RI People & Appointments, Oct. 23: Social Stock Exchange, Canada’s RIA, UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

The Social Stock Exchange, the UK platform that vets and highlights listed impact investment businesses, has appointed Debbie Ryan as its new managing director following the departure of Tomas Carruthers. Ryan has been promoted from her role as director of partnerships and has a 20-year career in the public service. Carruthers’ appointment as a director was terminated on September 30, according to a filing at Companies House. The departure of Carruthers, who founded financial trading portal Interactive Investor and who is a trustee at the National Employment Savings Trust, follows the exit of former Hermes executive Colin Melvin as chair over the summer. Melvin was replaced by Stephen Brenninkmeijer, a trustee.

Dustyn Lanz will take over from Deb Abbey as CEO of Canada’s Responsible Investment Association at the start of next year. Abbey, one of the pioneers of the Canadian socially responsible investment industry, is retiring following five years in the role at the body formerly known as the Social Investment Organization (SIO). Lanz, currently Chief Operating Officer, has worked with the RIA since 2013. Prior to this Lanz worked in academia where he conducted research and made policy recommendations to improve governance of the global financial system.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Sudhir Rajkumar of India as his representative for the investment of the assets of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund. Rajkumar, who succeeds Carol Boykin, is currently head of the global pension advisory programme at the World Bank Treasury. He has advised Korea’s National Pension Fund, South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund and Malaysia’s KWAP. He’s also a member of the External Advisory Committee on Investments of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Investment Committee of the United Nations Office for Project Services and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Pension Management. He is co editor and an author of the book ‘Governance and Investment of Public Pension Assets: Practitioners’ Perspectives’ published by the World Bank. The UNJSPF’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) stance is set out here.

US corporate governance specialists Stephen Brown and Beverly O’Toole have been named along with 14 other experts as Advisory Board members to the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. Brown, formerly TIAA–CREF’s Director of Corporate Governance, is now Senior Advisor at professional services firm KPMG. O’Toole is Managing Director and General Counsel, Corporate Governance at Goldman Sachs.

Therese Kenny has been named Chief Financial Officer at Australia’s A$5.6bn first industry fund, LUCRF Super. She joins from Hostplus, the A$22bn superannuation fund for Australia’s hospitality, tourism, and recreation sector, where she held several senior roles.Eric Meurice, the Universities Superannuation Scheme’s nominee for the Supervisory Board of AkzoNobel has not been supported by the board at the Dutch multinational, which cited “feedback received from an independent search firm” as the reason. The UK fund for academics recommended Meurice, former CEO at Dutch chip firm ASML, for one of the three vacancies currently available on the chemical firm’s board in July 2017. AkzoNobel’s Board has recommended Michiel Jaski, Sue Clark, and Patrick Thomas as its nominees. The vote on membership will take place at an Extraordinary General Meeting on November 30. As a USS nominee, Meurice requires at least a two-thirds majority of the votes while company nominees need just a simple majority.

Thomas Ehlin, a corporate governance specialist at the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund (AP4), has been named on the Nominating Committee of Fabege, the Swedish property developer. He has been named alongside four others, who have been appointed as representatives of the company’s largest shareholders. The Committee, which was formed in advance of Fabege’s AGM on March 29 2017, will be responsible for submitting proposals to Members of the Board.

Michael Winchester has been confirmed as First State Super’s Head of Investment Strategy. Winchester has been acting-head at the A$84bn Australian superannuation fund since the departure of Michael Blayney in August 2017, who left to join BT Investment Management.

Gervais Williams, Senior Executive Director at London-based fund manager, Miton Group and advisor to the UK Treasury’s Patient Capital Review, has been re-elected for a further three years as Chair of the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA), the independent membership organisation that champions the interests of small to mid-size quoted companies. At the group’s AGM this month, Adam McConkey, Portfolio Manager at Lombard Odier Asset Management, appointment as director was also ratified.

Mark Makepeace, who runs the London Stock Exchange’s data business and who initiated the FTSE4Good index series, is reportedly being tipped to succeed Xavier Rolet as CEO of the exchange. Rolet last week announced he would step down from his post after nine years and the Financial Times said that “one man previously tipped by industry specialists as a potential contender is Mark Makepeace”.

Paul Cahill has been named CEO at $700m Australian industry fund, NESS Super. He replaces Angie Mastrippolito, who left the fund last year to become Chief Operating Officer at NGS Super. Prior to the appointment, Cahill worked with Concept One as CEO to help implement its merger with fellow Australian super fund, WA Super.