NZ Super Fund Chief Executive Adrian Orr has been appointed Chair of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) for a three-year, unpaid term. Orr, who was previously IFSWF Deputy Chair, will undertake his new responsibilities alongside his role at NZ Super. The forum aims to promote best practice governance and transparency in the management of sovereign wealth funds, and to provide a forum for members to exchange views on issues of common interest. Its 28 members manage state funds in excess of US$4trn.
Laura Berry and Bennett Freeman have joined the Global Advisory Council of Cornerstone Capital Group, the boutique firm founded by former UBS Head of Global Sector Research Erika Karp. Berry, who is retiring as Executive Director of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), will take on the role of Chair of the Designated Equity Committee of the Council, a new take on corporate philanthropy. Freeman was most recently senior vice president for Sustainability Research and Policy at Calvert Investments. Also joining the council is technology executive Vivienne Ming.
Francesco Bicciato has been named the new Secretary General of the Italian Sustainable Investment Forum (Forum per la Finanza Sostenibile or FFS). Bicciato, who replaces the association’s founder and Secretary General of 15 years, Davide Dal Maso, was a coordinator of the Italian campaign for the capitalisation of Banca Etica, and later was Director of International Relations at the ethically oriented bank. Bicciato has also served as Vice President of Febea (European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks) and INAISE (International Association of Investors in the Social Economy).
Sharon Alpert has been named as the new president and CEO of the Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF), the $450m foundation formed by the founder of the Sara Lee Corporation. She is currently the Vice President of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Surdna Foundation and takes over from interim President and CEO Ernest Tollerson. NCF, a founder signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment, is an active shareholder and frequent filer of shareholder resolutions.
Louis Coppola, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Governance & Accountability Institute, a New York-based sustainability consulting organisation, has been appointed to the board at the Global Sourcing Council, a global non-profit organization focused on promoting sustainable, socially responsible sourcing practices. Coppola will chair its Communications/Outreach Committee.
David Nish, former Chief Executive at Standard Life, has been announced as a non-executive director at telecoms giant Vodafone. Nish, who spent six years as the Edinburgh-based life and pensions group’s boss before stepping down last month (replaced by Keith Skeoch), will take up his new role at the start of January. He’s also a non-executive director at the government-backed UK Green Investment Bank, and was previously Deputy Chairman of the Association of British Insurers.
Sir James Bevan has been appointed Chief Executive of the UK’s Environment Agency – replacing Paul Leinster who left the role last month after 17 years at the agency. Bevan (not to be confused with the CCLA Chief Investment Officer of the same name!) will leave his current role as the UK’s High Commissioner to India to take up the role.Martina Macpherson has joined Hermes Equity Ownership Services as sector lead for the consumer goods and retail sector, responsible for corporate governance and engagement activities in the Nordics, Italy, South Africa and India. She joins from her Sustainable Investment Partners agency. She has had roles at MSCI, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and F&C.
Dushy Sivanithy is leaving private equity firm Pantheon Ventures, where he co-chairs its Responsible Investment Committee, a spokesperson has confirmed. Sivanithy, who sits on the PRI’s Private Equity Steering Group, previously worked for Hermes Private Equity and Morgan Stanley.
Ajit Singh, previously Chief Risk Officer at the $54bn United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, has been named Chief Investment Officer at the $3.8bn Houston Firefighters’ Relief & Retirement Fund, as of November.
OPTrust, which manages the C$13.3bn (€9bn) Ontario Public Service Employees Union Pension Plan, has named James Davis, formerly Vice President, Strategy & Asset Mix at Ontario the Teachers’ Pension Plan, as their Chief Investment Officer. Davis, who replaces Alex Macdonald, who left OPTrust in February.
Frank Johnson, the former Managing Director at Railpen Investments, has been elected chair of the National Association of Pension Funds’ Defined Benefit Council.
AustralianSuper, the largest superannuation fund in Australia, with A$93bn (€58.5bn) in assets under management, is currently recruiting Senior Equity Analysts with knowledge of the Healthcare and Information Technology sectors for its in-house Global Equities team.
UniSuper, the A$50bn superannuation fund for the higher education and research sector, has announced Nicolette Rubinsztein as an Independent Director of its board. Rubinsztein has previously held senior positions at Colonial First State, BT Funds Management and most recently as General Manger, Retirement at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia – a position she will leave at the end of November. She has also been a Director of the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia Board for the past eight years.
ShareAction is hiring a policy and legal officer to lead a project to engage the legal sector on understanding the duties of investors with respect to climate change. Link
UK charity the Friends Provident Foundation has launched a fellowship, with an award of £45,000, for an initiative to build a better understanding of economics in the wider public.
Sustainalytics, the sustainability research firm, is currently looking for a Senior Responsible Investment Advisor to join its Institutional Relations team in London.
Norges Bank Investment Management, manager of Norway’s giant Government Pension Fund is looking for an Analyst for its Environmental Group within the Capital Strategy Department based in London.
J.P Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank is looking to fill a Credit Risk – Environmental and Social Risks – Analyst role within its London-based Global Environmental & Social Risk Management (GESRM) team. Link
News and data giant Bloomberg Global Data is recruiting for a Data Analyst for its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) team in Tokyo.
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