CEO Philippe Zaouati. For Equities and Fixed Income, he will functionally report to Jens Peers, Global CIO Equities and Fixed Income, based in Boston. Guez has been Head of Responsible Investment Research at Mirova since the company’s inception in 2012, having joined Natixis in 2007 as a senior credit analyst before becoming Head of Extra-financial Research in 2008.
Guy Beech, former Executive at Columbia Threadneedle, has reportedly joined Dutch asset manager Kempen Capital Management as Director of Business Development, and will be responsible for expanding the firm’s family office offering in the UK. Kempen, a subsidiary of the Dutch merchant bank Kempen & Co. and a PRI signatory since 2008, last month named SRI specialist Narina Mnatsakanian as Director of Impact and Responsible Investment. Mnatsakanian joined from Sarona Asset Management, the boutique private equity firm.
US investment banking giant Morgan Stanley has announced the launch of its Global Sustainability Bond Leadership Council, to be chaired by Tom Nides, the firm’s Vice Chairman. Charged with overseeing the continued development of firm’s green, social, and sustainability bond franchise, the council will be composed of 12 senior executives, including Chief Sustainability Officer Audrey Choi.
Peter Freire, CEO of the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), has reportedly stepped down from the role – with the announcement being made to members of the trade group in a memorandum from its Chair Tanya Carmichael. Freire, who joined ILPA in 2015 replacing Kathy Jeramaz-Larson, will temporarily be replaced by Jennifer Choi, Managing Director, until an interim CEO is named.
Jodie Roussell, Head of Public Affairs at Chinese solar firm Trina Solar, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at the Global Solar Council, replacing John Smirnow. Roussell, who also co-founded the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), will lead the non-profit representative body for the solar energy sector from August 2017.Hermes Investment Management, the UK-based £30.8bn asset manager owned by the BT Pension Scheme, has expanded its Sales and Client Relationship and Service teams with four new hires: Antoinette Eltz has been named Head of Client Relationship Management joining from Zurich-based independent investment firm Twelve Capital. Thomas Shuttlewood joins Hermes’ Client Service Management team from Fidelity Worldwide Investment. Dan Churchouse and Siman Thind have been appointed Associate Directors within the UK Wholesale and UK Institutional teams respectively – with Churchouse joining from Kames Capital, while Thind moved to Hermes from Morgan Stanley in January.
Caroline Escott, former Head of Government Relations at UKSIF, the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, has joined the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association as Defined Benefit and Investment Policy Lead. Reporting to Joe Dabrowski, Head of Governance and Investment, she will lead the association’s investment related public policy with a focus on “promoting a sustainable, long-term investment environment”. Escott joins from the Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association.
Robert Pouliot, a director of shareholder rights group FAIR Canada, is among a group of 15 experts named by the Autorité des marchés financiers, Quebec’s financial sector regulatory body, to its Investment Products Advisory Committee. The panel will look at issues relating to the management, distribution, and regulation of funds.
Henry Shilling, Senior Vice President at Moody’s, is set to retire at the end of the month from the US ratings agency after over 20 years with the firm, according to reports. Shilling, who was an expert advisor on the Steering Committee of the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings, most recently headed up Moody’s green bond services.
Lata Reddy has been named chair of The Prudential Foundation, the charitable arm of the US-listed finance giant Prudential Financial. It comes as it is moving its office of Corporate Social Responsibility to the C-Suite, reporting directly to Vice Chairman Mark Grier. “From our beginning, we have always believed that our higher purpose is to pursue inclusive growth that benefits shareholders, customers and society,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential.
Oliver Bilal, Head of EMEA at UBS, has joined France’s Natixis Global Asset Management as Head of International Sales and Marketing responsible for activities across Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Bilal, who will report to CEO Jean Raby, will also oversee newly promoted Fabrice Chemouny, who has been appointed Head of Asia Pacific, effective from September. Chemouny was formerly Executive Vice President of International Institutional Sales at Natixis.
Nick Anderson, Global Equity Portfolio Manager at UK based investment management firm Janus Henderson Investors, has been joined the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Anderson, a member of the UK Accounting Standards Board since 2007, was appointed along with Australian academic Ann Tarca by IASB’s governing body the IFRS Foundation.
Amy Luers, President Obama’s former Assistant Director for Climate Resilience at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has been appointed Executive Director at global sustainable transition initiative Future Earth. Luers, who has over 20 years’ experience working on sustainability, will commence her new role in September 2017.
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