RobecoSAM appoints Aris Prepoudis as new permanent CEO

RobecoSAM, the Zurich-based sustainable asset management specialist, has appointed Aris Prepoudis as its new CEO, effective January 1, 2017.
Prepoudis was formerly Chief Executive of Vescore, which was a rebranding of the former sustainability investment business of Notenstein, the Swiss private bank, where Prepoudis was Head Institutional Clients and Member of the executive committee
In June, Vontobel, the Swiss bank, bought Vescore from Switzerland’s Raiffeisen for an undisclosed sum.
A large part of the Notenstein sustainability team (subsequently Vescore) had moved over from J. Safra Sarasin, including Vescore Deputy CEO, Andreas Knörzer, who helped pioneer sustainable investing in Switzerland during his 20-year tenure at Sarasin. Prepoudis himself ran Sarasin’s institutional client business from 2008 until 2013. He started his career at professional services firms PwC and EY after graduating in Business Administration from the University of Applied Sciences in Basel.
In July, former RobecoSAM CEO Michael Baldinger unexpectedly quit the firm after five years in the role to take on another senior role in sustainability investing at UBS Asset Management, part of the Swiss banking group, as head of sustainable and impact investing, based in New York.He was replaced as CEO on an interim basis by Reto Schwager, Head of Private Equity and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee since January 2015. RobecoSAM says Schwager is staying with the firm in his previous roles.
Albert Gnägi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RobecoSAM, said: “Prepoudis brings to the company the ideal set of skills, an entrepreneurial mindset and a passion for Sustainability Investing.”
Prepoudis said he will focus on “profitable growth, further develop our expertise and leverage on the burgeoning interest in Sustainability Investing around the world.”
His appointment is subject to the approval of the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), the Swiss financial regulator.
Robeco, the Dutch fund management company and parent of RobecoSAM has been majority owned by Japanese conglomerate ORIX since 2013.
At July 2016, RobecoSAM had $10.8bn under management and advice and its Governance & Active Ownership team has $238bn under engagement and $49bn under voting.