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Mark Lewis (Chief Sustainability Strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management)

Mark Lewis

Chief Sustainability Strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management

Mark Lewis is Chief Sustainability Strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management, having joined in January 2019.

Previously, he was Managing Director and Head of Research at the Carbon Tracker Initiative (April-December 2018), Managing Director and Head of European Utilities Research at Barclays (2015-18), Chief Energy Economist at Kepler Cheuvreux (2014-15), and Managing Director and Global Head of Energy Research at Deutsche Bank (2005-13). He has also been a member of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related
Financial Disclosures since May 2016.

Kylie Willment (Chief Investment Officer, Pacific at Mercer Australia)

Kylie Willment

Chief Investment Officer, Pacific at Mercer Australia

Kylie Willment is a Partner in Mercer’s Investment Solutions business. She is the Chief Investment Officer for the Pacific region, and leads the Investment Management team, which consists of asset allocation strategists, portfolio managers and analysts across Australia and New Zealand. The team is responsible for managing approximately A$41 billion in assets within Mercer’s multi-manager funds. Kylie is a member of Mercer’s Pacific Investment Committee, Mainstream Assets Global Investment Committee, the Institutional Wealth Leadership Team and Co-Chair of the Global Delegated Solutions ESG Integration Committee. She is based in Sydney.
Prior to joining Mercer in October 2017, Kylie gained 27 years of experience in financial services, including 14 years in investment management. Kylie joined Mercer from NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp), the A$110 billion state government investment agency. At TCorp, Kylie was responsible for managing over A$30 billion within the TCorpIM Funds, for advising a number of large government clients on investment policy and strategy, and for leading the development of TCorp’s investment stewardship framework. Earlier in her career, Kylie worked for National Australia Bank in Brisbane and various investment banks in the United Kingdom.

Crispin Murray (Head of Equity Strategies at Pendal)

Crispin Murray

Head of Equity Strategies at Pendal

Crispin is Head of Equities at Pendal Group an ASX listed fund manager with A$90b funds under management (FUM). He joined the funds management business of BT Financial Group, now Pendal Group, in 1994, initially responsible for European equities and served as Head of European Equities from April 1998, He was subsequently appointed to his current role in January 2003 overseeing Pendal’s Australian equities business, currently managing A$15b of FUM, making it the largest fundamental equity team in the market.
He is responsible for managing a number of our flagship Australian equity funds, which under his watch have outperformed the market over multiple periods since his appointment in 2003.

Simon O'Connor (CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia)

Simon O'Connor

CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia

Simon 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 240 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.

Duncan Paterson (Head of ESG Thought Leadership, Asia Pacific at ISS Australia Pty Ltd)

Duncan Paterson

Head of ESG Thought Leadership, Asia Pacific at ISS Australia Pty Ltd

Duncan has specialized in the field of responsible investment for over 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. In addition to his work with ISS ESG (previously CAER), Duncan served for 10 years on the board of the industry body for responsible investment in Australia, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) (the last few years as Chair), and for 10 years as a director of the Hong Kong-based Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA). Duncan also co-Chairs one of the Technical Working Groups in the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI), as well as serving on that organisation’s Co-ordinating Working Group.

Susheela Peres da costa (Chair of RIAA Board & Head of Advisory at Regnan)

Susheela Peres da costa

Chair of RIAA Board & Head of Advisory at Regnan

Susheela serves as chair of Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) and as a member of Impact Investing Australia’s cross-sector working group to develop a market for social impact investing.

Susheela has been with Regnan since its early days, including at its predecessor BT GAS. She brings extensive insights into the financial implications of corporate under-investment in environmental, social and corporate performance from her involvement in developing Regnan’s highly regarded analysis of these matters. She also brings insights from her contact with many S&P/ASX200 directors and executives, which is undertaken as part of Regnan’s program of corporate engagement and advocacy. This process emphasizes constructive dialogue as a way to influence improved performance from companies in these areas. Prior to joining Regnan (then called BT GAS) in 2006, she held positions in corporate affairs, communications and marketing at BT Financial Group.

Anne-Maree O'Connor (Head of Responsible Investment at New Zealand Superannuation Fund)

Anne-Maree O'Connor

Head of Responsible Investment at New Zealand Superannuation Fund

Anne-Maree O’Connor is Head of Responsible Investment for the New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZSF). Her main role is the development and oversight of the Guardians’ responsible investment (RI) framework which includes integrating environmental, social and governance considerations across the New Zealand Superannuation Fund’s investments. Anne-Maree is also a member of NZSF’s Investment Committee.

Anne-Maree was formerly a board member of the RI Association Australasia and is a recipient of the Women of Influence 2017 award in the Board and Management category. She was a Commissioner on the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (Liechtenstein Initiative).

Anne-Maree has over 20 years of RI experience and has held senior roles in the RI and corporate responsibility field including Managing Director of CoreRatings, Associate Director RI at Aviva’s Morley Fund Management and Head of RI Research at Henderson Global Investors. She began her career with Tessa Tennant’s Jupiter Merlin Ecology Fund and NPI’s Global Care Funds in the early 1990’s. Anne-Maree holds an MSc from the University College of Wales (UK), a BSc from Massey University (NZ) and the Investment Management Certificate (UK).

Rodger Spiller (Managing Director of Money Matters (NZ) Ltd)

Rodger Spiller

Managing Director of Money Matters (NZ) Ltd

Rodger Spiller has been involved in responsible investment since the early 1980s. He has an outstanding track record in responsible investment research and advice and is one of New Zealand’s most experienced and knowledgeable personal investment practitioners.

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Rodger completed a Master of Commerce (First Class Honours) and then a PhD in responsible investment and business. He led the managed funds and investment research firm IPAC, before establishing his own firm Money Matters. Rodger is an AFA and CFP, was voted Inaugural New Zealand Financial Planner of the Year and was the first New Zealand RIAA Certified Responsible Investment Adviser.

Rodger served as a Director of the Responsible Investment Association for over ten years, Member of the Securities Commission, Member of the Nominating Committee for the Guardians of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Chairman of the NZ Association for Investment Advisers and Financial Planners, Director of Transparency International (NZ) and Executive Director of the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development. He is a member of the Sustainable Finance Forum Technical Working Group.

He authored The Essential Guide to Financial Planning (CCH), several chapters for the Australasian book Ethical Investment, chapters for other local and internationally published books and academic along with practitioner articles.

Michael Walsh (Executive Director of Lifecraft)

Michael Walsh

Executive Director of Lifecraft

Michael’s passion for Responsible Investment (RI) started in 2000 when after 10 years in an executive role in “mainstream” wealth management he founded Corporate Monitor, co-founded Ethical Investor magazine and took the helm for a short stint as chair of the Ethical Investment Association (now RIAA).
Alongside monthly news, views and features, the magazine’s Corporate Monitor tables published the world’s first ESG ratings on listed public companies as well the performance of RI funds, making Ethical Investor the world’s first consumer print publication dedicated to RI and Corporate Social Responsibility. After 100 monthly issues and over 400 weekly newsletters, in 2011-12 both business units were taken up by new owners CAER (Corporate Monitor) and Australian Ethical Investments (Ethical Investor).
During this period Michael was Convenor of the Australian Sustainability Awards which for over a decade recognized and publicised the best Australian achievements in RI and CSR.
Michael then turned his attention to director and executive roles in RI, including stints at Hunter Hall and most recently as CEO of UCA Funds Management (now Uethical).
In 2018-19 he took a well-earned break (or should that be surf breaks?) and is now getting more actively involved in the sector on a part-time basis.

Trevor Thomas (Managing Director of Ethinvest)

Trevor Thomas

Managing Director of Ethinvest

Trevor is the Managing Director of Ethinvest, where he has worked since 1997.

He is also a Trustee of the John T Reid Charitable Trust, the Community Impact Foundation, the Ross Knowles Foundation and the McKinnon Family Foundation. Trevor was a founding director of the Difference Incubator and Australian Impact Investments and is a director of the Darwin Challenge.

Prior to joining Ethinvest Trevor worked for six years in Paraguay in Economic Development and prior to that as Senior Economist for AP Dow Jones - Telerate.

He enjoys running, reading and Nordic noir.

Elaine Prior (Consultant at Elaine Prior Consulting)

Elaine Prior

Consultant at Elaine Prior Consulting

Elaine recently retired from Citi Research Sydney, where she was a Managing Director covering ESG and Sustainability research for Citi’s fund manager and superannuation fund clients. An award-winning “ESG pioneer”, she joined Citi in 2006, and pioneered research into sustainability issues relating to ASX listed companies, to help clients assess valuation impacts or risks, or to engage with companies to encourage risk mitigation or broader positive change. Citi was awarded “Best Broking Firm” title by ESG Research Australia every year for eight years between 2009 and 2016.
Elaine now sits on the advisory committee of Alphinity’s sustainable share fund. She also contributes to the CA100+ project, and participated in the ASFI process.
Prior to joining Citi, Elaine held roles in investment research and funds management, primarily focused on the resources sector. She was the top-rated BHP analyst in the Australian market for several years.
Elaine has degrees in Chemistry, Petroleum Engineering and Antarctic Studies. Before working in the markets, she was an oil industry engineer in the UK North Sea and Australia. She has also worked on environmental projects for Antarctic and Arctic tourism.

Zoe Whitton (Head of Australian ESG Research at Citi Investment Research)

Zoe Whitton

Head of Australian ESG Research at Citi Investment Research

Zoe Whitton is the Head of Australian ESG Research at Citi. She has also covered ESG and thematic research at Credit Suisse and at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has previously worked in management consulting in the energy and industrials sectors, at the Oxford Smith School and the Stockholm Environmental Institute, and served as a youth delegate to the UNFCCC. She presently acts as a mentor at EnergyLab and as a member of the founding committee of Women in Sustainable Finance. She holds Masters degrees in environmental policy and economics from Oxford University and the University of Queensland.

Mary Delahunty (Head of Impact at HESTA)

Mary Delahunty

Head of Impact at HESTA

Mary is the Head of Impact for HESTA and has been with the fund since early 2013. She has held senior roles in financial services organisations for over 15 years and is passionate about progressing responsible investment practices. HESTA is one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds with $53bn under management and over 850,000 members.
Mary is a 2015 Churchill Fellow awarded for the completion of international research on equity for women in pension systems.
Mary is the Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Council for Gender Equality in the State of Victoria. The Council’s role is to advise the Minister for Women on the Safe and Strong equality strategy.
Mary is also a councillor and former Mayor of the City of Glen Eira. Mary is also a Board Member of The Emergency Services Telecommunication Authority and an advisory panel member for the State Government, she is a past Chair of Reclink Australia, a National Not For Profit organisation offering sports and recreation opportunities to break the cycle for disadvantaged Australians.
Mary holds a Masters of Finance (Corporate Advisory) and has three young children.

Emily Flood (Head of Impact at Future Superannuation and Investments)

Emily Flood

Head of Impact at Future Superannuation and Investments

Emily is the Head of Impact at Future Super. She is responsible for managing and measuring Future Super's progress in fighting inequality and the climate crisis through investing, advocacy, and campaigning. In 2019 Future Super was the first superannuation fund to achieve "climate positive" status for its FUM and it has continued to find new ways of harnessing the power of money to build a future worth retiring into.

Previously she has worked in consulting and program design for non-profits, philanthropists and corporate social responsibility programs. She holds an Advanced Masters of Social Impact through the Centre of Social Impact and Swinburne University and is a member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI).

Brendan Baker (Senior Associate ESG Research at MSCI ESG Research (Australia) Pty Limited)

Brendan Baker

Senior Associate ESG Research at MSCI ESG Research (Australia) Pty Limited

Brendan is an ESG consultant for the Australian and New Zealand markets. He has been with MSCI for three years, predominantly working as an ESG Researcher, supporting MSCI’s ESG, sustainable impact, and climate change research solutions. Before MSCI Brendan worked for CDP’s investor team from London (previously the Carbon Disclosure Project), and with Alcoa World Alumina in Western Australia as a research scientist.

Nicolette Boele (Executive Manager Policy & Research at Responsible Investment Association Australasia)

Nicolette Boele

Executive Manager Policy & Research at Responsible Investment Association Australasia

At RIAA Nicolette leads the organisation’s policy and research agendas and is a member of the PRI’s Global Policy Reference Group. She also oversees the administration of the industry’s Responsible Investment Certification Program – that now covers more than 150 responsible and ethical investment and retirement savings products as well as financial advisers and financial planning groups.

Nicolette joins RIAA after 25 years delivering engagements, collaborations and accountability solutions for and with Australian and international companies, governments, unions and NGOs. She has worked at the Australian Conservation Foundation and Investor Group on Climate Change and has held executive roles at The Climate Institute, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Banarra and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority.

Nicolette is lead judge for NSW’s GREEN GLOBE Awards and Banksia Foundation’s Award for Circular Economy. She is also an interim Board member on Brand Ethics, an internationally reaching research institute promoting ethical shopping choices by providing labour, environmental and animal rights ratings on over 1,000 consumer brands.

Katie Hepworth (Director of Workers' Rights at Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR))

Katie Hepworth

Director of Workers' Rights at Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)

Dr Katie Hepworth is the Director of Workers’ Rights at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR). She has worked extensively on labour migration and workers’ rights in global supply chain, as both an academic and in policy and trade union roles. She holds a PhD in International Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney, and has published extensively on race, gender and migration. Her book At the Edges of Citizenship was published by Routledge in 2015.

Mark Lyster (Special Advisor at KPMG Banarra)

Mark Lyster

Special Advisor at KPMG Banarra

Mark is a sustainability expert specialising in business strategy, human rights and sustainable finance. Mark has been at the forefront of sustainability in Australia for the last twenty years and has provided advice to leading asset owners and managers, corporations, government agencies and NGOs.

Mark is the inaugural Chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia’s Human Right’s Working Group.

Previously Mark held senior positions in Standard Bank, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and has been a Director of leading sustainability advisory firms Ecos Corporation, Net Balance, EY and was Managing Director of Action Sustainability Asia Pacific which was acquired by KPMG in March 2020.

Måns Carlsson (Head of ESG Research at Ausbil Investment Management)

Måns Carlsson

Head of ESG Research at Ausbil Investment Management

Måns is Head of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Research at Ausbil Investment Management Limited since September 2015. Prior to that, he was Senior ESG Research Analyst at AMP Capital for almost five years, following positions at Carnegie Investment Bank, Macquarie Bank and Accenture. With more than a decade of experience in the investment industry, including ten years in various responsible investment / ESG roles, Måns is well known for producing and presenting consistent, high-quality ESG research covering the Australian market and he has also published numerous, highly regarded insight papers on a wide range of ESG issues, including human rights and modern slavery. Måns is a member of the Retailer Supplier Roundtable Sustainability Council’s Forced Labour Advisory Council and the PRI Australia Network Advisory Committee. He holds an MBA International with Distinction from Griffith University and a Master of Financial Management from Gothenburg School of Business

Sandra Silea (Senior Analyst in the ESG and Stewardship team at AustralianSuper)

Sandra Silea

Senior Analyst in the ESG and Stewardship team at AustralianSuper

Sandra Silea is a Senior Analyst in the ESG and Stewardship team at AustralianSuper, working within the fund’s Investments team to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into the investment process. As part of her role, she carries out the fund’s ESG and Stewardship program by engaging with listed company boards on ESG matters, activity voting at company meetings and conducting ESG due diligence for unlisted investments. Sandra is a member of the RIAA Human Rights Working Group and previously worked for political campaigns and NGOs focussed on international affairs and diplomacy in the United States.

Robynne Quiggin (Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at UTS Business School)

Robynne Quiggin

Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at UTS Business School

Professor Robynne Quiggin is a Wiradjuri lawyer who has worked across legal and policy areas of relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians including financial services, consumer issues, human rights, governance, rights to culture, heritage and the arts. Robynne is a key advisor to the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative. Robynne has served on the board of Bangarra Dance Theatre, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and was formerly a Trustee of the Australian Museum. She currently chairs the Board of the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office and Westpac’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, and is a member of Westpac’s Stakeholder Advisory group and IAG’s Consumer Advisory Board. Professor Robynne Quiggin is a SteerCo Member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative.

Helena Fung (Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific at FTSE Russell)

Helena Fung

Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific at FTSE Russell

As Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific, Helena is responsible for FTSE Russell’s Sustainable Investment indexes, and data services across the Asia Pacific region. A core part of her role is client engagement on a comprehensive range of products and data to support them in reaching their investment decisions. Working with research and leadership teams, she has a responsibility for developing FTSE Russell’s Asia Pacific Sustainable Investment product strategy and expansion.
Helena relocated to Hong Kong in 2014 from London - a key hub for ESG investments, where she worked for the responsible investment arm of Hermes Investment Management as global head of client relations, enabling pension funds and asset managers to integrate sustainability criteria into passive and active portfolios. Before joining FTSE Russell, Helena worked for a family office in Asia where her responsibilities as an investment specialist included ESG integration, equity analysis and philanthropy. She has been working as an expert in ESG and Sustainable Investment since 2008, including providing advisory research on stewardship implementation for pension funds and family office clients, drafting responsible investment policies and integrating sustainability policies into both active and passive portfolios.

Pablo Berrutti (Senior Investment Specialist at Stewart Investors)

Pablo Berrutti

Senior Investment Specialist at Stewart Investors

Pablo Berrutti is the senior investment specialist at Stewart Investors, Sustainable Funds Group, where he helps the team coordinate communications, reporting and company engagement. Pablo was the Head of Responsible Investment Asia Pacific for First Sentier Investors for seven years. In this role he was responsible for supporting investment teams across the group incorporate sustainability considerations in their investing.

Pablo is also the founder of a not-for-profit library and resource centre dedicated to helping people inside and outside finance advocate for a sustainable financial system. Information on the library can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/company/altiorem1. Pablo is also the former Chair and current Deputy Chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia and is on the management committee of the Investor Group on Climate Change.

James Tayler (Head of ESG at Ellerston Capital)

James Tayler

Head of ESG at Ellerston Capital

James joined Morphic Asset Management as Head of Research in 2016. Following the sale of Morphic to Ellerston Capital, in 2020 James was appointed Head of ESG covering all listed equity portfolios managed by both businesses. Ellerston Capital manages AUD 5bn of assets invested in listed equities across Australian, Asian and Global strategies predominantly on behalf of institutional investors.

He was previously Head of Investment Research at Knight Vinke, a leading activist investor focused on European companies, based in Zurich and London. Prior to this, James was Head of Investment Research for a family office in Zug, Switzerland following more than 10 years at Swiss Re initially as a UK Equity Portfolio Manager, based in London, followed by a sector specialist analyst role for a multi-billion CHF absolute return global equity fund, based in Zurich.

James’s Responsible Investment journey started in the early 2000’s when Swiss Re recognised the need to integrate ESG analysis in its asset management activities. At this time Swiss Re became an early signatory to the PRI and worked closely with other pioneer ESG investors and third party data providers.

Karen McLeod (Certified Financial Planner at Ethical Investment Advisers)

Karen McLeod

Certified Financial Planner at Ethical Investment Advisers

As an Authorised Representative of Ethical Investment Advisers, Karen McLeod holds the highest level of accreditation in Australia as a Certified Financial Planner TM (CFP). She also holds a Bachelor of Business (with Distinction). She is accredited by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) as a Certified Financial Adviser. Karen has served 6 years as a Board Member of RIAA and to the RIAA Certification Committee. Additionally, Karen is a member of the Ethical Advisers’ Co-operative and served as the Chairperson in 2014. She is also a member of the peak industry association in Australia, the Financial Planning Association (FPA). In 2009, the Australian Financial Review’s ‘Smart Investor’ magazine awarded Karen McLeod a place in their Master Class Top 50 Honour Roll (Australia wide). This achievement is based on her technical expertise. She has loved running her own practice in Brisbane for over 12 years.

Kylie Charlton (Managing Director of Australian Impact Investments)

Kylie Charlton

Managing Director of Australian Impact Investments

Kylie joined Australian Impact Investments in 2014 and has worked in Australia and internationally at the intersection of mainstream capital markets, impact investment and philanthropy for more than a decade. Kylie is a Venture Partner on the Giant Leap Fund, co-founder of Unitus Capital, member of the Investment Committee for the DFAT supported Investing in Women initiative of Patamar Capital, Co-Deputy Chair for RIAA’s Impact Investing Forum and member of DFAT’s Technical Advisory Group on its Emerging Market Impact Investment Fund. Prior to transitioning her career into impact investment, Kylie spent 11 years in commercial and investment banking.

Kylie graduated in Commerce at University of Canberra and has an MBA from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in England.

Abhilash Mudaliar (Impact Investor at Ramsay Foundation)

Abhilash Mudaliar

Impact Investor at Ramsay Foundation

Abhilash has over 15 years experience in impact investing globally. Previously, he was an impact investor at Elevar Equity, a microfinance consultant at Unitus and Director of Research at the Global Impact Investing Network. Currently, he leads social enterprise and impact investing activities at the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

Farren Williams (Adviser and Partner at Koda Capital)

Farren Williams

Adviser and Partner at Koda Capital

Farren has 19 years’ experience providing tailored financial solutions to wealthy individuals and families, non-profits and charitable foundations. She has a passion for helping clients with their wealth management needs and has extensive experience in investment policy development, governance, bespoke portfolio design, succession planning, superannuation advice, estate planning and integrating philanthropy into wealth planning.

Farren has tailored ethical solutions for clients for over a decade, developing ethical investing policies, designing ethical portfolios, reviewing exposures, providing impact investing advice and running tailored workshops for multi-generational families and NFPs around ethical and impact investing.

In addition to being a Partner at Koda Capital, Farren is the Deputy Chair of the Board of the Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation Victoria and Chairs the Finance and Audit Committee and is on the Investment Committee of the Aesop Foundation. As a former Investment Committee member of The Myer Foundation, Farren undertook due diligence on impact investments for culminating in the foundation’s first impact investment in 2015.

Farren is a Bard Member of RIAA has been on expert panels for the Generosity Forum, RIAA, Philanthropy Australia and GiveWell.

Farren is a Certified Financial Planner and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Order of Merit). Farren holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science and holds financial planning qualifications (DFP and CFP). She is a member of the the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Financial Planning Association.

Kate Temby (Partner, Client Engagement at Affirmative Investment Management)

Kate Temby

Partner, Client Engagement at Affirmative Investment Management

Kate has over 28 years’ experience in investment management and financial markets. She joined AIM in 2017, as a partner, with the ambition to be a strong strategic contributor to mainstream capital for purpose and invest in fixed income that delivers returns and impact.

Kate has an extensive background in leadership, financial markets, communication and client engagement, having been employed for 17 years by Goldman Sachs, most recently in GSAM. Kate led the Asia Pacific Ex-Japan institutional sales team, which managed over $40bn of assets on behalf of clients in the region.

Kate has also worked in New York and Toronto, with Goldman Sachs and PwC, respectively. Kate is also a member of Investment Committees for Conscious Investment Management (Global Private Equity Impact Fund) and Melbourne Grammar School.

Gabriel Wilson-Otto (Global Head of Sustainability Research at BNP Paribas Asset Management Australia Limited)

Gabriel Wilson-Otto

Global Head of Sustainability Research at BNP Paribas Asset Management Australia Limited

Gabriel Wilson-Otto is the Global Head of Sustainability Research and oversees BNP Paribas Asset Management’s (BNPP AM) ESG Analyst team. As the team lead, he also contributes to developing and delivering BNPP AM’s sustainability research agenda in collaboration with internal and external parties. His research responsibilities include overseeing the development and evolution of BNPP AM’s proprietary ESG scoring framework. His expertise will be invaluable as BNPP AM continues to reinforce its commitment to Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).

Gabriel joined BNPP AM in 2019 as Head of Stewardship, Asia Pacific. In that role, he represented and led BNPP AM’s stewardship activities in Asia Pacific, including researching key corporate governance issues, undertaking direct and collaborative corporate engagement, and engages with policymakers on key issues relating to sustainable finance and investment. Prior to BNPP AM, Gabriel was Goldman Sachs’ Head of GS SUSTAIN Asia for 12 years. During his tenure at the firm, he was responsible for leading a team to identify long-term investment opportunities in high quality companies.

Jacki Johnson (Co-Chair at ASFI)

Jacki Johnson

Co-Chair at ASFI

Co-Chair ASFI, Advisor to IAG on Climate Change and Sustainability, Co-Chair of the UNEP FI Global Steering Committee
Jacki is an Advisor to the IAG Board on Climate Change and Sustainability and was formerly Group Executive, People, Performance & Reputation at IAG, responsible for the functions of people and culture, corporate and government affairs, safer communities, the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities and the IAG Foundation. She is also an elected member of the UNEP FI Global Steering Committee holding the role of Co-Chair, a member of Chief Executive Women and a member of the Steering Committee for Sydney 100 Resilient Cities. From 2010 to 2016, Jacki was Chief Executive of IAG’s New Zealand business. Former roles include President of the Insurance Council of New Zealand, Chair of the Christchurch Recovery Chief Executives' meeting, and Executive Director IAG New Zealand. In addition, Jacki is a Non-Executive Director of Community First Credit Union and a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Eric Usher (Head at UNEP Finance Initiative)

Eric Usher

Head at UNEP Finance Initiative

Eric Usher Heads the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, UNEP FI, a global partnership bringing together the UN with a global group of banks, insurers and asset managers working to develop the sustainable finance and responsible investment agendas. Eric oversees governance, strategy and day-to-day management of UNEP FI’s work programme and global network development. Over the years UNEP FI has established some of the most important sustainability oriented frameworks within the finance industry, including the Principles for Responsible Investment (2006), the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (2012) and the Principles for Responsible Banking (2019).

Since joining in 2015, Mr. Usher has focused on accelerating the deep integration of sustainability risks into financial practice, including addressing climate change, natural capital loss and human rights abuses, as well as building out the frameworks for positive impact finance needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eric sits on several industry bodies including as UN representative on the Board of the Principles for Responsible Investment, and as a member of the governing boards of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, the Investor Agenda and the impact fund REPP Africa.

Prior to leading UNEP FI, Mr. Usher has over twenty years of experience in the low carbon sectors, spanning technology commercialisation in Canada, solar rural electrification in Morocco and financial sector development across emerging markets. During 2011, Mr. Usher worked on the establishment of the Green Climate Fund and led efforts to create its Private Sector Facility. Eric has been an editor of the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report published annually with Bloomberg and was lead author for finance of the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources. Earlier in his career, Eric was General Manager of a solar rural electrification company based in Morocco.

Anna Skarbek (Chief Executive Officer at Climate Works Australia)

Anna Skarbek

Chief Executive Officer at Climate Works Australia

Anna is a SteerCo Member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative. Anna has led ClimateWorks since its inception in 2009, guiding ClimateWorks’ independent research and advisory work analysing emissions reduction opportunities and partnering with government and business to unblock barriers to implementation.
Anna brings considerable private and public sector knowledge to the role as an experienced investment banker, policy advisor and qualified lawyer. Prior to ClimateWorks, Anna was based in London where she applied her skills as an advisor dedicated to raising and deploying capital for low carbon activities as Vice President, Advisory, at Climate Change Capital. She has also worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Victorian Deputy Premier, an investment banker for Macquarie Bank and as a solicitor with Malleson Stephen Jacques.
Anna was an inaugural Director of Australia's green investment bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and is a Director of Green Buildings Council Australia, a Trustee of the Sustainable Melbourne Fund, a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a member of the Grattan Institute’s Energy Program Reference Panel and a member of the Leadership Forum for Energy Transition for Australia. She has also served on the South Australian Government’s Low Carbon Economy Expert Panel, the Victorian Climate Change Act Independent Review Committee, the Australian Government’s Energy White Paper Reference Panel and the former Australian Government Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board, as well as with the NGO Roundtable on Climate Change.