RI People & Appointments, October 7: Ex-Global Reporting Initiative chief Meehan to chair UKSIF

Michael Meehan has been named Chair of UKSIF, the UK’s sustainable investing network, succeeding incumbent Lesley Alexander who has held the position for five years. Meehan, is a former CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative, the sustainability standards body and also sits on the boards of UK organisations Natural Capital Coalition and FullSight Partners. He left the GRI in 2016 after two years as CEO to pursue other opportunities; the role was eventually taken by Tim Mohin.

Natacha Dimitrijevic, who earlier this year left Hermes Equity Ownership Services, is now a London-based ESG Analyst at Wellington Management. While at Hermes, now part of Federated Investors, she was a Senior Engager and sector lead for pharmaceuticals and responsible for the investment stewardship programme in Europe.

Louis Rieu has joined Man GLG, the discretionary investment management business of Man Group, the listed alternatives group. He has come aboard the Man GLG RI European Equity strategy and will work alongside lead portfolio manager Mike Canfield. The strategy – an ESG variant of the firm’s European Equity fund – operates under the firm’s RI Fund Framework and features an exclusions policy, share voting and active ownership.

Eric Rice has joined BlackRock as the lead manager of its very first “high-conviction active equity impact strategy”. Rice will also lead a newly-formed team dedicated to impact strategies and active global ESG strategies. Rice was formerly at Wellington Management, the Boston-based fund firm with a trillion-dollar portfolio, where he solely managed the $44.5m Hartford Global Impact fund.

BlackRock is also seeking an ESG Product Specialist for its iShares ETF business. The new hire will join the ETF and Index Investing (EII) EMEA Product Team which is responsible for the iShares UCITS ETF range. Candidates must have industry experience relating to ETFs and ESG research.Dr Renosi Mokate, Chair of the Board of Trustees of South Africa’s ZAR1.8trn ($120bn) Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), has been appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to an independent economic advisory council which will “ensure greater coherence and consistency in the implementation of economic policy”. A board member at the Principles for Responsible Investment, she is a former Executive Director of the World Bank Group and former Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).

Stanislas de Joussineau and Sharon Yang, both long-time KKR executives, have recently joined KKR’s Global Impact team, expanding the private equity firm’s geographical coverage. De Joussineau will lead the European Global Impact team, while Yang joins the Asian team as Senior Investor.

Cecilia Thorn has been appointed as the new CEO of the Actuarial Association of Europe (AAE), the representative body of European actuarial associations which advises EU institutions in actuarial issues. She was formerly Head of International Relations for UK accounting watchdog the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), and takes over from Ad Kok, who has retired.

Fredrik Werneman has joined London-based Osmosis Investment Management as Head of European distribution. The sustainability-focused boutique, which manages $1.5bn worth of client assets, invests in companies with superior resource management and recently made its first US hire.

Sue Garrard, who formerly oversaw Unilever’s sustainability communications strategy, has set up her own corporate communications consultancy. She is currently advising boutique strategy consultancy RE-SET and communications agency Headland on sustainability and climate strategy.

Dame Helena Morrissey has resigned as Legal & General’s Head of Personal Investing. Formerly CEO of Newton Investment Management, Morrissey is an equality advocate within the financial sector; it comes amid reports she’s in the running to take over as Governor of the Bank of England. Honor Solomon, Head of Retail for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Emma Douglas, Head of Defined Contribution, will assume her former responsibilities.