RI People & Appointments, May 8: Mercer, Carbon Tracker, BAML, LCIV, SHARE

The Shareholder Association for Research & Education (SHARE), the Canadian non-profit organisation supporting investors in building a sustainable and inclusive economy, has appointed Kevin Thomas as new Executive Director. Thomas, currently SHARE’s Director of Shareholder Engagement, takes over from Peter Chapman, who has headed up the organisation for the last 18 years.
After more than five years in his role as Senior Researcher at Carbon Tracker, Luke Sussams is leaving to join Kepler Cheuvreux. Sussams said: “It has been a wild ride and I will miss [Carbon Tracker’s] incredibly talented and dedicated team. I am thrilled to be joining Kepler Cheuvreux and to continue producing interesting and innovative research on the winners and losers of the energy transition and the environmental sector more broadly.”
The London Collective Investment Vehicle (LCIV) – one of the UK’s recently-established local authority pension pools – has appointed Kristina Ingate as Chief of Staff. She will have responsibility for governance as part of the role. Ingate has previously worked in senior roles at Highways England and Peabody, as well as having financial services experience.
The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has launched a search for two ESG experts to become Senior Programme Managers for its work in the investment and insurance industries. Clarisse Simonek previously ran the Investment Leaders Group for CISL – part of Cambridge University – but has decided not to return from maternity leave, CISL said. The programme works with asset owners, managers and consultants on issues linked to sustainability. Tom Herbstein has also stepped down from his position leading CISL’s ClimateWise initiative, which works with the CEOs of 16 insurers on climate issues. Both applications close this month. For details see here.
Sarbjit Nahal is leaving Bank of America Merrill Lynch after eight years at Managing Director & Head of Thematic Investing Strategy. He has taken a position as Chief Strategist at London-based asset manager, Signal Capital Partners. Before joining BAML, Nahal was Managing Director and Co-Head of Thematic Research at Societe Generale for five years. He has also held positions at Vigeo Eiris and CM-CIC Securities.
Responsible investment think-tank and advocacy group Preventable Surprises is looking for a new Chair and a new CEO. The London-based organisation, which was founded by ESG stalwart Raj Thamotheram, focuses on promoting effective engagement and ‘forceful stewardship’ within the investment community on sustainability topics. The Chair and CEO roles will be separate, with the former helping to appoint the latter.Consulting firm Mercer is expanding its RI team with three new hires across the US, UK and Australia. Tomi Nummela moves from his role leading the PRI’s Investment Practice development to join Mercer’s UK RI team, where he will report to UK Head of Responsible Investment Lucy Tusa and work with European clients on ESG integration. In the US, Max Messervy joins Mercer’s RI team in Boston, where he will support ESG integration efforts among North American clients and report to US head of Responsible Investment, Alex Bernhardt. He moves from insurance practice at the US sustainable investment NGO Ceres. Timothy Stamp will join the Australian RI team in its Sydney office, working with clients in the Pacific region on ESG integration and reporting to Global Business Leader, Responsible Investment Helga Birgden. Prior to joining Mercer, Stamp spent three years working as a Senior Consultant in KPMG’s human rights and social impact team, KPMG Banarra.
The OECD is recruiting both a Senior Pension Expert and a Junior Pension Analyst. Apply online by 27 May 2018.
Steve Bolton has started a new position as Research Director for Verdantix. In his new role, he will research technologies that optimise business operations in areas such as environment, health, safety, quality (EHS/EHSQ), operational risk, and energy, as well as leading research projects, overseeing the development of research reports, and managing the New York office. He leaves Trucost, part of S&P Dow Jones Indices, where he was Project Manager and Senior Analyst for four years.
The Global Risk Center (GRC) of Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) is looking to hire its inaugural Director focused on ‘Climate Resilience’, to lead and support research and analysis linking transition and physical climate change risks and opportunities to client businesses and investment portfolios. The new role will coordinate with MMC companies and external partners. For more information about the job posting click here.
Bloomberg has lost ESG analyst Lauren Cope, who left the position take up a new role as ESG analyst with Pzena Investment Management.
The IFC has appointed Gabriel Goldschmidt as Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, where he will oversee the development bank’s work on leveraging finance to tackle climate change and building sustainable infrastructure, among other things. IFC’s active investment portfolio for the region is currently some $18bn. Goldschmidt has been at IFC since 1993, and has developed a particular expertise around renewables, water and waste, according to a statement.