Jensen Partners Diversity Newsletter: Are the Public Calls for Racial Diversity Being Met With Real Action?

Newsletters October 26, 2020

Over the last few months there has been a growing chorus of voices calling for action on systemic racism. These voices have echoed from the streets of cities across the country to the boardrooms of corporate America to the trading desks of investment professionals.

Many financial institutions have responded to these calls to action by committing to hire more people of color, giving these workers more opportunities for advancement, and donating to diversity-focused nonprofits working to foster the next generation of talent.

BlackRock made one of the most progressive pledges in June 2020 by committing to:

Double the representation of Black professionals in leadership positions and increasing overall representation by 30% by 2024
Improve the tracking and measurement of diversity metrics and holding leaders and managers accountable for continued progress, including in quarterly reviews
Contribute $10 million to support the upward mobility of Black and Latinx communities, including by donating $5 million to organizations supporting racial equality and launching a $5 million fund to help elevate Black and Latinx social entrepreneurs

Many other financial services firms have followed suit with similar commitments and promises for change—even firms that have historically remained quiet on social issues. For example, both Bank of America and Citi have announced $1 billion pledges to help close the racial wealth gap. Citi also recently made headlines by appointing Jane Fraser as the first CEO of a major bank. JPMorgan perhaps outdid both banks by recently committing $30 billion to advance racial equity, including a massive effort to expand access to affordable housing for underserved communities.

The fight for racial diversity won’t be solved in 2020 and systemic change doesn't happen overnight, but these kinds of deliberate and thoughtful actions will help us take a bigger step toward equity and equality. We must maintain the momentum.

The reality is that Black and Latinx professionals have been underrepresented in the financial services industry for decades. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 6.9% of the nearly 500,000 personal financial advisors in the U.S. are Black, while 6.3% are Hispanic. Among financial analysts, the figures are only slightly better at 8.6% Black and 8.3% Hispanic. A 2018 study from the think tank New Financial found that there were only 12 Black portfolio managers in the entire UK investment management industry.

Reliable statistics on diversity in the alternative investment management industry are hard to come by, in part because few firms report the full breakdown of their teams. A recent effort by the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and Albourne Partners to introduce a diversity and inclusion questionnaire may provide more transparency on the racial, ethnic and gender make-up of firms.

We applaud these efforts towards increased transparency on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) issues, and we believe that we can play an important role in addressing these issues with our data on more than 22,000 global capital raisers representing 600+ alternative investment firms around the world.

In 2018, we began tracking the racial and gender diversity of all marketers and in that time have identified 1,552 diversity hires (defined as non-Caucasian OR non-male hires), representing just over 50% of all moves tracked. But of course, this only tells part of the story. If we focus only on Black marketing professionals, then the numbers drop to just 86 hires, or 2.82% of all hires since 2018. Among Hispanic marketing professionals the numbers are nearly identical with 87 hires. In contrast, alternative investment firms have hired 1,138 women over this period, suggesting much more progress on the gender diversity front than the racial diversity front.

These percentages have ticked up slightly in recent quarters as more alternative investment firms recognize the importance of having a diverse team, both for improved decision-making and to attract institutional capital. But there is still a long way to go.

We are often asked by our clients to help diversify their distribution teams, usually by presenting a shortlist with at least 50% diverse candidates. To help meet this client demand and take the next step in our mission as a data-driven executive search firm, we recently introduced a powerful new tool we call the “Diversity Data Platform Audit.” This tool allows us to:

Illuminate the gender and racial background of each marketing candidate across private equity firms, private credit firms, real estate investment firms, real asset investors, infrastructure equity and credit managers, hedge funds and private fund placement groups
Track and illustrate the level of diversity on a distribution/sales platform, with details on recent diverse hires, departures and promotions
Identify the diverse rainmakers and rising stars among marketing, business development, investor relations, institutional sales and product specialist professionals across the alternative investment space

We believe this tool can be a potential game-changer for the alternative investment industry. Not only can we use this tool be used to help execute searches and bring in more diverse talent for our clients, but it also helps firms retain and grow that talent within the industry to drive real change for the alts space. The tool also gives us access to unique data and insights that we can share publicly via newsletters like this one to cast a spotlight on which sectors of the alts space are doing the best job on diversity and which ones still have more work to do.

The data thus far clearly shows that progress on DEI issues has been slow at best. Hiring more racially diverse workers won’t be enough on its own. To attract the best talent, alternative investment firms will also have to make the case to potential employees—especially those just out of college—about why they should pursue a career in finance. Recent graduates have shown that they care about more than just a paycheck—increasingly, they want to work for firms that are making a positive difference in the world, such as impact investment firms.

The racial justice crisis won’t be solved overnight, but in what is an increasingly competitive market environment it is imperative that alts firms take proactive steps now.

Sincerely,

Sasha Jensen

Sasha Jensen
linkedin.com/in/mssashajensen

News Articles on Diversity

Barron’s: Only 4% of Companies Reveal the Racial Makeup of Their Employee Base. Investors Are Pushing to Change That.

Barron’s: Merrill Lynch Gets More Transparent on Diversity

Bloomberg: Why the Finance Industry’s Diversity Efforts Have Failed

Business Insider: The biggest US wealth firms won't disclose adviser racialdiversitydata despite renewing commitments to make their mostly white adviser forces more inclusive

CNBC: Companies are making bold promises about greaterdiversity, but there’s a long way to go

Financial Times: Black Lives Matter provokes change on Wall Street

Financial Times: US financial advisers struggle to overcome their lack of racialdiversity

Forbes: Bank Of America Commits $1 Billion To Support Economic Opportunity After Pandemic, Protests

Forbes: What You Need To Know About Racial Justice Investing

Fortune: Investment management is overwhelmingly dominated by white men—and it’s costing you money

Fortune: The investment industry claims to support diversity, but the numbers don’t add up

Fortune: To fight systemic racism, the investment industry needs to look at its whiteness first

FundFire: Consultants Spoke Out Against Racism. But Will Actions Follow?

FundFire: Evestment Will Start Asking Mgrs for Staff Diversity Data in 2021

FundFire: Hedge Funds Face Quant Test on Diversity

FundFire: JP Morgan Makes $3M Commitment to Promote Racial Equality

FundFire: Managers Fight 'Diversity Fatigue' with Allyship

FundFire: Managers Grapple with 'Woke Washing' in Diversity Training

Institutional Investor: How University of Chicago, Howard, & Other Endowments Are Tackling Asset Management’s Big Problem

Institutional Investor: The Story Behind Shundrawn Thomas’s Open Letter to Asset Management

Pensions & Investments: Canadian investors acknowledge systemic racism, pledge action

Pensions & Investments: SSGA urges companies to articulate their diversity measures

Responsible Investor: Central banks should lead disclosure on gender and ethnicity pay gaps, says Bank of England

Responsible Investor: Every Chief Risk Officer should be having sleepless nights over the lack of diversity in the investment industry

Responsible Investor: What are investors doing to support the fight for racial equality?

Reuters:RBC commits C$150 million todiversitypush, aims for more minority executives

The New York Times: JPMorgan Announces New Diversity Push

Wall Street Journal: Carlyle Group Steps Up Bid to Improve Diversity

Data on Diversity

As a preview of our ‘Diversity Platform Audit’, here is a look at some of the diversity stats we’ve been collecting since 2018 broken down by ethnicity, gender and investment strategy. For a list of specific diversity moves, please contact us at info@jensen-partners.com.

Quarterly Hires by Ethnicity

Quarterly Hires by Gender

Total Hires by Ethnicity based on Strategy (since 2018)

ESG Moves

We continue to track ESG moves across the alternative investment industry. As a reminder, we track all ESG moves whether or not they are specific to the marketing function. The moves are listed alphabetically by first name for easy scrolling.

Aaron Yuen joined the Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organizations (CGIO) in August 2020 in Singapore. Yuen joined from AIA where he held the role of Wealth Management Intern.
Adriana Mello joined Patria Investimentos in an ESG role in Sao Paulo in July 2020. She joined from Braskem where she held the role of Senior Analyst.
Alexander Christian joined OpenInvest as ESG Product Manager in August 2020 in San Francisco. He joined from BlackRock where he was an Associate- Product Strategy- iShares Sustainable.
Alice Val joined Ostrum Asset Management as Project Manager ESG & Responsible Investment in July 2020 in Paris. Val joined from Equilibrium where she held the role of Sustainability Consultant.
Alix Chosson joined Candriam as Senior ESG Analyst, Climate and Environment Specialist. Chosson joined from DNCA Finance where Chosson held the role of Responsible Investment Analyst.
Allison Walsh promoted by Income Research & Managementto Head of ESG and corporate sustainability. Prior to this, she was an investment product specialist and senior vice president.
Amelie Thevenet joined Federated Hermes in September 2020 as a Director, with a view of becoming co-manager on the Federated Hermes Impact Opportunities fund in due course. Thevenet will be responsible for making investment decisions and work closely with Kukuljan and co-manage Matin Todd to pick stocks for the fund. She previously worked at Jupiter Asset Management, where she spent 13 years in total, most recently as a global emerging market equities manager.
Andrea Blackman, managing director at Moody’s Corp, was named global head of its new environment, social and governance group. The position is new. Blackman, who is based in London, was previously Managing Director, Content Solutions- Product and Marketing Strategy.
Andreas Stang, head of ESG at PFA Asset Management, will join insurance and pension company Topdanmark as an investment manager. Stang had been head of ESG at the €92bn Danish pension fund for over four years. Prior to that he was chairman of Dansif and Senior ESG Analyst at Danske Capital.
Andrew Koski joined HFR Asset Management in August 2020 as Senior Analyst in Chicago. Koski joined from HFR Investments where Koski held the role of Senior Analyst- ESG and Investment Research.
Andy Clark, former HSBC Global Asset Management UK boss, has landed at responsible asset manager Edentree Investment Management where he will take over as chief executive from Sue Round. Clark exited HSBC Gam in March after eight years as chief executive of its UK fund arm amid an ongoing reshuffle of its senior management team and was replaced internally by Stuart White.
Anita McBain joined Citi as Managing Director- Head of EMEA ESG Research in September 2020 in London. McBain joined from M&G Investments where she held the role of Director, Head of Responsible Investments & ESG.
Anja Seiler joined Ethos Stiftung as ESG Engagement Specialist in September 2020 in Zurich. Seiler joined from Helvetas where they held the role of Advisor Governance and Peace.
Anna Leitner joined ISS ESG as ESG Research Analyst in September 2020 in Munich. Leitner joined from BOKU University, Vienna where she held the role of Tutor for international master programmes EnvEuro and NARMEE.
Anushika Karunaratne joined IFC- International Finance Corporation as Senior ESG Upstream Officer for Middle East and Africa in September 2020. She joined from World Wildlife Fund where she was Lead Specialist- Environmental and Social Safeguards.
Arisa Kishigami joined Chronos Sustainability as a specialist advisor on sustainable investment. Kishigami was previously Head of ESG for the Asia Pacific region at FTSE Russell.
Baptiste Buisson was promoted to Solutions and ESG Manager at Aviva Investors France. Prior to this, he served as Head of Insurance Rate Management at the firm.
Barbara Barroso joined BTG Pactual in September 2020 as ESG & Impact Investing Intern in Sao Paulo. She joined from Bradesco BBI where she held the role of Corporate Access Intern.
Benjamin Hernandez Galvez joined Vigeo Eiris as Junior ESG Analyst in Santiago, Chile. He joined from Arenas & Cayo SA where he held the role of Tasador Inmobiliario.
Ben Palmer was promoted by Brooks MacDonald to head up its Responsible Investment Service (RIS) in recognition of the growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to investors. This announcement coincides with the company's new Suitability Discussion Guide for advisers in response to the increased demand for ESG investing and making its RIS offering available to International advisers, trustees and clients for the first time.
Bonnie Saynay joined ISS ESG as Managing Director, Global Head of ESG Research in June 2020. Saynay joined from Global ESG Advisors where Saynay held the role of Global Sustainability Executive, Founder Global ESG Advisors, Advisory.
Caroline Mosimann joined The Global Education & Leadership Foundation as ESG Project Development intern in September 2020. Mosimann joined from Plenum Group where Mosimann held the role of Consultant.
Casey Moran joined EQX Holdings as an ESG Intern in August 2020 in New Jersey. She joined from University of Delaware where she held the role of Economics Tutor.
Cecilia Lorentzen joined Ness, Risan & Partners in an ESG role. Lorentzen joined from Midtstuen Ungdomsskole where she held the role of Vikarlaerer.
Celine Abboud joined Cedar Oxygen in July 2020 in Paris as ESG Analyst. Abboud joined from VICAT where they held the role of Environmental Coordinator.
Charlotte Brown joined ISS- Institutional Shareholder Services as ESG Analyst in August 2020 in Canberra, Australia. Brown joined from UN Environment Programme where Brown held the role of Intergovernmental Affairs Intern.
Chloe Del Rio joined Swen Capital Partners as ESG Analyst. She joined from RSM France where she held the role of Auditrice RSE.
Chris Morrison has joined Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) to lead GIG’s distributed energy and energy technology activities in Europe. He will work alongside Edward Northam, GIG’s European head, and Greg Callman, GIG’s global head of energy technologies in the department's initiatives including storage and e-mobility in the European market.
Christine Tørklep has been named Director of Industry and Services Sectors at the Norwegian Research Council, Norges Forskningsråd. Tørklep spent more than a decade heading up sustainability for Storebrand. Since then, she has worked in a number of roles related to green agriculture and technology, and the circular economy. She has also advised the Norwegian Government on sustainability.
Christopher Wright has been promoted by Norges Bank Investment Management to Head of ESG Risk Monitoring. He has worked for the fund since 2011, most recently as the Sustainability Manager for NBIM’s direct real estate investments.
Collin Crownover joined Arabesque as Director- ESG Research in September 2020. He previously was an Investment Consultant for a year and a half. Prior to that, he worked at State Street Global Advisors as Global Head of Fixed Income, Cash and Currency (FICC) Solutions.
Daniela Sedlakova joined ISS ESG as an ESG Analyst in September 2020 in London. Sedlakova joined from S&P Global Ratings where she held the role of Senior Ratings Operations Specialist.
Daria Efrim joined Bloomberg as ESG Data Specialist in September 2020 in London. Efrim joined from AKTIS where she was a Corporate Governance Senior Analyst.
David Nicholsby joined Rathbone Greenbank Investments as an investment manager specialising in managing ethical portfolios on behalf of private clients, trusts and charities. He previously worked at Courtiers Asset Management where he was responsible for researching global equities, developing equity screening models, monitoring collective investment funds and managing Courtiers’ ethical strategy.
David Viner has joined Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) to lead the green impact advisory team. He will be responsible for developing the advisory team’s services, which provides a methodology for best practice green impact disclosure. Viner has 25 years’ experience in climate science and is lead author for the IPCC’s Working Group 2 Sixth Assessment Report and the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land use.
Denise Halle has joined the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as Head of Social Investment. Halle previously worked as a financial institutions specialist with the World Bank and Merrill Lynch, moving into social investment in 2007. She also previously worked at Numbers for Good, providing business and financing advice to social enterprises and most recently spent 17 months as Interim Portfolio Director at Big Society Capital.
Désirée Lucchese, ESG Consultant at MSCI ESG Research in Sydney, Australia, is joining Melbourne-based UEthical in early September as Ethics and Impact Manager reporting to the CIO and the Board. UEthical is the ethical fund manager of the Uniting Church, an autonomous social enterprise with an independent board. Its first funds were established in 1985 and it now runs over $1 billion in assets.
Emma Doner joined Capital Group in July 2020 as ESG Research Analyst in Los Angeles. She joined from PIMCO where she was VP- ESG Credit Research for a year.
Emma Hunt has joined Impax Asset Management as Senior Client Director. Hunt most recently worked for St. James’s Place Wealth Management as Head of Responsible Investments.
Eric Shostal has been appointed by BlackRock as VP for Investment Stewardship. Shostal will supervise global proxy research and develop thinking on ESG policy and shareholder agreement.
Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson has taken on the new role of Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) research at PGIM Fixed Income. Unanyants-Jackson joined from Allianz Global Investors where she was the global head of ESG research since 2016, leading the implementation of ESG integration across fundamental equity and fixed income strategies.
Fanny Nordstrom joined Soderberg & Partners as Junior ESG Analyst in Stockholm in August 2020. Nordstrom joined from Ewalie AB where she held the role of Area Account Manager.
Filippo Zucchini joined Vigeo Eiris as an ESG Analyst in July 2020 in Milan. He joined from Credit Agricole Italia where Zucchini held the role of Mercato dei Capitali.
Francesca Albino joined Generali Investments as Investment Stewardship: ESG specialist in September 2020 in Milan. She joined from American Century Investments where she was an ESG Associate Analyst.
Francois Perrin has joined Belgium-based investment firm Groupe Bruxelles Lambet (GBL) as Head of ESG. Prior to this, Perrin worked at East Capital for almost five years, most recently overseeing its Asia operations from Hong Kong.
Gopa Praturi joined Bloomberg in June 2020 as ESG Research Data Analyst in New York. Praturi joined from Rutgers University where she was a Student Affairs Digital Marketing Intern.
Heini Purho was promoted at OP Financial Group from Investor Relations Specialist Trainee to the role of Investor Relations & ESG Specialist in September 2020 in Helsinki.
Helena Rivera Jose joined MSCI in an ESG role in Monterey, Mexico in August 2020.
Hortense Bioy has been promoted to Morningstar’s Director of Sustainability Research for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. Bioy, who is also editor panellist for ESG Clarity, most recently served as Morningstar’s director of passive strategies and sustainability research, Europe.
Jaap van Dam has been appointed the new Chairman of EDHEC-Risk Institute’s international advisory board. Van Dam is the Principal Director of Investment Strategy at PGGM, the Dutch pension provider. He will succeed Mark Fawcett, the Chief Investment Officer of NEST Corporation at EDHEC.
Jamie Rhodes joined Vigeo Eiris as Japanese ESG Research Analyst in September 2020 in London. He previously worked as a Japanese to English Financial Translator.
Jane Fraser was named CEO by Citigroup, making her the first female CEO to head a Wall Street Bank. Fraser currently serves as the bank’s President and Head of the Global consumer Division and will take over from Michael Corbat when he retires in February after 37 years. Just 31 women held the top spots at major American companies listed on the S&P 500 index at the end of 2019.
Jayshendra Karunakaren joined ISS ESG Australia in August 2020 as ESG Research Analyst. Karunakaren joined from International IDEA where he held the role of Political Researcher and Program Officer.
Jean Francois Laval joined Kepler Cheuvreux as Equity Research Analyst intern (ESG, Immobilier & Aerospace). He joined from PwC France where he held the role of auditeur financier de fonds d’investissements.
Jennifer Bishop joined Coal Pension Trustees Services as Senior Portfolio Manager and ESG in October 2020 in London. Bishop previously worked as Portfolio Manager at Willis Towers Watson.
John Kisenyi has joined Mirabaud Asset Management’s global equity team as ESG-focused Investment Analyst. He joins from Wellers Impact, where he was an impact investment consultant.
Jonathan Tudor joined the Clean Growth Fund as Investment Partner. Tudor joins the venture capital fund, which invests in UK clean technology companies, from Centrica Innovations, where he was the Technology & Strategy Director for the past three years.
Jordana Semaan was appointed by Investcorp from Head of HR Gulf and Asia into a newly established role as Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Champion, reporting directly to the Executive Chairman, Mohammed Alardhi.
❖ Jordan Patel joined Federated Hermes from Titan Capital Management. Patel’s role will be to provide company-specific and thematic research which will include the analysis of SDG-related themes for incorporation into investment appraisals. He was an equity analyst at Titan for three years.
Jos Delbeke, a professor and the former Director-General for Climate Action at the European Commission, has been named the European University Institute’s first European Investment Bank Chair on Climate Change Policy and International Carbon Markets.
Karoliina Lindroos joins Finnish pension fund Ilmarinen as new Head of Sustainable Investments. Lindroos joined the firm on 31 August and will be in charge of developing responsible investment practices. She will replace Anna Hyrske, who spent 20 years with the pension fund before she joined the Bank of Finland in July of this year as principal responsible investment specialist. Prior to joining Ilmarinen, Lindroos worked for Finnish development finance firm Finnfund as a senior environmental and social adviser.
Katherine Jollon Colsher was appointed as CEO at Girls Who Invest. Most recently, Colsher served as Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and National Director at 10,000 Small Businesses. Girls Who Invest is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the asset management industry. Colsher succeeds Janet Cowell as CEO.
Linda Freiner, Head of Sustainability at Zurich, has been elected to the UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance Board. Freiner has spent over seven years at Zurich and previously served as Associate Director, Head of Community Engagement, Risk Response Network at the World Economic Forum.
Lisa Hall, previously with the Beeck Center and Calvert Impact Capital, joins Apollo Global Management as chair of impact.
Lorraine Moore joined S&P Global Market Intelligence in June 2020 as Senior ESG Business Development Manager- Australia and NZ. Moore joined from APN Property Group where Moore held the role of Head of Sustainable Investing and Assistant Fund Manager.
Lucian Peppelenbos has joined Robeco as a Climate Strategist. Peppelenbos most recently worked for APG Asset Management where he was responsible for ESG integration within APG’s investment portfolios and engagement with investee companies with a focus on climate change.
Lydia Hudson has been appointed to manage Credit Suisse’s new investment unit called Sustainability, Research and Investment Solutions (SRI). Hudson most recently served as chief compliance and regulatory affairs officer.
Maite Rodriguez joined Rockefeller Capital Management as ESG Engagement Intern in September 2020 in New York City. Rodriguez joined from NYU Stern Economic Development Group where they held the role of President.
Maliha Taj joined Arabesque in August 2020 as ESG Research Associate in New Delhi. Taj joined from Phoenix Group where she held the role of Senior Executive Sustainability.
Marc Becker and Joanna Reiss were named by Apollo Global Management as co-leads of its new impact investing group. Becker, a senior partner, previously managed the firm’s private equity investing efforts in business services, financial services and real estate services. Reiss is also a partner at the firm and is the former founding partner of Cornell Capital.
Marion Enander has been named the first Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Australian Ethical. Enander was the interim National Head of Advice for the Shadforth Financial Group and previously served as the General Manager for Advice Delivery at Perpetual Limited. Maria Loyez is also joining the Sydney-based wealth management company as Chief Customer Officer.
Masako Chikuma joined Union Bancaire Privee as Lead Manager of the merged Japan Equity Value fund and Japan Equity Sustainable strategy. Chikuma previously worked for Sompo Asset Management.
Mathilde Colli joined Moneta Asset Management as ESG Analyst in September 2020. Colli joined from Fidelity International where Colli held the role of Sustainable Investing Intern.
Matt Christensen was named Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing at Allianz Global Investors. Prior to this, Christensen served as head of responsible investment and impact strategy at AXA Investment Managers.
Meg Parker Young joined Fannie Mae as Senior Director, ESG Strategy in August 2020. Parker Young joined from Thomson Reuters where they held the role of Director, Impact Strategy and Development.
Miranda Beacham has been promoted to Senior Responsible Investment Manager at Aegon Asset Management, having previously co-founded the UK RI team. She has worked at Kames Capital, soon to become Aegon AM, since 1995. Working with the Edinburgh-based team, she will support ESG research and solutions to the group’s equity investment platform, but primarily lead stewardship activities in the UK.
Muriel Dossin joined ISS- Institutional Shareholder Services as ESG Analyst in July 2020 in Munich. Dossin joined from Danone where they held the role of assistant branch manager.
Myriam Vander Elst joined 17Capital as Supervisory Board Member in September 2020 in London, England. She joins from Epic Foundation where she currently holds the role of Chief Engagement Officer and ComEx Member.
Namita Vikas has been appointed as Senior Advisor at the Climate Bonds Initiative. Vikas spent over eight years as a senior executive of Indian private bank, Yes Bank, helping to launch the country’s first green bond. She previously served in management positions at Marico, Microsoft & the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Naomi Waistell joined Polar Capital in July 2020 as a Fund Manager to boost the firm’s Emerging Market Stars team’s ESG credentials after its shift from Nordea Asset Management in 2018. Waistell spent 10 years at Newton Investment Management, most recently as a fund manager in the emerging market and Asian equities team with a focus on ESG. She has become co-manager on the $91.3 million Euro Polar Capital Emerging Market Stars fund, launched in July 2018.
Niki Shah joined 17 Asset Management as Graduate Research Fellow- ESG. He joined from Silver Regulatory Associates where he held the role of ESG Research Associate for a year in New York City.
Nourhane ElGarhy joined Millani as an ESG Consultant in September 2020 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ElGarhy joined from Trottier Family Foundation where they were a sustainable investment fellow.
Ole Bigum Nielsen joined Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) to lead the business’ asset creation and management team, as well as oversee GIG’s global offshore wind project delivery activities. He was formerly CEO of Vattenfall Vindkraft and joined GIG from Statkfraft where he was responsible for the delivery of the company’s development.
Oshni Arachchi joined Folksam as ESG Corporate Analyst in August 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden. She joined from ISS ESG where she held the role of Associate Director, Head of Controversies and Global Norms Research.
Paul Yett, longtime Managing Director at Hamilton Lane, was appointed to the role of Director of ESG & Sustainability. Hamilton Lane has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to ESG, sustainability and responsible investing, and Yett will focus on expanding and formally spearheading the firm’s ESG integration strategy going forward.
Rachida Mourahib was appointed Head of Fixed Income for ESG and green research at HSBC Global Asset Management. Mourahib previously held the post of equity and credit analyst at the firm.
Rebecca Craddock-Taylor was hired by Gresham House in the newly created role of Director of Sustainable Investment. Craddock-Taylor will develop and integrate the company’s sustainable investment policies across its strategic equity and real assets products. She jons from Univest where she was an ESG strategist, developing the company’s sustainability framework across its investment approach. Prior to this, she was an investment consultant and responsible investment adviser at pension consultancy Hyman Robertson, where she helped clients develop and enhance their responsible investment and ESG approach.❖ Richard Tarboton joined Credit Suisse as Global Lead of Environment, Energy and Sustainability in September 2020 in London. Tarboton joins from Carbon Intelligence where he was Director of Strategic Services.
Rodolphe Bocquet joined Qontigo as Global Head of ESG in September 2020 in Zug, Switzerland. Bocquet was previously CEO and Co-Founder of Beyond Ratings.
Roksana Ciurysek-Gedir has been appointed Chair of White Oak Global Advisors’ new Impact Advisory Board. Before joining the asset manager, she served as Deputy CEO of the Bank of Pekao S.A. and held roles at Edmond de Rothschild, Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Romina Renjifo joined Credicorp as Deputy Manager, ESG Project in July 2020 in London. Renjifo joined from HiLo Maritime Risk Management where she held the role of MBA Summer Intern.
Ryan Heslin joined S&P Dow Jones as Analyst, ESG Indices in August 2020 in New York. He joined from Ceres where he was Associate, Climate & Energy for nearly two years.
Saiba Sharmeen joined 17 Asset Management as a Sustainable Investing Fellow in September 2020. She joined from SVT Group where she was an Impact Management Fellow for three months.
Sanaz Kafayi Raczynski has left Nuveen, where she was Head of Sustainability for Real Assets and Private Markets. She has moved to private equity house Kohlberg & Company to be Director of Sustainability.
Sherry Shiyu Xue joined SynTao Green Finance as ESG Analyst in July 2020 working remotely. She joined from University of Waterloo where she was an ESG Specialist.
Shizuko Ohmi joined JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) as Head of Investment Stewardship for Japan. She joins following a 17-year stint at Amundi where she was head of equity research and strategy, and most recently head of the group’s ESG department since its inception in 2015. During this time, JPMAM said she has actively led engagement with Japanese companies on sustainability issues, climate change and diversity.
Sophie Lawrence joins Rathbones Greenbank Investment’s in-house research team as a senior researcher, responsible for assessing the social and environmental performance of investments as well as conducting bespoke ESG and impact reporting for clients. She will also manage engagement activities on topics such as climate change and healthy food. Previously, Lawrence worked at Barclays Bank and most recently at KKS Advisors, where she specialised in sustainable investment.
Taylor Peterman joined ISS as ESG Global Research Intern in September 2020 in Chicago. Peterman joined from Centerprising where Peterman held the role of Intern.
Titouan Gentileschi joined Covalence SA in September 2020 as ESG Analyst Intern- Sustainable Investing. Gentileschi joined from Club d’investissement responsable du Quebec where he held the role of Executive Director Assistant.
Tom Ball will be joining proxy and corporate advisory firm Alliance Advisors as a Senior Vice President of the Proxy Solicitation Group. He was previously Senior Managing Director at Morrow Sodali.
Tony Shepherd, an ex- business advisor of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and a critic of wind and solar, has been appointed to serve on the board of government-owned energy company, Snowy Hydro. In 2013, Shepherd was appointed to lead the Abbott government’s National Commission of Audit, which recommended the dismantling of climate and energy policies introduced by the previous Rudd-Gillard governments. He will replace outgoing board member Helen Coonan for a three-year term.
Trayee Banerjee joined Arabesque as Director- ESG Research in September 2020 in Kolkata, India. Banjeree joined from AICL Communications where she held the role of Lead Consultant- Sustainability and Integrated Reporting.
Victoria Gaytan joined BlackRock in July 2020 as VP- Investment Stewardship in New York. She joins from Montieth & Company where she was in a Media Relations position.
Victoria-Mei Zummo joined Castle Hall as ESG Analyst in September 2020 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She joined from Ivanhoe Cambridge where she held the role of Intern, Corporate Social Responsibility.
Victoria Nguyen joined ISS ESG as ESG Analyst in September 2020. Nguyen joined from Genesis Investment Management where she held the role of Investor Relations- ESG.
Will Howard Davies joined ReachX as Director of Impact, ESG and Sustainable Investment in September 2020 in London. Davies joined from Well Walked Ventures where he held the role of Investor and Advisor.
Will Thompson joined Pacific Asset Management as a new ESG specialist portfolio manager. Thompson joins from HSBC Global Asset Management where he had worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager on the multi-asset team since 2014.
Winston Cuthbert joined Inspired Energy in September 2020 as Director- ESG Solutions in London, England. Cuthbert joined from SCI ltd. where they held the role of Director.
Yashraj Rajani joined Eurofins as Investor Relations and ESG Associate in August 2020 in Brussels. Rajani joined from Rothschild & Co. where he held the role of Buy-Side Analyst.
Yasmine Djeddai has been named Societe Generale’s Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia Pacific. Djeddai first joined Societe Generale in Paris in 2005, focusing on risk management in its structured commodity finance group.
Yau Man Nga joined Roma Group in July 2020 as an ESG Intern. She joined from HKPC- Hong Kong Productivity Council where she held the role as Intern, Green Living and Innovation.
Yi Shu joined MSCI as ESG Research Intern in August 2020 in Shanghai, China. Shu joined from Danone where she held the role of Marketing intern.
Yuan Jiang joined MSCI as ESG Consultant, Client Coverage, APAC in August 2020 in Hong Kong. Jiang joined from Hang Seng Bank where Jiang held the role of Senior ESG Product Manager, Indexing.
Yukang He joined Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking (SGCIB) as ESG Risks Modelling Intern in September 2020. He joined HSBC where He held the role of Assistant.

Our Newest Awards

We are proud to share that we received two accolades at the 2020 Private Equity Wire USA Rewards – one as the 'Best Recruitment Company for Investor Relations & Asset Raising' and one for 'Best Recruitment Company for Executives.' We are extremely grateful for the continued support of our clients, friends and contacts from across the industry. The USA awards are based on a 'peer review system' whereby the publication's readers – including institutional and high net worth investors as well as managers and other industry professionals at fund administrators, prime brokers, custodians and advisers – vote for winners. More than 16,000 votes were cast this year. Learn more at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jensen-partners-receives-two-accolades-at-2020-private-equity-wire-us-awards-301149448.html