This is a past event. Registration is closed. View other Responsible Investment Association Australasia events.
Simon O'Connor
CEO of Responsible Investment Association AustralasiaSimon operates at the intersection of economics, finance and sustainability and has extensive international experience as an economic adviser, investment analyst and sustainability consultant across finance, corporate and not for profit sectors.
Simon works with RIAA’s over 350 member organisations with the goal of delivering on RIAA’s mission of promoting, advocating for, and supporting approaches to responsible investment that align capital with achieving a healthy and sustainable society, environment and economy.
Simon is active across the region and internationally in responsible investment and sustainable finance initiatives. He sits as Co-Chair of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, working group member of the NZ Sustainable Finance Forum, a member of the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, the UN backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Australia Network Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the National Advisory Board on Impact Investing in New Zealand.
Lisa Woll
Chief Executive Officer at USSIFAs CEO, Lisa leads US SIF and the US SIF Foundation's overall direction and sits, ex-officio, on all board committees. Since joining in 2006, Lisa has been responsible for strategic planning, developing a robust policy presence, expansion and diversification of funding, launching its national conference and creating the Center for Sustainable Investment Education.
Prior to US SIF, Lisa was executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation, an organization focused on press freedom and expansion of women’s role in the media. Lisa also spent a decade working on children’s human rights. She was the director of the first international study to look at the impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and directed the Washington, DC office of Save the Children. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.
Lisa holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in public policy and women's studies from George Washington University. She was a Fulbright Fellow in Melbourne, Australia.
Masaru Arai
Chair at Japan Sustainable Investment ForumMasaru Arai is chair of the Japan Sustainable Investment Forum and a senior engagement consultant at EOS and focusses on engagements and business development in Japan. He has 18 years of experience in responsible investment, 19 years in investment trust management and 20 years in the brokerage and underwriting business. He has been a member of the FTSE ESG advisory committee since 2005 and a member of the Sustainable Investment Advisory Committee. He also was a member of the Sustainable Financial System Advisory Group of the PRI in 2016 and in 2015 acted as a PRI board member. He is a regular member of the committees on ESG issues set up by the Ministry of the Environment, as well as by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan. Masaru worked at Daiwa Asset Management for 19 years, of which he spent seven years as its chief investment officer. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at Daiwa Securities, specialising in global investment and finance business. He has working experience in France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Hong Kong. Masaru holds a BA in Business and Commerce from Keio University, Japan, and studied at the Center for Arabic Studies at the American University in Cairo.
Dustyn Lanz
Chief Executive Officer at Responsible Investment AssociationDustyn Lanz is a Canadian business leader, writer, and speaker who is currently CEO of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) – an organization that promotes the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions. He is regularly quoted in the national media as an expert on responsible investing by the Globe and Mail, CBC News, BNN Bloomberg, and other Canadian media outlets.
Dustyn is a Columnist for Investment Executive and a Contributor to the Globe and Mail, where he writes about topics related to responsible investment and sustainable finance. He is a regular keynote speaker, panelist, moderator, and guest lecturer at some of Canada’s leading investment conferences and universities, and he is a member of the 30% Club – a network of executives that aims to achieve a gender balance in corporate leadership.
In 2020, Dustyn led the development of the Canadian Investor Statement on Diversity & Inclusion – an anti-racism pledge signed by 45 institutional investors managing over $4 trillion in assets. In 2014, Dustyn’s team launched Canada’s first financial designations that recognize expertise in responsible investing, which have now been earned by more than 1,500 professionals.
In 2021, Dustyn received a Changemaker award from the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. In 2018, he was featured in Wealth Professional Magazine’s “Hot List” of 50 influencers in Canada’s investment industry, and in 2016 he received a Clean50 Emerging Leader Award for contributions to sustainable development under the age of 35.
Prior to joining the RIA in 2013, Dustyn worked with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, where he conducted research and made policy recommendations to strengthen the governance of the global financial system. His written work has been published by leading think tanks and academic journals in Canada and internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Honours, Summa Cum Laude) from York University and a Master of Arts in Global Governance from the Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo.