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Cassandra Williams (Certification and Ratings Manager at Responsible Investment Association Australasia)

Cassandra Williams

Certification and Ratings Manager at Responsible Investment Association Australasia

Cassandra has over 20 years experience in the Financial Services sector. She has worked for researchers & gatekeepers, banks and fund managers.

Cassandra brings rich experience in reviews and ratings, based on her time as Director of Research at CANSTAR, where she launched and lead the now industry-standard 5 Star Ratings. She was appointed to ASIC’s Consumer Advisory Panel. Most recently Cassandra ran a FinTech start-up.

At RIAA, Cassandra leads our Certification and Ratings Program and will build out our consumer-facing content and resources.

Cassandra has a Bachelor of Business, MBA and Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.

Ryan Cook (Certifications and Ratings Analyst at Responsible Investment Association Australasia)

Ryan Cook

Certifications and Ratings Analyst at Responsible Investment Association Australasia

Prior to joining RIAA Ryan worked for close to ten years in the banking and finance industry in a range of Senior Analytical roles. Ryan has also worked as a sustainability consultant and carbon emissions analyst.

Ryan recently completed his Master of Environment at University of Melbourne, specialising in Governance, Policy and Markets. His research examined Responsible Investment in Blue Carbon resources.

In addition to his Masters degree, Ryan holds a Diploma of Sustainability and Bachelor of Agribusiness. Ryan is also a community committee member for the Sports Environment Alliance (SEA) Australia and a member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Inc.

Desiree Lucchese (ESG Consultant at MSCI ESG Research (Australia) Pty Limited)

Desiree Lucchese

ESG Consultant at MSCI ESG Research (Australia) Pty Limited

Désirée is the ESG Consultant for MSCI ESG Research (part of MSCI Inc.) in Australia and New Zealand. MSCI Inc. is a leading provider of ESG Research, Indices, Analytics and Real Estate benchmarks. As an ESG specialist with expertise in environmental systems, sustainability & innovation, Désirée consults investors, companies and industry bodies on global ESG trends, reporting requirements and the integration of ESG Research data & analytics into investment decision-making.
Désirée has worked internationally across both public and private sectors. Her expertise ranges from corporate social responsibility programs, sustainable agricultural practices and ethical sourcing, to green real estate and precinct-scale infrastructure planning. She has helped design and deliver corporate sustainability strategies, government programs, and climate risk mitigation & adaptation plans. In late 2015, as technical manager for the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), she was appointed by Directorate-General (DG) Environment (European Commission) as a peer reviewer for the Product and Organisational Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF) Pilot Phase. In that period, she also participated in the Capital Markets Union initiative coordinated by leading London-based think tanks and NGOs.