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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.

Bjorn De Smedt (Associate Director - Account Executive - Australia & New Zealand of ISS ESG)

Bjorn De Smedt

Associate Director - Account Executive - Australia & New Zealand of ISS ESG

Bjorn De Smedt is Account Executive for Australia and New Zealand at ISS. Prior to joining ISS Australia in 2011, Bjorn held a similar position in the ISS Brussels office, advising large asset owners and investment managers in Northern Europe on active ownership and responsible investment approaches. He has over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, and has held several positions within the industry, as account manager at BNP Paribas Securities Services (Paris), Tax Operations at Euroclear (Brussels) and Senior Area Sales Manager at Fortis Commercial Finance (Brussels). Bjorn holds a Business Degree from the University of Ghent (Belgium) and a Business Degree of the University of Bergen (Norway), as well as a Master Degree in European Studies from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

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.