SAM names new chief operating officer

SAM, the Zurich-based sustainability funds house owned by Robeco, has named a new chief operating officer to replace the departing Roman Binder.
Stefan Gordijn has been brought in from Robeco in Hong Kong, where he was chief operating officer to replace Binder, who is leaving the firm to join another company. Binder had been in the role since 2008 and was formerly with Credit Suisse.
SAM will now be run by an executive committee comprising marketing head Michael Baldinger, chief investment officer Stephanie Feigt and cleantech/private equity head Andrew Musters alongside Gordijn. The committee will be chaired by Robeco board member Leni Boeren.
The reshuffle follows the departure of SAM’s chief executive Sander van Eijkern in January after adisagreement over strategy. SAM said the new structure was “a clear sign of confidence in the executive committee and strengthens stability and continuity”.
Meanwhile, Robeco has said that it will “maximize its use” of ultimate parent Rabobank’s expertise in the area of food and agribusiness, enabling institutional clients to invest in agriculture and the food industry.
Robeco posted €7.5bn net inflows of new money in 2009 to take total assets under management to €134.9bn. It also cut 300 jobs in the same period.
SAM is currently inviting the world’s 2,500 largest companies to take part in this year’s SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment, with the best companies in each sector selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI).