RI People & Appointments, May 2: Hermes EOS co-head Emma Hunt leaves

Emma Hunt has decided to leave fund manager Hermes, where she is co-head of engagement arm Hermes Equity Ownership Services, to pursue other opportunities. A Hermes spokesperson said: “We thank her for her contribution and we wish her well for the future. Dr Hans Christoph Hirt has become the sole Head of Hermes EOS, Hermes’ stewardship team which advises on £264.2bn of assets.” Hunt joined the company, which is owned by the BT Pension Scheme, in August 2015 from the investment consultant then known as Towers Watson. Her original title was Director of Strategic Client Management and Development, reporting to Hermes EOS’s then CEO Colin Melvin. She became co-head of EOS when Melvin was named Global Head of Stewardship at Hermes Investment Management. Hunt had been co-head of Sustainable and Responsible Investment at Towers Watson along with her colleague Jane Goodland.

Heike Reichelt, head of investor relations and new products at the World Bank, has been awarded the Joan Bavaria Award for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. The announcement was made at the Ceres Conference 2017 in San Francisco. The annual award is given by sustainability organization Ceres and the Boston-based investment firm Trillium Asset Management to honor inspiring global leaders working to move capital markets toward a system that balances economic prosperity with social and environmental issues. The groups selected Reichelt for her leadership in managing relationships with bond investors and rating agencies, and developing new debt products for investors, including products for climate change mitigation and adaptation like World Bank Green Bonds, and other products that raise awareness for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Heike has been a catalyst of innovation, performing path-breaking work in the development of the green bond movement,” said Trillium Asset Management Managing Partner Cheryl Smith. The award was established in 2008 in memory of Joan Bavaria, a pioneer of social investing who founded Ceres and Trillium Asset Management. Past winners include Christiana Figueres, Geeta Aiyer, Sister Patricia Daly and Tessa Tennant.

Achim Steiner has been appointed as the new Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a four-year term. The UNDP supports countries around the world to eradicate extreme poverty, strengthen good governance and prevent and respond to crises. Steiner, most recently United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, takes over from Helen Clark, who served two successive terms as UNDP Administrator. Link

Corporate Governance specialist Francis Byrd, who has previously worked with the New York City Comptroller’s Office and with the Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office on their pension policies, has joined US based international financial services regulatory compliance consulting firm, Integrated Compliance Solutions Group, LLC to lead its ESG Practice Group.Former World Bank President Robert Zoellick has been named chairman of the board at New York-listed asset manager AllianceBernstein amid a sweeping change of management that has seen Seth Bernstein named President and CEO after the departure of Peter Kraus. Zoellick, who recently stepped down as Chairman of Goldman Sachs International Advisors, was a board member at Alliance Capital Management Corporation from 1997-2001. France-based insurer and asset manager AXA has a 64% stake in the firm, which has almost $500bn in assets under management.

Stephen Spaulding, Special Counsel to US Federal Election Commission (FEC) Commissioner Ann Ravel, has reportedly re-joined US not for profit Common Cause. Spaulding previously served as Legal Director & Senior Policy Counsel at the nonpartisan organisation, which advocates for an “open, honest, and accountable government”. Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that oversees campaign finance data.

Hassatou Diop N’Sele has been named as Acting Vice-President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the African Development Bank Group. Currently Treasurer, Ms. N’Sele takes over from Charles Boamah who has been appointed as Senior Vice-President for the Bank.

Tony Cole, Board Director at SRI fund manager Australian Ethical Investment Ltd, has announced his decision to retire from the board for “health and family reasons” as of June 30. The board is currently looking for a replacement for Cole, a Senior Partner at Mercer Investment Consulting based out of Sydney.

Marie-dominique O’Connell, a chartered accountant formerly with professional services firm KMPG, has reportedly been appointed to the Board at Australian superannuation fund, Australian Catholic Super. O’Connell replaces outgoing Director, Neil Anderton.

Zenariah Barends, former Head of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Western Cape Investigative Unit, is reported to have joined South African long-term, socially conscious private equity firm The Sekunjalo Investment Group as Senior Executive. Barends will be responsible for legal services, communication, and multi-lateral engagement at the firm which reports an investment portfolio of $3.5bn.

Aarti Ramachandran, former Client Director at sustainability and communications specialists, Context Group, has joined the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) initiative as Head of Research & Corporate Engagement. Established by Jeremy Coller, Founder and Executive Chairman of UK private equity secondaries firm Coller Capital, FAIRR aims to educate investors about the material financial risks of factory farming.