RI People & Appointments, September 3: Mirabaud, Quaero Capita, Conservative Environmental Network, AMF

Hamid Amoura has been named Head of ESG at Mirabaud Asset Management, the venerable Swiss house, joining from BNP Paribas Cardif. David Jeannet, based in Geneva, who has been Mirabaud Group’s SRI Officer since 2017, will now join Amoura’s team. Amoura reports to Head of Investments Umberto Boccato.

Georgina Parker has joined Swiss asset manager Quaero Capital as ESG analyst, where she will work across all the firm’s investment strategies. She joins from the Swiss sustainable finance consulting firm Conser Invest.

Sam Barker, director of the Conservative Environmental Network, the UK think tank where Ben Caldecott and Ben Goldsmith are directors, has died after an 18-month battle against cancer. He was the CEN’s director from May 2016 until this summer. “His humour, intelligence and kindness were an inspiration to us all, as was his gentle determination to make the world a better place,” the board said in a statement. The CEN added it would mark Barker’s contribution to politics and the environment through a Memorial Lecture and prize for Green Conservative of the Year.

Mads Smith Hansen, Chief Risk Officer at ATP, has announced his decision to step down from the Danish labour market pension giant after two years to take a career break. Smith Hansen, who was responsible for ATP’s Lifelong Pension product as well as risk management at the fund, is replaced by Kim Kehlet Johansen, who joins from SEB Pension – formerly Codan Pension – where he most recently served as Mathematical Director. Johansen takes up his new role from October 2018.

Lothian Pension Fund is looking for a new CEO to replace Clare Scott, who steps down at the end of the year. In a LinkedIn post, Scott, who has been with the Edinburgh-based fund for over 12 years, states that she currently doesn’t have a new position to go to but is looking at her “options”. Lothian has also announced that the Fife Council Pension Fund has joined its “investment collaboration model”, which also includes the Falkirk Council Pension Fund, who joined in 2017. This collaboration, which preserves each fund’s autonomy with regards to investment decisions, aims to generate economies of scale.

There’s a new Executive Chair at Spain’s state-owned bank (and sustainable bond participant) Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO). José Carlos García de Quevedo will replace Pablo Zalba. De Quevedo was a Managing Director of Invest in Spain, an initiative of the ICEX, the Spanish agency for foreign trade. Zalba, who was an MEP before joining ICO, is now a Volunteer Mentor of Endeavor España, an organisation that promotes entrepreneurship in Spain.

US pension giant CalPERS has named former California state Finance Director, Michael Cohen as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Marlene Timberlake D’Adamo, who has been serving as interim CFO, returns to her role as Chief Compliance Officer. Cohen is CalPERS’ third CFO in less than two years. In May 2018, its former CFO Charles Asubonten was reportedly dismissed after he was unable to substantiate key details from his application, following an investigation by Naked Capitalism. The financial blog has recently raised similar questions about CalPERS’ CEO Marcie Frost, who joined the fund in 2016. In response, CalPERS’ board has expressed its “unwavering” support for Frost.Annelie Götbring, Head of Responsible Investment at Swedish pension fund provider AMF, has joined Saminvest, the Stockholm-based venture capital firm as Responsible Business Support. A spokesperson for AMF told RI that Götbring, who was with the pension fund for 14 years, has not yet been replaced.

Earth Capital Partners, the UK based sustainability private equity group, has named Edward Collins as its new Chief Executive Officer. Collins joins from Aldbourne Investment Management, the London-based ultra high net worth investment advisory firm.

Neil Gross, a former Executive Director of the Canadian Foundation for the Advancement of Investor Rights (FAIR Canada), has been appointed Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC) Investor Advisory Panel (IAP). Gross, who has served on the IAP since November 2017, replaces Letty Dewar, who leaves the panel after four years along with Louise Tardif. The IAP currently has seven members and will be issuing a call for new members in September 2018.

Australia’s new prime minister has reportedly appointed one of the country’s most prominent anti-wind campaigners, Angus Taylor, as Energy Minister. Scott Morrison, who ousted Malcolm Turnbull last month, named the former Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber security as Energy Minister last week, along with former mining company lawyer Melissa Price as Environment Minister.

Helen Wilson, Head of Responsible Business at Old Mutual, has left the South African-listed financial group. According to her LinkedIn page, she left the firm in April after over 15 years. It states that Wilson, who also runs her own consultancy business, Fairpoint Consulting, is currently providing maternity cover as a Sustainability Analyst for MerchantCantos , a London based international, creative communications agency specialising in sustainability.

Johannes Woelfing, Regulatory and Legal Specialist at the Investment Association, has been promoted to the newly created position of Head of European Affairs at the trade body that represents UK firms managing over £6.9trn (€7.6trn) in assets, as it seeks to “increase its permanent presence in Brussels”. Woelfing will be responsible for IA’s policy work with regards to the EU following Brexit. Last month, the IA announced it was looking at a labelling system for UK sustainable funds and disclosure by asset managers of non-financial information.

The UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is looking to hire a Deputy Environment Bill Manager to help realise its new Environment Bill, which it claims will “establish a unique, independent body to give the environment a voice”. The deadline for applications is the 9 September 2018.

Denmark’s Danske Bank is recruiting for a Sustainability Consultant to join its Sustainability Strategy & Governance team, which sits within its “newly established” Group Societal Impact & Sustainability unit based in Copenhagen. The new unit seeks to “integrate sustainability and societal impact” in to the group’s business models. The deadline for applications is September 9.