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Deanne Stewart
Chief Executive Officer at Aware SuperDeanne joined Aware Super as Chief Executive Officer in 2018.
As one of Australia’s largest super funds, Deanne has led Aware Super’s drive to be a ‘Force for Good’ through its responsible investment philosophy and focus on providing its members with the best guidance and advice for retirement.
She has with more than 25 years’ leadership experience in financial services in wealth, superannuation and insurance sectors in Australia and internationally. This includes time as Managing Director with Merrill Lynch Investment management in New York, and as an Engagement Manager with McKinsey and Company in London.
Before joining Aware Super, Deanne was Chief Executive Officer of MetLife Australia and held senior roles within BT Financial Group including as General Manager for Superannuation, Marketing and Direct Channels.
Deanne also serves as a Director of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors and non-profit organisation Redkite.
A hallmark of Deanne’s career has been a passionate commitment to building and maintaining a strong culture and clearly defined purpose to drive business success.
Rachel Perkins
Writer, Director, Producer, founder of Blackfella Films and Co-Chair of Yes23Rachel Perkins, a proud Arrente and Kalkadoon woman with German and Irish heritage, is a leading Australian storyteller through her work as a writer, director, and producer. Over her 30-year career, she has helmed award-winning television dramas, documentaries, and feature films such as "The Australian Wars," "Total Control," and "First Australians." Perkins is also the founder of Blackfella Films, known for groundbreaking projects like the documentary series "First Australians." She has been recognised for her contributions to the industry and Indigenous storytelling, receiving numerous awards including the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and IF Awards. Through her storytelling, Perkins sheds light on Australia's shared history, advocating for truth-telling and reconciliation. She has also worked to preserve Indigenous language and culture, exemplified by her efforts to update and reprint the Eastern and Central Arrernte Dictionary.
Joe Longo
Chair of Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC)- Greenwashing: A view from the regulator - Keynote: Joe Longo
- Learnings from the fight against greenwashing to date
He has held senior leadership roles over four decades in corporate law, financial services, regulation and law enforcement, in Australia and some of the world’s most important financial markets.
He was the general counsel for Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong for 17 years, providing leadership across regulatory issues, governance, corporate law and non-financial risk.
Before that, Joe was the national director of enforcement at ASIC between 1996 and 2001, and responsible for the coordination and direction of all enforcement and litigation activities.
He has also been a senior adviser at Herbert Smith Freehills and earlier, a partner at Parker and Parker (now Herbert Smith Freehills).
Joe represents ASIC in key national economic and law enforcement forums including the Council of Financial Regulators, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Board, the Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Forum and the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce.
He is also a member of the Board of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the Asia Pacific Regional Committee of IOSCO, the Trans-Tasman Business Committee and the EU Asia-Pacific Forum.
Julie Inman Grant
eSafety Commissioner at Australian Government- TechRights Nexus - Introductory Remarks: Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner at Australian Government
- TechRights Nexus: The intersection of Digital Tech, including AI and Human Rights: RIAA's Human Rights Working Group
Julie Inman Grant is Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the world’s first government regulatory agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.
Before commencing in this role in January 2017, Commissioner Inman Grant spent two decades working in senior public policy and safety roles in the tech industry at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe.
Peter Chun
Chief Executive Officer at UniSuperPeter joined UniSuper in the role of Chief Executive Officer in September 2021. As CEO, Peter is responsible for developing, leading, and implementing corporate strategy and culture. He is also accountable for the overall services and operational management of UniSuper Management nationally.
With over 30 years’ experience in financial services across the retail and industry fund sectors—in roles spanning business development, marketing, product development, digitisation, client services and business transformation—Peter’s leadership is helping to shape the future for one of Australia’s largest super funds.
Prior to UniSuper, Peter held positions at Aware Super as Group Executive, Member Growth, as well as over a decade at Colonial First State in roles across product, distribution, and investments.
Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC KC
Australian National University, former Australian Foreign Minister & President Emeritus International Crisis Group- Geopolitical risks - Keynote: Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC KC
- Navigating geopolitics: Responsible investors' risk in an uncertain world
Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC KC FASSA FAIIA is Distinguished Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, where he was Chancellor from 2010-19 and President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group, the Brussels-based independent global conflict prevention and resolution organisation which he led from 2000 to 2009. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor Governments from 1983-96, in the posts of Attorney General, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Transport and Communications and - from 1988-96 - Foreign Minister. During his 21 years in Australian politics he was Leader of the Government in the Senate (1993-96) and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives (1996-98). He has written or edited 14 books on foreign relations, human rights and legal and governance issues, most recently Good International Citizenship: The Case for Decency, and has won a number of major international awards for his contributions to conflict prevention and resolution, arms control and human rights.
Fiona Wild
Group Climate and Sustainability Officer at BHPFiona has almost 25 years’ experience in multinational oil and gas and resources companies, ranging from frontline operational management to corporate strategic development across a variety of countries and businesses. She is a leading voice on how resources companies can manage climate-related risks and support a low carbon transition in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
In her current role, she leads the design and implementation of BHP’s climate change strategy, including activities in the areas of portfolio evaluation, operational and value chain decarbonisation, physical risk and adaptation, reporting and disclosure, and stakeholder engagement. She advises the Board and senior management on emerging climate change trends and represents BHP in engagements with international NGOs, academics, peers, industry associations, governments and investors.
She began her career with oil and gas major BP and gained extensive experience in carbon management, climate policy and low carbon business development, including supporting BP as it investigated opportunities to develop commercial-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities.
In December 2015, Fiona was appointed to the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, reporting to the G20. She also holds several Board positions, including Deputy Chair of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI).
Elizabeth Broderick AO
Former UN Special Rapporteur at UN Human Rights Council and former Australian Sex Discrimination CommissionerElizabeth is Principal of EB&Co. a specialist consultancy focusing on high-level strategic consulting and transformation, particularly in the areas of gender equality, diversity, inclusion and cultural renewal., particularly in male dominated environments.
She was Australia’s longest serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner (2007-2015). One of her major achievements was the development and implementation of a gender equality blueprint for the nation, based on listening to the voices of Australians. She played a significant role in the introduction of Australia’s national paid parental leave scheme and progressed major law reform including in the area of sex discrimination and sexual harassment. She established the nation’s data set on the prevalence of sexual harassment data, and built trend data which continues to inform evidence based policy today. Her review into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force led to sweeping cultural reforms.
In 2017, Elizabeth was appointed by the United Nations in Geneva as a Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert of the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. In this role, she undertakes UN country missions and has a global mandate to issue official UN communications to nation states drawing their attention to human rights violations, particularly against women and girls.
She is the Founder and Convenor of the Champions of Change Coalition (formerly the Male Champions of Change), a globally recognised, disruptive strategy for achieving gender equality, advancing more and diverse women in leadership, and building respectful and inclusive workplaces. Comprising seventeen groups of over 270 national and international CEOs covering every major sector of the economy.
Elizabeth is Chair of Gender and Disaster Australia and a member of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership Advisory Council, Kings College London.
In 2016, Elizabeth was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia and was named 2016 NSW Australian of the Year.
Justin Williams
Managing Director of Australian Accounting Standards BoardJustin is the Managing Director of the Australian Accounting Standards Board and also the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. Justin possesses a diverse background, and has worked across multiple countries in roles linked to community, science and professional services. He has been CEO for NFP entities in Australia and the UK, as well as having worked for Deloitte in Australia and New Zealand as a Consulting Director. In a previous career, Justin was an environmental consultant working in aquatic and terrestrial assessing the impact on the environment from business operations and also has lead the development process to create a large scale river catchment improvement scheme.
Justin has been involved in science-led, technology-based businesses from concept development, commercialisation and through to spin-out and funding in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Justin is currently part of the AASB Sustainability Team and holds two science degrees as well as an MBA.
Alison Taylor
Clinical Associate Professor at New York University Stern School of BusinessAlison Taylor joined New York University Stern School of business as a clinical associate professor in January 2023. Her research focuses on the organizational dimension of corporate responsibility and business ethics. She has expertise in strategy, sustainability, political and social risk, culture and behavior, human rights, ethics and compliance, stakeholder engagement, anti corruption and professional responsibility. She is also the Executive Director of Ethical Systems, a research collaboration focused on ethical organizational culture. Alison is currently writing a book on the new landscape for business ethics, for Harvard Business Review Press. Her previous work experience includes being a Managing Director at non-profit business network Business for Social Responsibility and a Senior Managing Director at Control Risks. She holds several advisory roles, including with sustainability non-profit Business for Social Responsibility, Zai Labs, and VentureESG. She is also chair of the board of directors at ESG think tank Preventable Surprises.
Benson Saulo
Managing Partner at First Australians CapitalBenson is a proud descendant of the Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara people of Western Victoria, and from New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. Benson brings over 18 years of experience spanning finance, international engagement, economic development and social impact. Prior to FAC, Benson was the first Indigenous person to be appointed an Australian Consul-General with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission based in Houston, where he spent close to three years driving forward Australia’s diplomatic, economic and trade agenda.
Tony Goldner
Executive Director of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial DisclosuresTony has significant experience working at the intersection of finance, sustainable development and diplomacy. Prior to joining the TNFD in September 2021, Tony was an adviser to government, financial sector and philanthropic leaders on a range of sustainable development challenges, including as a Senior Adviser with the World Bank Group.
As a Partner at the strategy consultancy Monitor Deloitte, Tony led the development of national reform strategies at both a country and city level and advised government leaders on the design of governance arrangements and performance management frameworks for mobilizing strategic investment capital and delivery of policy outcomes aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He was a senior member of Monitor Group’s global public sector advisory practice, has advised Fortune 500 US companies on their sustainability strategy and co-authored a seminal 2008 report on the investment behavior of Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Earlier in his career, Tony worked in infrastructure development and corporate finance in Australia and began his career in the Australian foreign service including a diplomatic posting in East Africa as a representative to UNEP and UN Habitat.
Fiona Reynolds
Chair of the Finance for Peace Steering CommitteeFiona Reynolds is an independent director and advisory board member working across the business and investor sectors on ESG and sustainability issues. Fiona served as the CEO of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) for just under a decade, stepping down at the beginning of 2022.
Fiona is the Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia and Chair of the Finance for Peace Steering Committee; she also serves on the Board of Frontier Advisors and the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute. She is on the Advisory Boards of Affirmative Investment Management, and ROC Partners. She chairs the ESG Advisory Board for Qualitas and is on the think tanks Climate Catalyst, and the UBS Sustainability and Impact Forum, as well the Advisory Committee for the NSW Commissioner for Anti-Slavery and the Australian Human Rights Institute.
Fiona has 30 years' experience in the financial services, superannuation and pension sector. She joined the PRI from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), where she spent seven years as CEO.
Claire Molinari
Head of ESG at CareSuper and Co-Chair of RIAA's Nature Working GroupClaire Molinari is the Head of ESG at CareSuper, having joined in January 2022. Claire draws on extensive experience working in ESG in investment teams in both Australia and the UK. Prior to joining CareSuper, Claire held roles at the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, QSuper and London-based investment manager Sarasin & Partners. Prior to working in ESG, Claire qualified as an Australian Lawyer.
Claire co-chairs RIAA’s Nature Working Group.
Claire holds a DPhil (PhD) from Oxford and BA/LLB (Hons) degrees from the University of Melbourne.
Kuldeep Yadav
Head of ESG & Climate Research, Australia and New Zealand at MSCIKuldeep leads ESG and Climate research for MSCI’s Australia and New Zealand. He also drives MSCI’s mining sector coverage.
With over a decade of experience in the financial services sector, Kuldeep is a seasoned professional with roles at major players such as Morgan Stanley, Deloitte and MLC. Prior to joining MSCI, Kuldeep helped manage a multi-asset portfolio of over $1 billion at Byron Capital.
He holds a Master of Finance from Queensland University of Technology and a Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University. Kuldeep is a Certified ESG Analyst® (CESGA).
Xuan Sheng Ou Yong
Sustainable Fixed Income Lead, APAC at BNP Paribas Asset ManagementXuan Sheng (Sheng) is ESG Analyst at BNPP AM. He joined the firm in January 2019. Sheng is responsible for the implementation of our green bond strategies, and the analysis of green bonds as well as the finance sector. He is also responsible for supporting ESG integration across investment teams in APAC.
Prior to joining BNP Paribas, Sheng worked for EcoVadis, a business sustainability rating agency based in Paris, as a Chinese analyst looking at how Chinese companies manage their sustainability risks and opportunities. After two and a half years in Paris (2014 to 2016), Sheng moved to Hong Kong to set up EcoVadis Hong Kong, leading a team of eight analysts, and providing support for the other business units in the Hong Kong office (2016 to 2019).
Ross Piper
Chief Executive Superannuation at Chief Executive Superannuation at Australian Ethical & Chair of the Responsible Investment Association AustralasiaRoss Piper is the Chief Executive Superannuation at Australian Ethical, an $8 billion superannuation fund with over 100,000 members across Australia. He has over 25 years of leadership and management experience in corporate and non-profit contexts. Prior to Ross’ appointment with Australian Ethical, he was CEO of Christian Super for 5 years. He also served with World Vision International for several years in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and various countries of the former Yugoslavia.
During his career Ross has held a number of positions in the corporate sector, primarily in investment banking and mining. He was Head of Corporate Risk for Macquarie Bank for several years, and his early professional experience was gained in Indigenous communities and the mining sector, where he worked in the area of training and community development. For six years he served as a Director and Founding Chair of AgroInvest, a large microfinance bank serving rural families in Serbia and Montenegro, and currently sits on various other boards for organisations focused on social enterprise and technology. He is currently Chair of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (www.responsibleinvestment.org).
Estelle Parker
Co-CEO of Responsible Investment Association Australasia- Navigating geopolitics: Responsible investors' risk in an uncertain world
- New track unveiled: Sustainability Classifications Initiative launch
- Revving up First Nations Cultural Heritage Protection - Keynote: Rachel Perkins
- Meeting member needs in a world of choice - Keynote: Peter Chun
- Woke Capitalism and the ESG Backlash: A view from the front line
Estelle Parker leads RIAA’s research, certification, policy, standards and working group programs. She brings 20 years’ experience leading strategic initiatives as a diplomat, policy analyst, stakeholder manager and strategic planner with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Estelle served, inter alia, as Acting Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador to Mexico, Central America and Cuba; Deputy State Director (Victoria); Policy Adviser to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands; and as Director overseeing the development and management of bilateral relationships.
Estelle also worked for five years at the University of Melbourne, where she lectured in the Master of Public Policy and Management and Master of International Relations, and has experience on boards and committees. She is currently a member of the Principles for Responsible Investment’s Global Policy Reference Group and the Australian Government’s Natural Capital Working Group, as well as Convenor of the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures official Consultation Group for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Estelle holds a Master of Public Policy and Management (First Class Honours), Master of Communications (With Distinction), Bachelor of Arts (av. First Class Honours) and Certificate in Business Sustainability Strategy.
Zoe Whitton
Head of Strategy and Impact at PollinationZoe Whitton is an Executive Director at Pollination Group, a specialist climate change investment and advisory firm. Zoe assists companies and investors navigating a transition and considering the strategic implications of climate change. Zoe previously led the award-winning APAC ESG Research team at Citi, advising institutional investors globally on climate change and sustainable development. Earlier in her career Zoe covered ESG and climate change at Credit Suisse and at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, worked as an analyst at the Oxford Smith School and the Stockholm Environmental Institute, and served as a youth delegate to the UNFCCC. She serves on the boards of the Investor Group on Climate Change and the Centre for Policy Development. Zoe has won numerous awards for her research on climate finance and risk, and was rated one of the top RI analysts globally in the 2019 Extel survey. In 2020 she was awarded the inaugural Rising Star award by Women in Banking and Finance. She regularly contributes to the wider conversation on sustainable finance by commentating in the Australian and international press, including in the AFR, the SMH, the Age, and the Wall Street Journal, along with publications such as the Quarterly Essay. She holds masters degrees in environmental policy and economics from Oxford University and the University of Queensland.
Kate Dundas
Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network AustraliaKate Dundas is the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA), the Australian Local Network of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. As Executive Director, Kate leads a team of experts across the fields of business and human rights, environment and climate change, anti-bribery and corruption and sustainable development.
Kate is an experienced and well-regarded executive leader with 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors in sustainability, strategic foresight, strategy and city planning. She holds degrees in Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, Harvard Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program and is an Executive MBA candidate.
Dr James Cockayne
NSW Anti-slavery CommissionerDr James Cockayne is NSW’s first independent Anti-slavery Commissioner, with responsibilities that include helping NSW public buyers ensure they do not buy products of modern slavery. Prior to his appointment, James worked with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands to found and lead Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), developing the FAST Blueprint and training over 15,000 finance professionals in anti-slavery measures. Later, he helped stand up Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking-APAC. James has also advised multilateral development banks, export credit agencies and institutional investors on modern slavery in ESG strategies. James previously spent two decades working in international affairs, serving as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Equity and Social Justice, leading the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research in New York, the US Council on Foreign Relations Study Group on Human Trafficking, the Center for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation’s work in New York and Africa, and the Transnational Crime Unit of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department in Canberra. James grew up in Sydney and is now privileged to live on Bundjalung country in the Northern Rivers.
Helena Fung
Head of Sustainable Finance and Investment, Asia Pacific at London Stock Exchange GroupAs Head of Sustainable Finance and Investment, Asia Pacific, Helena is responsible for the London Stock Exchange Group’s sustainable finance and investment strategy across the Asia Pacific region. A core part of her role is client and industry engagement on a comprehensive range of products and data and analytics solutions to support the integration of sustainability into investment and financing decisions. Working with research and leadership teams, she has a responsibility for developing the London Stock Exchange’s Asia Pacific sustainable finance and 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, enabling pension funds and asset managers to integrate sustainability criteria into passive and active portfolios. Helena’s experience prior to joining LSEG includes ESG integration, equity analysis and advising on philanthropy for family office, asset management and institutional clients. She has been working 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 considerations into both active and passive portfolios.
Gordon Noble
Research Director of UTS Institute for Sustainable FuturesGordon is a Research Director with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) focusing on sustainable finance. Gordon has worked across financial systems in a variety of capacities over a thirty-year career including in frontline roles in banking, superannuation, and investment management, as a political advisor, in industrial roles representing finance sector workers and in policy / research roles with industry associations and universities.
Gordon was one of the first employees of the United Nations backed Principles for Responsible Investment, founded what is now the PRI Academy and in 2020 co-authored the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap released by the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative.
Helen Skinner
Head of Responsible Investment at ANZ New Zealand Investment LimitedHelen leads Responsible Investment across ANZ Investments ~$34bn of assets under management*. She has over 25 years of experience in the investments industry, holding various senior roles in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
She’s passionate about sustainability and responsible investment with over 15 years’ experience in this field. She sits on the RIAA Nature Working Group and the RIAA First Nations Peoples’ Rights Working Group. She joined ANZ in 2022 after almost five years at Craigs Investment Partners where most recently she was Head of Emerging Wealth.
Helen is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and a certified member of INFINZ. Helen was elected to the RIAA board in December 2023.
*as at 31 May 2023 $33.8bn AUM
Dean Hegarty
Co-CEO of RIAA- Stewardship and active corporate engagement - Keynote: Deanne Stewart, CEO of Aware Super
- New track unveiled: Sustainability Classifications Initiative launch
- Welcome back from RIAA
- Corporate lobbying and investor stewardship: When priorities collide
Dean collaborates closely with global and local asset managers, super funds, Kiwisaver providers, financial advisors, and wealth platforms to align capital with sustainable outcomes. His strategic leadership has played a pivotal role in elevating RIAA's presence in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. With over a decade of experience leading teams in the not-for-profit sector, Dean also serves as a member of the National Advisory Board on Impact Investing in New Zealand and sits on the GovCo of the New Zealand Stewardship Code.
Joachim Klement
Head Strategy, Accounting and Sustainability at Liberum and author of 'Geoeconomics: The Interplay between Geopolitics, Economics, and Investments'- Navigating geopolitics: Responsible investors' risk in an uncertain world
- Net zero energy speedway: Fact or fiction?
Joachim has worked in the investment industry for more than 20 years, mostly on the buy side. He is an investment strategist and ESG specialist within the strategy team.
Before joining Liberum, Joachim worked as Head of Equity Strategy and Head of Asset Allocation for a major Swiss private bank, as Chief Investment Officer for family offices and institutional investors as well as Head of Research for a boutique investment firm.
Joachim holds a Masters in Mathematics from ETH Zurich and a Masters in Economics from the University of Hagen. He is the author of “7 Mistakes every Investor Makes” and “Geo-Economics: The Interplay between Geopolitics, Economics, and Investments”. He also publishes the free substack “Klement on Investing”.
Alexandra Brown
Founder and CEO of Ethical Invest Group- Yeah but what about…? Navigting obstacles in the ESG marathon
- Workshop: Getting started - Responsible Investment 101
Alexandra Brown is the Founder and CEO of Ethical Invest Group and delivers sustainable investing education to investors, advisers, and finance professionals, helping them get confident with aligning money to values and magnifying their impact towards a sustainable future.
Alexandra is Co-founder of Altiorem, a community-built and AI-powered sustainable finance library, and an active member of the Ethical Advisers’ Co-op, a group of leading advisers and professionals who specialise in ethical and sustainable investment.
On a mission to accelerate sustainable investing from niche to norm, Alexandra facilitates the online course, Sustainable Investment Advice, giving financial advisers the knowledge and tools to incorporate a client’s environmental, social, and ethical preferences. She is currently launching a new short course for investors, Sustainable Investor Toolkit, educating individuals on how to invest more sustainably and in line with their values.
Alexandra’s goal is to rapidly and effectively enhance the skills of advisers and individuals, driving forward the Sustainable Development Goals through informed, values-aligned investing.
Caleb Adams
Associate Director, ESG & Sustainable Investment of E&P Financial GroupCaleb is a sustainable investment specialist and proud Wulli-Wulli man. Through E&P's network – including Family offices, NFPs, high net worth individuals, and institutional clients – he is dedicated to channelling capital towards sustainability outcomes and impactful opportunities. He is equally passionate about promoting First Nations' economic development and realising pathways for self-determination.
Prior to joining E&P, Caleb delivered ESG and First Nations strategies within the property and investment management sectors, at both Lendlease and AMP Capital. Caleb is also a member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) First Nations Reference Group; is a Non-Executive Director for the Climate Action Network Australia (CANA); and was a contributor to the 2024 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) annual Expert Group Meeting on ‘Indigenous Peoples in a green economy’.
John Treadgold
Impact Investment Consultant at Wearth.coJohn is a highly-regarded impact investment specialist, with broad experience building systems and strategies to steer investment capital towards positive environmental outcomes. He is the founder and managing director of boutique consultancy, Wearth.co. He’s worked with a global roster of funds management, advisory firms and family offices. John is also the host of The Good Future podcast, a leading global podcast exploring the evolution of impact investing, and corporate sustainability
Vanessa (Fernandes) Sullivan
Non-Executive Director of AGLVanessa is a Non-Executive Director of AGL. She has strong commercial, financial, project development and strategy experience gained over 20 years, working across the energy, water and sustainability sectors and more recently in hydrogen industry development. This includes as a Climate Change Leader and Utilities Leader at EY and undertaking significant energy market reforms across the supply chain whilst at Queensland Treasury Corporation. Vanessa has previously held non-executive director roles with Energex, the Smart Energy Council, Essential Energy and Sunwater. In addition to AGL, her current Directorships are: Director of Eco Markets Australia, Niche Environment and Heritage and Port of Townsville, and an Advisory Board member for Centacare (a Not For Profit disability and family services provider). Vanessa is also an independent member of Queensland’s Hydrogen Taskforce.
Pablo Berrutti
Senior Investment Specialist at Stewart Investors- What's in a name? Navigating responsible investment product labelling
- Workshop: Understanding systemic risk and how to fuel your portfolio for the long haul
Pablo is a senior investment specialist at Stewart Investors, a dedicated sustainable development focused, listed-equities manager. He is also the co-founder and managing director of Altiorem, a not-for-profit library and resource centre dedicated to supporting advocates for a sustainable financial system, and a member of the advisory committee to UNSW’s Human Rights Institute. Previously, Pablo was Head of Responsible Investment Asia Pacific at Colonial First State Global Asset Management (now First Sentier Investors) and Perpetual Limited. Pablo served as a director of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia for ten years and was chair for six. Pablo has also served on the management committee of the Investor Group on Climate Change and the coordinating working group of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, among other industry initiatives.
Nishtha Aggarwal
Financed Emissions Analyst at Climate Energy FinanceNishtha Aggarwal is a financed emissions analyst with public interest think tank, Climate Energy Finance. She critiques the climate capital allocation and ambition of Australia’s banking giants, engaging with the wider economy to accelerate the energy transition. Nishtha is a newly appointed Director on the Board of Climate Action Network Australia, the peak NGO body for Australia’s climate movement, and is an observer to the Board of Hand Heart Pocket, a social impact philanthropic organisation. As a second generation Australian with Indian and Fiji-Indian heritage, she speaks truth to power for the benefit of the world’s most vulnerable people. Nishtha previously worked as a strategy and operations consultant within the Big 4 consultancies advising a range of Government, public sector and not-for-profit clients.
Kristy Graham
Chief Executive Officer at Australian Sustainable Finance InstituteKristy is the inaugural CEO of ASFI. Established following the collaborative effort to develop the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap, ASFI works to create a financial system in Australia that can support a sustainable, resilient and prosperous future for all Australians. By working across the finance sector, with government, regulators, research institutions and peak bodies, ASFI drives implementation of the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap.
With a background in sustainable finance and impact investing across the public and private sectors, prior to ASFI Kristy led the Australian Government’s work with private and institutional investors to mobilise capital for climate and social impact in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In this role she established the Australian Government’s first impact investment fund, designed to build sustainable and inclusive financial markets in Southeast Asia. She was also a special advisor on the Prime Minister’s Social Impact Investing Taskforce in 2020. She has previously worked in Australia, Latin America, the UK and in global roles for large and small organisations, driving global progress on sustainability issues. She holds a BSc (Environmental) and a Masters in Environmental Law from the University of Sydney and an MBA (Social Impact) from AGSM at UNSW.
Mark Lyster
Director of Lyster & Associates / Edge ImpactMark is a sustainability expert specialising in business strategy, human rights and sustainable finance.
Mark is the inaugural Chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia’s Human Rights Working Group.
Previously Mark has held senior positions in Standard Bank, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and has been a director of leading sustainability advisory firms including: Ecos Corporation, Net Balance, EY, Action Sustainability, KPMG and advisor to Edge Impact.
Brian Wyborn
Managing Partner at First Australians CapitalBrian is a Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinea man who has over 15 years of professional experience across public and private sector with ten years in investment, portfolio and strategic advisory experience. Brian holds a Bachelor of Business, a Masters of Financial Planning, Masters of Social Change Leadership and has also completed the Foundations of Directorship with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Brian holds an Investment Committee role with the Noongar Boodja Trust, is a board member of the Australian Regional and Remote Community Services Limited and also a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Institute.
Tom King
Chief Investment Officer at Nanuk Asset ManagementTom joined Nanuk in 2009 and is the firm’s chief investment officer and one of the firm’s portfolio managers with approximately 20 years’ investment industry experience in equity funds management, investment banking and private equity. He was previously an investment manager at Consolidated Press Holdings Limited where he was involved in the management and execution of a large portfolio of direct and listed investments. Before that he was employed in several roles with NM Rothschild & Sons (Australia) Ltd including within the mergers & acquisitions advisory business and as manager of the forestry managed investment scheme business. Earlier he worked as an investment analyst with Australian equities fund manager Herschel Asset Management Ltd and as an industrial consultant with Hagen & Co Pty Ltd. Tom holds a first class honours degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. He has also won an Olympic gold medal in sailing and has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to sport.
Timothy Fleming
Director | Asset Management | Oceania of IWC GroupLeads AM+’s forest operations in Oceania. This covers day-to-day property management and tactical and strategic asset management, with tasks ranging from liaising with local partners and contractors, creating operational plans, conducting market analyses, implementing ESG, improving forest management, among many other property related tasks on top of deal sourcing.
Worked in forest investment and management for over 24 years with a wide range of experience across several forest projects in Oceania, Asia, and Africa. Represented IWC investors as a member of BOD on portfolio companies for several years. Had oversight of fund investments in Australia through acquisition, management and successful divestment phases. New Zealand citizen living in Melbourne, Australia. Has a Masters of Applied Science Degree in Agroforestry, from Lincoln University in New Zealand. Is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry, The Institute of Foresters of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Michele Embling FCA
Chair at The External Reporting BoardMichele is an independent director and current Chair of the External Reporting Board (XRB), the Independent Crown Entity responsible for establishing New Zealand’s financial reporting strategy and building trust in its capital markets. The XRB is proud to have played its part in addressing climate change through the establishment of the Aotearoa Climate-related disclosure standards.
Michele is also a Board Member of Toitū Tahua - The Centre for Sustainable Finance. The Centre was established to implement the Sustainable Finance Forum’s 2030 roadmap for a sustainable financial system. Comprising representatives from banks, insurance companies, industry, Māori businesses and iwi, professional services, civil society, academia, and Government, the Sustainable Finance Forum is a unique partnership of public and private sector leaders committed to restoring New Zealand’s natural capital.
Other current roles include:
Non-executive director and Chair of Audit & Risk Committee of Transpower New Zealand Limited
Non-executive director and Chair of Audit and Finance Committee of AIA New Zealand Limited
Non-executive director of IAG New Zealand Limited
Board member of the Australian Financial Reporting Council,
Deputy chair of the University of Auckland’s Business School Advisory Board
Michele served as the Chair of PwC in New Zealand from 2016 to 2020, was a partner for 15 years and held numerous leadership, executive and governance roles within PwC in New Zealand and Asia.
Michele is committed to growing diverse and inclusive leadership for the benefit of Aotearoa New Zealand. She served as Co-Chair of Champions for Change from 2018 to 2020 and from 2011 to 2018 was a board member and Deputy Chair of Global Women.
Måns Carlsson OAM
Head of ESG at Ausbil Investment ManagementMåns leads Ausbil’s ESG team who take an active approach to engaging Australia’s listed companies on environment, social and governance issues. Måns also leads Ausbil’s integration of proprietary ESG scoring, research and ratings within Ausbil’s top-down bottom-up valuation approach. Måns has been with Ausbil since 2015. Prior to Ausbil, Måns held senior ESG positions at AMP Capital, and worked at Carnegie Investment Bank, Macquarie Bank and Accenture. Måns is well known for his advocacy, research and leadership on key ESG issues, including modern slavery, climate change, human rights, governance and stewardship, and many other ESG issues. In 2022, Måns was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for contribution to the responsible investment industry. He has also received a letter of commendation from Anti-Slavery Australia in 2019. Måns also holds a number of leadership positions in the industry, including: Director of RIAA (Responsible Investment Association Australasia); Chair of RIAA’s Human Rights Working Group; and is on the steering committee of IAST-APAC (Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking – Asia Pacific). Måns holds Bachelor of Science (Major in Business Administration) and Master of Finance degrees from Gothenburg School of Economics, an MBA from Griffith University, and is graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Andrew Cox
President at Australian Professional Government Relations AssociationAndrew has over two decades of political and communications experience, working primarily on Federal Government public policy issues and political campaigns.
As a Partner in GRACosway’s Melbourne office, Andrew works with a range of clients across the defence, financial services and professional services sectors. Andrew is also the President of the Australian Professional Government Relations Association.
Prior to joining GRACosway, Andrew served in senior political party administration and campaign director roles in Western Australia and Victoria.
He has also held senior ministerial and shadow ministerial adviser positions within the Federal Government, including media and policy roles across the portfolios of Immigration and Citizenship, Finance, Employment, and Communications. He also held a senior media and communications role in the United Kingdom.
Dr Michelle Cull FCPA
Associate Professor in Accounting & Financial Planning in the School of Business at Western Sydney UniversityMichelle Cull is an Associate Professor in Accounting & Financial Planning in the School of Business at Western Sydney University. She has taught accounting and financial planning for over 20 years and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and textbooks in areas of financial planning, financial literacy, and ethics. Her work has featured in Money Management, Professional Planner, Money and Life, Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise, ABC News, Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph and on radio. Michelle has also held various leadership roles in the School of Business including Associate Dean and Director of Academic Program.
Michelle is co-editor of the Financial Planning Research Journal, Executive Vice President – Program for the Academy of Financial Services in the United States, member of the national Financial Planning Education Council in Australia, and on numerous editorial boards.
Michelle led the development of the WalletSmart App, which aims to build the financial capability of university students and co-founded the Western Sydney University Tax Clinic. She is an FCPA and member of the FAAA. In 2021, Michelle received Western Sydney Women’s Western Sydney Educator of the Year Award.
Prior to becoming a full-time academic, Michelle worked for 15 years in accounting and finance roles at ASX-100 listed companies. Michelle has also worked as a consultant.
Michelle has previously served as Deputy President of CPA Australia’s NSW Divisional Council and currently volunteers as Chair of the Salvation Army Macarthur Advisory Council, member of the UniSuper Consultative Committee, and on the Women’s Committee of Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce.
John Connor
Chief Executive Officer at Carbon Market InstituteWith over 25 years in public and private policy with a focus on building evidence and strategic partnerships to drive change, John has worked across the business, community and political spectrum with those prepared to take the steps necessary for genuine change. John currently holds the position of CEO at the Carbon Market Institute (CMI), an independent industry association for business leading the transition to net-zero emissions. CMI currently has 150 members, these companies span the carbon value chain from primary producers, carbon service providers and emission intensive companies.
Sarah Bekessy
Sustainability and Biodiversity Adviser at ELM Responsible InvestmentsProfessor Sarah Bekessy leads the Icon Science Research Group at RMIT Unversity which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of human behaviour in conservation, in designing cities to encourage ‘every day nature’ experiences and in defining and measuring ‘nature positive’ development. Sarah is a Lead Councillor of The Biodiversity Council. She brings this wealth of expertise to ELM Responsible Investments as a Sustainability and Biodiversity Advisor.
Rachel Alembakis
Stewardship Manager at U EthicalRachel Alembakis is stewardship manager at U Ethical Investors. In her role, she is responsible for managing U Ethical’s active ownership activities. She was previously the managing editor and founder of FS Sustainability, a Rainmaker title that examines how investors and companies integrate environmental, social and corporate governance issues into their decision-making processes and host of the ESG podcast The Greener Way. She has more than a decade's experience as a financial journalist covering a broad range of investment issues. Rachel holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a BA in journalism and a BS in political science from Boston University.
Jessica Rowe
Working Groups Manager at Responsible Investment Association AustralasiaJessica manages RIAA’s working group program. She brings eight years’ experience in project management, community engagement and grant management through her roles as a project manager, humanitarian worker, and grant manager with various non-governmental organisations. Jessica worked as a Grant Manager and Protection Manager in Iraq, Ukraine, and the occupied Palestinian territories. Jessica holds a Post Graduate Diploma Laws (Human Rights Law, and International Criminal Law), Master of International Development Practice and a Bachelor of Arts (Global).
Maya Beyhan
Senior Director, ESG Specialist, Index Investment Strategy of S&P Dow Jones IndicesMaya Beyhan is Senior Director, ESG Specialist, Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). The index investment strategy team provides research and commentary on the entire S&P DJI product set, including U.S. and global equities, commodities, fixed income and economic indices. Maya’s role has a specific focus on ESG and climate-based indices within this product set globally.
Before joining S&P DJI, Maya was the lead equity index portfolio strategist at State Street Global Advisors in EMEA. In this role, she served clients with sophisticated ESG/climate portfolios. She previously worked as an investment strategist at Kempen Capital Management, covering institutional clients in the U.K. and the Netherlands.
Maya holds a PhD in Quantum Chemistry from Vrije University in Amsterdam and a master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from Groningen University in the Netherlands.
João Boavida
Founder & Executive Director of CEPADJoão Boavida is Founder and Executive Director of the Centre of Studies for Peace and Development (CEPAD) an East Timorese NGO he founded and established in 2007 in partnership with the International Peacebuilding Alliance (Interpeace) in response to the 2006 crisis in Timor-Leste. He spent most of the decade of 90s in Southern African countries where he held different professional positions with a variety of International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs) and UN agencies in countries like Malawi, Tanzania, England, Mozambique and Greece. He returned to East Timor in 1999 where he served as Political Affairs Officer for the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), Political Advisor for United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), and Political/Constitutional Affairs Officer and Civic Education Officer for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), all in the UN professional capacity. Since he left UN in 2002, he worked as Freelance Consultant and held different positions with different International agencies and organizations.
Nayanisha Samarakoon
Head of Policy & Advocacy at RIAANayanisha is a senior lawyer with extensive federal public sector experience in governance, corporate compliance and regulation.
She arrives at RIAA after a long history at the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). She was the project lead on ASIC’s thematic review into greenwashing by ‘green’ or ‘ethical’ managed funds and superannuation funds. This consisted of a review of the market, close engagement with international regulators and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and developing a deep understanding of both the existing Australian regulatory framework and government priorities as well as international development in this space. Through this review, she led a group across ASIC’s Corporations, Superannuation and Investment Managers teams to deliver industry and consumer guidance.
Outside of work, she volunteers as a board member and secretary at Juno Services Inc., a not-for-profit family violence and homelessness service provider based in Melbourne. She is also on the board of Fitted for Work, a charity focused on helping women experiencing disadvantage get work, keep work and navigate through working life.
Jessica Cairns
Head of ESG and Sustainability at Alphinity Investment ManagementJessica is the Head of ESG and Sustainability at Alphinity Investment Management. She has been in this role for nearly 3 years and has over 13 years’ experience in the fields of environmental management, corporate sustainability and infrastructure. At Alphinity, Jess is responsible for the firm-wide approach to ESG integration, company engagement and stewardship, ESG research and thought leadership, and the sustainability analysis for Alphinity’s two sustainable funds. She works side by side with the investment team to analyse and integrate ESG and sustainability considerations into their decision making and participates in around 200 ESG focussed company meetings a year.
Shalini Samuel
Head of Certification at RIAA- What's in a name? Navigating responsible investment product labelling
- Sustainability Classifications for Financial Advisers - Racing towards client value
With a combined 10 years of experience in ESG investment and certification of financial services entities, Shalini is accountable for the management and delivery of RIAA's Certification Program, Sustainability Ratings and associated projects.
Prior to joining RIAA, Shalini held various roles with organisations including B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Minderoo Foundation – Walk Free, the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors and the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment. Her experience also extends to policy guidance for corporate reporting, as she represented institutional investor interests on the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department Working Group on Human Trafficking and Slavery in Supply Chains.
Hamish Chamberlayne
Head of Global Sustainable Equities at Janus HendersonHamish Chamberlayne is Head of Global Sustainable Equities and a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors. He was an investment manager with the firm from 2012 and joined Henderson as an investment analyst in 2011 from Gartmore, where he was an equity analyst with the global equity team. Prior to this, from 2004 to 2007, Hamish worked as a senior auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he covered a variety of sectors, including energy, technology, and communications. He began his career at Burlington Consultants in 2003 performing commercial due diligence on businesses identified as acquisition targets by private equity houses.
Amy D'Eugenio
Sustainability director, Responsibility Office of Federated HermesAmy D'Eugenio is a Sustainability Director in the Responsibility Office of Federated Hermes Ltd. Her client and market facing role covers stewardship, integration, sustainably, product development and client advisory. She is the formerly head of client service and business development team for EOS, the stewardship overlay arm of the firm, where she was responsible for facilitating the client advisory board and council for international investors. In addition to her eight years working at Federated Hermes Ltd, she has 12 years’ experience in professional services and has worked in the UK, the US and Australia. Her experience centred on the design and implementation of development programmes for international institutional clients. Amy has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws Honours degrees from the University of Adelaide and is a qualified lawyer. Amy also holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing and is a Mental Health First Aider, England.
Josh Edmunds
Manager of Member Services at Responsible Investment Association Australasia- Yeah but what about…? Navigting obstacles in the ESG marathon
- Workshop: Getting started - Responsible Investment 101
As RIAA’s Manager of Member Services, Josh oversees the membership of the Association and actively engages with members from institutional investors to financial advisers to understand and deepen their involvement with RIAA and the industry more broadly.
Based in Sydney and having been with RIAA for 12 years, Josh is often the primary contact for members and non-members and provides support on many areas of RIAA’s work. With a passion for financial advice, Josh works closely with RIAA’s financial adviser members and manages the RI Certification Program for advisers and wealth management groups.
Prior to working at RIAA, Josh was involved in the fitness industry managing large centre membership operations, customer service and events. For a number of years he was involved in social programmes supporting First Nation’s youth.
Josh holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Law and a Diploma in Financial Planning and is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.
Dr Megan Evans
Senior Lecturer at University of New South Wales, CanberraDr Megan Evans is a Senior Lecturer in Public Sector Management within the School of Business at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose work aims to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental laws, policies and tools. Megan’s research has contributed significantly to environmental policy in Australia and internationally: key examples include her work on forest regeneration carbon offset integrity that triggered the Independent Review of Australian Carbon Credit Units (Chubb review), the development of the Australian government’s biodiversity offset policy under federal environmental laws, and work on the economics of land-based carbon offsets that informed the establishment of the $500 million Land Restoration Fund in Queensland. Megan was a member of Professor Graeme Samuel AC’s Consultative Group as part of the Independent Review of the EPBC Act in 2020, and has engaged extensively with the federal government’s Nature Positive law reform process. Megan recently completed an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship (2020-2023) which examined the growth of private sector investment in biodiversity and natural capital, and currently supervises five PhD students researching various aspects of environmental policy and governance. She holds undergraduate degrees in mathematics and ecology (UQ), a PhD in environmental policy (ANU), and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Conservation Letters.
Kathryn Fitch-Daniels
Certified Responsible Investment Adviser at EthinvestKathryn is a RIAA Certified Responsible Investment Adviser with almost 20 years of experience in the financial planning industry. She joined Ethinvest in 2021 and has been a Certified Financial Planner since 2013.
Throughout her financial planning career exclusively in boutique practices, Kathryn has always worked in the comprehensive advice space, with extensive experience managing SMSFs & other entities as well as a wide range of strategies for individuals. She is passionate about clients achieving their financial goals through ethically constructed portfolios so that they can build wealth that also aligns with their values.
Kathryn has a Bachelor of Commerce and completed post-graduate studies in 2021 where she was awarded the WSU Dean's Medal for the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning. She is a member of RIAA as well as the Financial Advice Association Australia. In 2022, Kathryn was appointed to the board of the Ethical Adviser’s Co-op and currently serves as its Treasurer.
Nathan Fradley
Director of Ethos ESGHe leads Ethos ESG in Australia, working with Financial Planners, Investment Consultants and Fund Managers to improve their ESG decision making, reporting and client engagement using tech and his expertise.
On top of that, he also works as a self-employed, Independent (923A) Financial adviser, specialising on emotionally & technically complex client situations including Aged Care, Divorce and Estates.
Nathan is also the Co-Host of the popular financial adviser Podcast “Challenge the Standard”, and is makes frequent appearances speaking at conferences talking all things responsible investment and advice.
Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
Managing editor, wealth management at Momentum MediaWith a career in journalism spanning over a decade, Maja has extensive experience covering finance, business, and politics. Now an experienced managing editor and reporter in the wealth management sector, she previously worked for reputable news outlets in Southeast Europe, where she scrutinised critical processes in post-conflict societies.
Renee Grogan
Stewardship Lead at Jana Investment AdvisorsRenee is the Stewardship Lead at JANA, responsible for leading all stewardship activity across JANA’s Investment Platform and with advisory clients. Renee joins JANA in-house after nearly two years as a member of our Sustainability Advisory Council.
Renee is a sustainability and engagement expert with nearly twenty years’ industry experience in permitting and approvals, stewardship and engagement, strategy, risk, and due diligence. Renee has worked for industry and policy makers in Australia, and the Pacific, Asia, the Americas, Africa, Europe and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. Renee has fulfilled senior sustainability positions with top tier, mid-tier and junior mining and energy companies, and has advised numerous governments and intergovernmental agencies including the World Bank and the European Commission. Renee co-founded Impossible Metals, a mining technology company based in the United States, and is a former Director of the World Ocean Council, where she served for over six years.
Renee has also held Board positions for scientific and NGO organisations and holds a Bachelor of Science (Ecology) and a Master of Business Administration.
Rachel Halpern
Head of Sustainability at Jana Investment AdvisorsRachel is Head of Sustainability and responsible for ensuring sustainability continues to be core to everything we do at JANA. She is also the chair of JANA Sustainability Advisory Council and a member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative’s technical advisory group (TAG) on the Australian Taxonomy.
Rachel has an established advisory career covering risk and commercial litigation. Rachel has spent over 10 years in the finance industry developing investment strategies which minimise regulatory and fiduciary risk through the effective integration of ESG into investment and lending decisions. Most recently at Westpac, Rachel was the lead risk advisor on the creation of its sustainable finance framework designed to guide future credit decisions to in line with client transition to a net-zero carbon economy. Prior to that Rachel was regulatory counsel for State Street Bank in Asia Pacific and Europe where she assisted institutional investors in setting up responsible investment frameworks.
Rachel holds a Master of Behavioural Science from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a combined Bachelor of Arts (politics) and Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University.
Kristina Hermanson
Head of APAC and Africa at Nuveen Natural CapitalKristina Hermanson is the Head of APAC and Africa at Nuveen Natural Capital. She targets growth in the region in farmland, timber and nature-based investments in collaboration with the expertise across Nuveen. The Australian Farmland core business is a key component within the APAC region with growth potential into nature-based solutions with regenerative agriculture at the core.
With proud roots on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, Kristina has more than 25 years of international leadership experience, most recently serving as Managing Director of ANZ & ASEAN at FMC Corporation. Kristina started her career as a mechanical engineer based in Europe and worked in commercial, strategy, and M&A roles in EMEA and APAC over a decade with global agribusiness firm, Archer Daniels Midland. She also served as Director of Growth and Collaboration, at Coca Cola Amatil in Australia before joining FMC. Kristina is a Non-Executive Board member at the Australian Farm Institute and has recently served as a Director of AgSafe, CropLife Australia, and non-profit, Business for Development.
Dugald Higgins
Head of Responsible Investment & Sustainability at Zenith Investment PartnersDugald is Head of Responsible Investment & Sustainability for the broader Zenith Group. He has overall responsibility for the development and incorporation of key services across Zenith's and Chant West’s investment and super fund research, portfolio solutions and corporate divisions regarding responsible investment practices, including the Group's own activities as a corporate citizen. He is also Chair of the Group’s Responsible Investment Committee.
Dugald has spent more than 20 years in the investment research industry and has broad expertise across a wide range of asset classes and investment structures. Before joining Zenith, Dugald held a range of senior fund research roles with Property Investment Research and Adviser Edge, focusing on real estate and natural resources.
Naomi Hogan
Company Strategy Lead at Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)Naomi is the Company Strategy Lead at ACCR, bringing experience in research, campaigns and advocacy, particularly on the impacts of coal and gas projects. Naomi trained in science communication, climate science and natural resource management at the Australian National University. Over the past 15 years, Naomi has worked with investors, companies, regional communities, Traditional Owners, scientists and policy makers towards enhanced climate disclosures and environmental protections.
Dr Katherine Hunt
Managing Director of Ardentura ConsultingDr Katherine Hunt combines her expertise in psychology with her passion for financial advice to lead global research projects with real world impact. Katherine has experience working as a financial planner with Aspire Financial Planning, and Katherine holds a PhD in “The Law and Economics of Microfinance” from Erasmus University of Rotterdam, University of Hamburg, and the University of Bologna. Katherine has a strategic view of important issues, granted by a Bachelor of Psychological Science, alongside her Bachelor of Commerce and First Class Honours in Finance. The author of dozens of peer-reviewed academic journal articles, textbooks, and book chapters, Katherine leads through example in her quest to share knowledge and make the world a better place. Katherine’s focus is in helping financial advisers and their practices achieve the ethical growth they are looking for. Katherine has undertaken field research in places such as Pakistan, Bhutan and Nicaragua, has visited 66 countries (so far), and surfed in more than 20 of those.
Daniel Hyslop
Head of Research and Senior Peacebuilding Advisor at InterpeaceDaniel Hyslop is the Head of Research and Senior Peacebuilding Advisor at Interpeace, an International Organisation for Peacebuilding headquartered in Geneva. He currently leads Interpeace’s Finance for Peace initiative that seeks to catalyse more peace promotional and lower risk private sector investment in fragile countries through new financial structures, standards, frameworks and partnerships.
Previously, he authored widely cited research on the economic costs of violence and measurement of peace and positive peace. For several years he led development of the Global Peace Index and has contributed to several flagship studies on international peacebuilding policy such as the OECD States of Fragility Report and UN-World Bank Pathways for Peace report. He has consulted to the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and Commonwealth Secretariat and worked with various UN agencies on their peacebuilding approaches.
Daniela Jaramillo
Head of Sustainable Investing – Australia at Fidelity InternationalDaniela is the Head of Sustainable Investing – Australia, at Fidelity International, where she has been since August 2021. Prior to that she was a Senior Responsible Investment Adviser at HESTA, one of Australia’s largest pension funds. While at HESTA, Daniela set up and was the Chair of the investor group of 40:40 Vision, an investor led initiative to achieve gender balance in executive leadership. Daniela has held roles in responsible investment across the UK (Legal and General) and US (Wespath Benefits and Investments) before settling in Australia. She was also a member of the PRI Stewardship Advisory Committee between 2017 and 2021.
Tim King
CIO at Melior Investment ManagementTim co-founded Melior and is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO). He has worked in capital markets for more than 25 years and has over a decade of experience in ESG research. Tim was Head of Company & ESG Research for Colonial First State Global Asset Management’s Australian Equities Core Fund from 2016 to 2018. Prior to this he was Head of Advisory for governance research firm Regnan and Head of Company & ESG Research for Deutsche Bank from 2003 -2013. He was also a top 3 rated sell side analyst.
Tim serves on the board of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and received an Advanced Certificate in International Economics and Finance from the Kiel Institute of World Economics in Germany and attended the University of Rochester in New York on a Fulbright Scholarship. Tim has both a Master of Arts with First Class Honours (Economics) and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Tim is an Industry Fellow at the University of Technology Business School.
Vas Kolesnikoff
Head of Australia & New Zealand Research at ISSVas is Head of Australia and New Zealand Research, where he oversees the research, board engagement, and voting recommendations of regional research covered by the ISS Research team in Sydney, Australia.
Prior to joining ISS in 2015, Vas was Principal of Kolesnikoff Governance Research & Consulting, a corporate governance research and consulting service. He has been a member of the ASX Corporate Governance Council, the Financial Reporting Council and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission Consumer Advisory Panel. Vas is well known in the Australian corporate governance community for his former role as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Shareholders’ Association, where he was responsible for leadership of advocacy, policy, and research. He is a seasoned governance professional with significant banking and finance experience, having served as Director Hybrid & Structured Capital at Westpac Institutional Bank, Vice President Global Markets and Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch, Associate Director Private Capital at AMP Asset Management, and Associate Director at Macquarie Group.
Amy Krizanovic
Head of ESG at Magellan Asset ManagementAmy Krizanovic is the Head of ESG at Magellan, an active asset manager specialising in global equity and infrastructure strategies. Amy joined Magellan in 2022 and has over 20 years of industry experience in financial services. At Magellan, Amy is responsible for setting policies and frameworks for ESG integration and stewardship which forms a key part of Magellan’s Investment philosophy. Amy leads the Magellan ESG team and works closely the investment team to integrate ESG into Magellan’s investment process and implement the Stewardship strategy, through voting and engagement. Prior to Magellan, Amy worked at Aware Super, for almost four years as Manager, Responsible investments. Prior to Aware Super, Amy worked at J.P. Morgan in equity roles for 12 years and spent nearly 5 years in finance and strategy roles at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Amy holds a Bachelor of Maths & Finance (Honours) from the University of Technology in Sydney.
Will Leak
Senior Sustainable Investment Analyst at MercerAt Mercer I am the Senior Sustainable Investment Analyst for the Mercer Australia's Investment business. In this role I am focused on implementing Mercer Australia's approach to climate change as well as the integration of ESG considerations into investment decision making. I have a passion for the intersection of First Nations Peoples and traditional investment markets and am involved in a number of First Nations industry bodies, including the Responsible Investment Association Australasia's (RIAA) First Nations Peoples Working Group, the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiatives First Nations Reference Group, and also the RIAA Reconciliation Action Plan Taskforce.
Maria Lettini
Chief Executive Officer at US Sustainable Investment ForumMaria is the Chief Executive Officer of the US Sustainable Investment Forum, the pioneering network focused on sustainable investing. Maria joined in May of 2023 and brought with her notable capital markets experience. She is an innovative leader within the field of sustainability and finance and is recognized for building meaningful partnerships across the value chain of global institutional investors, corporates, policymakers, multi-national organizations, and other related stakeholders to address some of the world’s most critical, and financially material, environmental and social challenges.
Most recently Maria led the FAIRR Initiative. During her six years at FAIRR, she and her team ambitiously drove the narrative around the risks and opportunities in the global protein supply chain with the aim of directing capital towards a more sustainable and equitable food system. Under her tenure, the FAIRR investor network grew to over $70 trillion in combined assets and FAIRR’s expert research on climate, biodiversity, anti-microbial resistance, and other risks, reframed the narrative on animal agriculture and sustainable protein.
Prior to joining FAIRR, Maria worked for the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) where she cultivated and expanded the global investor network, managing the PRI’s Signatory Relations strategy and raising awareness of material ESG issues with institutional investors.
Maria started her career in global finance and capital markets, working at both J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank. She has served on the Sustainability Accounting Standard Board Standards Advisory Group. She is also a member of the Intentional Endowment Network’s (IEN) Steering Committee.
Maria is based in Washington DC but has lived and worked in San Francisco, New York, Madrid and London. She holds a MA (Distinction) in Environment, Politics and Globalization from King’s College London and a BA in International Business, Latin American Studies and Spanish from San Diego State University.
Carmen Leung
Head of Product Strategy and Pendal Development at Perpetual GroupCarmen joined Pendal (now part of Perpetual Group) in 2009. She is responsible for leading and developing Perpetual Asset Management Australia’s product strategy and Pendal’s product development initiatives. As part of the Product leadership team, Carmen provides strategic insights and policies that ensure our investment strategies are market-leading and appropriate for clients.
Carmen is a CFA Charterholder and holds a Master of Commerce (Finance) from the University of New South Wales.
Erin Levey
Associate Director, Impact of First Australians CapitalErin leads the development and implementation of the FAC Impact Measurement Framework. Erin has over 10 years experience in sustainable business management and worked in the UK and Australia as a Responsible Investment Analyst. Erin was born and raised on Awabakal lands and lives in Newcastle NSW.
Greg Liddell
Director – Responsible Investments of BetasharesPrior to joining Betashares, Greg was the Executive Manager Investment Sustainability at Suncorp where he drafted the first Responsible Investment Policy for the Suncorp Group and was responsible for implementation all aspects of responsible investment. Greg was a member of Suncorp’s Climate Change Action Plan Working Group and was involved in setting Suncorp’s strategy for the management of climate change risk.
Prior to Suncorp, Greg was the Director of Consulting & Advisory Services at Russell Investments and the Director of Implemented Equities at QIC. Greg spent 10 years at Mercer Investment Consulting as a consultant and was Head of Manager Research for Australian & New Zealand.
Greg is a past Director of the Investment Management Consultants Institute (IMCA - now the Investment & Wealth Institute) and member of the Management Committee of the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) for five years.
Desiree Lucchese
Honorary Associate - Finance Department at UTS Business SchoolDésirée Lucchese, Honorary Associate of the Finance Department, UTS Business School; Future Skills Industry Mentor - Sustainability and Social Impact, RMIT Online; Responsible Investment & Sustainability Specialist Earth2Mars
A responsible investment & sustainability specialist with expertise in environmental systems, ecological economics, climate risk, innovation and the integration of ESG data into investment strategies and decision-making, Désirée has over 15 years' experience in the sustainability sector.
With a background in climate science, corporate best practice and integrated infrastructure planning, Désirée has been involved in numerous trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral initiatives, including the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB, now consolidate into the IFRS Foundation), the EU Commission’s life cycle harmonisation pilot phase, the UK’s Capital Markets Union and the UN Global Compact - Cities Programme. Désirée is a regular industry guest at UTS’ Business School (Finance Department), an industry mentor with RMIT Online (Sustainability and Social Impact) and an advisor to start-ups. Désirée holds a BSc in Environmental Science at the University of Plymouth, a MSc from Lancaster University and is a graduate of the AICD.
Stan Lui
Owner/Director of Five Cubed Environmental Indigenous ConsultantsTibau Stanley Lui (Stan) is a Torres Strait Islander from Erub (Darnley Island) in the Kemer Kemer Miriam (top eastern Torres Strait). A graduate of James Cook University and worked in managerial roles with both State and Commonwealth Agencies in Fisheries Management, Aquaculture Development, and Natural Resource Management for two decades.
Stan is an accomplished Senior Executive with a proven track record leading efficient, innovative programs that achieve agency objectives. With strategic and operational experience, Stan is highly skilled at identifying issues, developing policy, and managing risks to achieve agency goals.
Stan has been a member of various high-level boards and steering committees and has been appointed for a second term on Minister Plibersek’s Indigenous Advisory Committee. Stan participates in the meetings of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as a senior member of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.
Simba Marekera
Deputy Chief Investment Officer ‑ Head of Private Assets at Brightlight GroupSimba Marekera is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Head of Private Assets at Brightlight Group, an impact and responsible investing fund manager dedicated to investing with the goal of transforming lives. He leads Brightlight's investment team in designing, developing, and managing innovative and impactful investment products within infrastructure, real estate and credit/private generate attractive commercial outcomes for investors. As part of role, is lead portfolio manager for Brightlight Real Estate Impact Fund (Australia) and Bay of Plenty Housing Equity Fund (New Zealand).
Prior to Brightlight, he spent 6 years managing alternatives, fixed income and Impact Investment portfolios for Christian Super (now part of Australian Ethical Super) leading the management of a $150 million to global Impact Investments portfolio.
Simba has a Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering) degree from Yale University, a Masters in Applied Finance from Western Sydney University and a Masters in Social Change Leadership from the University of Melbourne. Simba is an Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, a fellowship for Indigenous social equity in Australia, Aotearoa, and the Pacific region, focusing on Indigenous-led social change through a powerful network of Fellows.
Professor Shelley Marshall
Vice Chancellor’s Principal Research Fellow at RMIT Business and Human Rights CentreProfessor Shelley Marshall has advised and published on business and human rights for 25 years. Shelley has degrees in political science, law, development studies and sociology from the University of Melbourne, the London School of Economics and Political Science and Australian National University respectively. Shelley left legal practice in 2001 to join the team setting up Ethical Clothing Australia. Her research has informed labour law reform in several countries and the policies of the International Labour Organisation. A recent career highlight: her book, Living Wage published by Oxford University Press in 2019, proposed a new architecture for international labour law which was so ambitious she didn’t think she’d see it adopted in her lifetime. But last year, she drafted an ILO Convention on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains, to be tabled at the ILO Conference this year, embodying the ideas developed in her book.
Driven by ceaseless curiosity, Shelley seeks new ways to incentivise business to adopt sustainable practices. An Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship, 2020-2023, allowed Shelley to examine the deployment of digital technologies to address modern slavery. Professor Marshall is particularly passionate about building new networks and facilitating discipline crossing conversations.
Liza McDonald
Head of Responsible Investment at Aware Super & RIAA Board MemberLiza McDonald, Head of Responsible Investments, Aware Super
Liza has over 20 years’ experience in the superannuation sector and is a specialist and passionate advocate for Responsible Investments and Sustainable Finance.
As Head of Responsible Investments , she has led the development and implementation of the Fund’s Responsible Investment policies, the execution of the Climate Change Strategy and also manages the ESG policy implementation including manager and asset class ESG reviews.
Liza joined Aware Super through our merger partner Health Super in December 2006 as an analyst in the Compliance, Legal and Risk Team. Before joining Aware Super, Liza held various roles at Mercer Legal where her primary focus was on trustee education and corporate secretarial duties.
Liza represents Aware Super on a number of working groups and committees including Investors Against Slavery & Trafficking APAC (IAST-APAC); ESG Research Australia; the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI); the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA); 40:40 Vision; the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) and the UN convened Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD).
Liza became a RIAA Board Member in December 2022.
Ros McKay
Head of Responsible Investment at CBus SuperRos has over 20 years’ experience as an innovative, positive and agile Responsible Investment leader. Ros leads Cbus’ Responsible Investment team, including its policies and strategic priorities. Ros joined Cbus in 2018 in the role of Head of Stewardship and Policy. Ros’ prior experience includes policy, ESG integration and stewardship roles with an ASX 50 listed company, pensions regulators (in Australia and the UK), superannuation industry bodies and a state based funds manager.
Ros Chairs the Australian Council of Super Investors (ACSI) Rights and Cultural Heritage Risk Management working group. She is a member of the ACTU Centre for Workers' Capital Advisory Council, the Minerals Council of Australia’s Towards Sustainable Mining Community of Interest stakeholder Advisory Panel and the ISSB Investor Advisory Group.
Chris Newton
Founder of Stakeholder CapitalChris Newton is a leading practitioner in Responsible Investment and brings essential technical skillsets and insights to the design and delivery of Environment Social & Governance (ESG) and Responsible Investment strategy.
He has led the Global ESG strategy for one of Australia’s largest fund managers, and has worked across multiple asset classes – including listed entities, real assets, fixed income and private equity. This work has been recognised by both Global and Domestic Institutional Investor bodies, including the Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI), Australian Council for Superannuation Investors (ACSI) and the Investor Group for Climate Change (IGCC).
Having also worked for several years at senior levels in public, private and government organisations, Chris brings to the table a unique blend of skills and experiences. This breadth of experience leverages his capability to link traditional community, government, and commercial strategies together to deliver value to multiple stakeholders.
He also is an Independent Director for Traditional Owner group Nyamba Buru Yawuru, Westernport Water and is an ESG Committee member for MaxCap Group and Chair of Blackwattle Investment Partners ESG Council.
Craig North
Executive Director of Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationCraig is a proud descendant of the Bidjara people with 17+ years as a senior executive in Indigenous economic development and impact. Craig is currently an Executive Director at the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation. The Firesticks Alliance provides leadership, advocacy and action to protect and enhance cultural knowledge systems and values of people and Country through Cultural Fire, land and sea management practices. Prior to this role, Craig was the founder of Indigenous Impact Pty Ltd, which was established in 2020 to support the development of Indigenous impact investment opportunities. Indigenous Impact partners with purpose and values-aligned businesses, primarily Indigenous businesses, as well as investors, agencies and innovators to grow new Indigenous economic futures and independence. Craig also holds or has held positions as a non-executive director on the board of Australian Native Food and Botanicals, a member of the Advisory Board for the Australian Circular Economy Hub, Deputy Chair of Queensland South Native Services and as an Executive-In-Residence at The Yunus Centre, Griffith University, in 2021. In 2016, Craig became the first Indigenous Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation’s commercial agribusiness subsidiary. He led a new diversification strategy in this role to increase support for developing Indigenous agribusinesses across new sectors. While at the ILSC, Craig held other senior executive positions where he was responsible for national programs and investments to purchase and return Country to Indigenous organisations across Australia.
James O'Reilly
Financial Advisor at Northeast WealthJames O’Reilly is the director at Northeast, a fast-growing financial advice firm committed to designing impactful advice which helps people to enjoy greater progress, strong financial wellbeing, and better lives.
Northeast is regarded as an industry leader in the responsible investment space, having recently transitioned their business to have a responsible investment focus for both new and ongoing members.
James is passionate about educating other advisors to confidently navigate responsible investment conversations with their clients, and the flow-on benefits that are created within an advisory practice. He is also finalising the first series of the Ethical Money Podcast, helping consumers to better understand the impact that their financial decisions have on people and planet.
Kelly O'Shanassy
Chief Executive Officer at Australian Conservation FoundationKelly O’Shanassy is the CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation and an environmental leader, experienced in executive roles in business, government and the community sector. In her career, Kelly has led the charge to protect Australia’s rivers, reefs, forests and wildlife, boost clean energy and save water. She believes strongly in building people power and unusual partnerships to advocate for a better future. When not advocating for nature, you can find her kayaking along Australia’s rivers.
Duncan Paterson
Director of Investor Practice at IGCCAs Director of Investor Practice, Duncan takes on executive responsibility for accelerating climate-aligned investment throughout the membership, and ensuring members are well-equipped with leading tools and knowledge in the rapidly evolving sector.
Through his 25 years in the sector Duncan has undertaken roles including serving as ISS ESG’s global Head of ESG Thought Leadership Program, being the founder and CEO of Australian-based ESG services provider CAER, serving as a director and the chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA), serving as a director of the Hong Kong-based Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), and co-chairing a Technical Working Group in the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI’s) initial Roadmap process.
Duncan holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Cook University, and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from FINSIA.
Arti Prasad
Partner, Sustainable Investments at Mercer & RIAA Board MemberArti Prasad is currently Partner, Sustainable Investments at Mercer. She is responsible for leading sustainable investment practices with clients across the Pacific. Before this role, she worked as a Senior Investment Strategist for the Guardians of NZ Superannuation, a Crown entity that manages the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. During her time at the Guardians from 2017, Arti was responsible for developing and implementing policies related to Responsible Investment, climate change, and corporate governance. Prior to this, Arti worked as the Head of Responsible Investment for the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) for two years. She also served as a Senior ESG Analyst for the Guardians and a Senior Policy Analyst at the NZ Ministry for Environment, where she worked on policies related to business sustainability, water, and climate change.
In 2014 Arti was named one of Chief Investment Officer magazine’s ’Top 40 under 40’ in the asset allocation world.
Luke Price
Head of Research at Ethical Investment AdvisersLuke Price is currently the head of research at Ethical Investment Funds Management and a Financial Adviser at Ethical Investment Advisers. He has been involved in the financial services industry for over 15 years and has a background in investment research and portfolio construction. Luke currently sits on the board of the Ethical Advisers’ Co-Operative and holds a Bachelor of Business (Finance) and Diploma (Financial Planning).
Emma Pringle
Head of ESG and Portfolio Manager at Maple-Brown AbbottEmma is Head of ESG and Portfolio Manager with Maple-Brown Abbott, one of Australia’s first boutique investment managers. Before Maple-Brown Abbott, Emma spent 14 years with BT, most recently as Head of Customer Governance and Sustainability where she had responsibility for the organisation’s product governance and sustainability functions across superannuation, investments and insurance. Emma has experience across the asset owner, corporate and investor pillars of the ESG value chain and has been actively involved in numerous industry initiatives. In her current role, Emma is responsible for the development and implementation of Maple-Brown Abbott’s ESG strategy, policies and governance and oversees ESG integration across Australian, Asian and Emerging Markets strategies. In addition, Emma is co-Portfolio Manager of the Australian Sustainable Future Fund.
Dave Rae
Impact Investor | Certified Responsible Investment® Adviser at Ethinvest Pty LtdDave is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and SMSF Specialist Advisor™ and has been advising clients for the past 19 years. He is accredited by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) as a Certified Responsible Investment Adviser.
Dave is also a member of the Ethical Advisers’ Co-op and participated as a Working Group member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI). He holds a BEc (Accounting) and Graduate Diploma Financial Planning.
Caroline Ramscar
ESG Investment Specialist & Vice President of T. Rowe PriceCaroline Ramscar is an investment specialist focused on environmental, social, and governance capabilities for the APAC region. With over 20 years of experience in financial markets, Caroline plays a key role in representing T. Rowe Price's Responsible Investment and Corporate Governance teams with clients, prospects, and consultants. Based in Sydney, Caroline engages with clients on ESG considerations across asset classes and work in partnership with clients as they adopt more responsible investing strategies. She also supports the firm's Impact suite of products, which includes investment strategies across equities and fixed income that seek to deliver positive societal and environmental impact alongside financial returns. Before joining T. Rowe Price, Caroline spent 10 years at Legal & General Investment Management in London, including 5 years as Head of Sustainability Solutions. In that role, she was responsible for engaging with clients on sustainability considerations and also sat on several internal and external ESG committees and industry working groups. Prior to that, she had worked at several global financial firms during her long tenure in the industry. Caroline earned a B.Sc. in International Management and French from the University of Bath.
Guneet Rana
Head of Responsible Investment at Colonial First StateAs Director Responsible Investment, Guneet is responsible for the development and implementation of the Colonial First State’s Responsible Investment Strategy. She is also the Portfolio Manager of Thrive+ Sustainable Growth fund.
Guneet previously served as a Senior Investment Manager for Colonial First State’s Alternatives portfolio, where she undertook manager research, worked on portfolio construction, and also contributed to research across a range of other asset classes.
Prior to working with Colonial First State, Guneet was a senior investment manager at ipac, Australia – a role that involved asset class research and portfolio management. She was also previously involved in setting up AXA multi-manager portfolios for the Mandatory Provident Fund market in Hong Kong.
Guneet has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from FINISIA. She also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management and an Economic Honours degree from the University of Delhi, India.
Guneet is Co-chair of Investor Group on Climate Change’s Paris Aligned working group. She is also an independent member of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) certification assessment panel.
Kim Randle
CEO and Co-Founder of Fair SupplyKimberly is an experienced, and innovative human rights advocate specialising in modern slavery. Kimberly began her career at top tier law firms in both Australia and the United States and most recently held the role as Senior Director of Corporate and Legal for International Justice Mission Australia. Kimberly is a sought-after expert and speaker in the field of modern slavery and has been called upon to provide evidence for both the NSW and Commonwealth Parliamentary Inquiries into Human Trafficking.
Erika Rodriguez
Head of Sustainable Investing APAC at KKRErika is based in Hong Kong. She serves as KKR’s sustainable investing lead across its investment portfolio for all strategies in Asia Pacific. She helps support the integration of material environmental, social and governance considerations throughout the lifecycle of a deal, as a way to manage risks, seize opportunities, and align stakeholder expectations. Erika also supports KKR’s efforts in investing in solutions through thematic and impact investing, working with portfolio companies to strengthen sustainability performance and drive value, and advancing transparency through disclosures and industry collaboration.
Prior to joining KKR, she was the Group ESG Director at FWD Group, a Pan-Asian insurance company based in Hong Kong, where she helped develop their sustainability-related initiatives. Erika has a diverse set of sustainability-focused experience, including at ERM, Patagonia Inc., International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., PVH Corp., and Eileen Fisher Inc. Erika also brings strong exposure to relevant NGOs and standard setting bodies such as Carbonfund.org, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the US Green Building Council.
Erika holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA ESP) from Columbia University. Born and raised in the Philippines, Erika has lived and worked for multinational companies headquartered in Washington, D.C., New York, California, London, Manila, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
Christina Ryan
CEO of Disability Leadership InstituteIn early 2016 I took one of the most radical steps in my long career of activism and change making: I put the two words disability and leadership into the same sentence. My next step was founding the Disability Leadership Institute.
I didn’t realise then how radical this was, but it seems talking about disability and leadership together is a game changer in reaching equality for disabled people.
Now governments and major corporations are using “disability leadership.” Why does this matter? Because it means they are remembering that disabled people exist, and that we do leadership. It reminds them that we should be in decision making rooms as executives and board members.
Now I am a gardener of leaders, sharing my experience and leadership knowledge with disability leaders all over the planet. The disability community has never had a consistent, ongoing, place for professional development, leadership training and coaching. The absence of specialist leadership development, understanding the disability experience, has left disability leaders out in the cold battling mainstream and ableist environments. Often alone.
The Disability Leadership Institute has now become a global community of disability leaders, supporting each other through a community of practice and member groups. Our major program The Future Shapers is the first program anywhere to weave the disability experience into mainstream leadership development. We embrace disability as an asset in how we do leadership.
Now as a specialist leadership coach, I am using decades of expertise built through frontline disability rights activism, community sector management, systemic advocacy, working at the United Nations, and mentoring.
Recently, I’ve been developing the emerging field of disability leadership. Building greater understanding of how disabled people do leadership, the unique experiences of disability leaders in mainstream workplaces, and what that means for building diversity and providing professional development and support.
Achieving equality is about being in decision making rooms. Its time disability leaders are recognised, time to support the emerging field of disability leadership; time to change the way leadership is understood.
Nicola Swan
Partner at Chapman TrippNicola is a Partner in Chapman Tripp’s Dispute Resolution and Climate Risk practices based in Wellington. She has a significant focus on climate change risk and reporting and is recognised as a thought-leader in this area.
Nicola has particular expertise in climate related disclosure (CRD) reporting implementation, having advised New Zealand insurers, banks, fund managers and listed issuers on climate risk assessment, reporting and litigation risk. Nicola is also regularly approached to develop ESG policies, codes of conduct, and to advise on sustainability governance.
In the last three years, Nicola has co-authored New Zealand legal opinions on fiduciary duties and obligations on boards of directors, fund managers and trustees to consider climate and nature-related risk to businesses and investments, and guidance for company directors for management of climate risk.
Nicola is currently acting for several large listed issuers in climate change and emissions related litigation in the New Zealand courts.
Frances Sweetman
Head of Sustainable Investment at Milford Asset ManagementFrances is Milford’s Head of Sustainable Investment and a Portfolio Manager of New Zealand equities. Frances joined Milford in early 2017 as a Senior Analyst focused on New Zealand equities. Prior to joining Milford, Frances was a Senior Research Analyst at Craigs Investment Partners, responsible for the New Zealand and Australian equity exposures of the Private Wealth division. Frances has previously worked as an Analyst at Brook Asset Management focused on the property, finance and telecommunications sectors and as an Analyst at Macquarie Bank in Sydney in the institutional equities research team. She holds an MSc in Estate Management from South Bank University, a BA(Hons) in Economics and Business Management from Newcastle University and is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Hilary Thorpe
Head of Legal - Corporate at AGLHilary is an M&A lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in private practice and in-house roles in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. She is currently Head of Legal – Corporate at AGL Energy Limited, where she has worked for over 12 years. Hilary was named in the Legal 500 Australian GC Powerlist in 2022 and 2023.
Hilary is also the mother of a little boy with an intellectual disability and is a passionate advocate for improving access and inclusion for people with disability. Hilary is Chair of AGL Ability, AGL’s disability inclusion employee network.
Kate Turner
Global Head of Responsible Investment at First Sentier InvestorsKate Turner is an influential voice in the Responsible Investing space, leading a global team of specialists and driving policy reform through collaborative industry initiatives. She is passionate about the potential of the investment sector to support positive change. Her roles include Chair of the Steering Group for Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking APAC, member of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative Advisory Group and member of the RIAA Board.
Farren Williams
Adviser & Partner at KODA CAPITAL PTY LTDFarren 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 provided tailored financial solutions to wealthy individuals and families, non-profits and charitable foundations since the early 2000s. She has a passion for helping clients with their wealth management needs and has extensive experience in investment policy development, governance, bespoke portfolio design, responsible & impact investing, succession planning, superannuation, estate planning and integrating philanthropy into wealth planning. Working closely with her clients, Farren takes the time to understand what is important to each client and to design tailored advice to meet these needs. For this reason, she chooses to work with a small number of clients to ensure that every client receives a high level of personalised service.
In addition to being a Partner at Koda, Farren is the Chair of the Board of the Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation Victoria & a member of the Finance & Audit Committee, is on the Board of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA), Treasurer of RIAA and on the RIAA Certification Assessment Panel. She has previously been on the Investment Committee of The Myer Foundation and the Investment Committee of the Aesop Foundation.
Farren is a Certified Financial Planner and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Order of Merit).
Farren loves being an adviser and is energised by the opportunity to make a difference to families and mission-based organisations and to work alongside amazing people.
Katie Wyatt
Head of Culture and Inclusion at Coles GroupKatie is a proud Noongar Yamatje woman from Whadjuk Noongar country (Perth), living and working on Wurundjeri country (Melbourne). With over 20 years of leadership, organisation development and commercial experience in various sectors, Katie believes in the power and responsibility of business to support social change. Her unique career has provided her with technical, strategic, and multi-sector expertise in driving growth and performance at the organisational and board level.
Currently Head of Culture and Inclusion in one of Australia’s largest employers, Coles Group, Katie has led a multi-year strategy and initiatives to build an inclusive and diverse environment underpinned by shared values and culture. In her leadership she has seen Coles achieve gender balance in leadership, Gold employer status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQI+ inclusion and top 3 ranking in the Access and Inclusion Index. She also serves as a Director on the boards of the Reece Group Foundation, Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) and Gippsland Water, and mentors diverse up-and-coming board directors.
Amanda Young
Executive Director of PollinationAmanda Young is a multisectoral executive with over 25 years’ experience in law, government, commercial, financial services and non-profit sectors. Her expertise is focused on reducing structural inequalities across political, social, economic and sustainability domains. A former practising lawyer and former CEO of a national Indigenous economic foundation, she has studied at Harvard and Stanford Executive Business Schools, Cambridge University and is an Atlantic Fellow from the London School of Economics International Institute of Inequalities. At Pollination Amanda is bringing her experience to advisory capabilities for a just transition to net zero economies, with particular focus on the Indigenous stewards of natural capital and workforce capabilities. She is also a non-executive director of Crescent Institute, Pollination Foundation and Oxfam Australia.
Vanessa Zimmerman
CEO of Pillar TwoVanessa is a recognised global corporate sustainability expert. Originally an anti-trust lawyer, she was a Legal Advisor to the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. This included being part of the core team drafting the internationally recognised UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Vanessa has also advised other key global business and human rights initiatives and worked with businesses from multiple sectors. From 2011 – 2018 Vanessa managed implementation of Rio Tinto’s human rights programme. In 2018 she founded Pillar Two, a boutique advisory firm helping business to manage their human rights risks.
Vanessa holds various expert advisory roles including as Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia Human Rights workstream and Modern Slavery Community of Practice. She has been appointed to several Australian government advisory groups including the Australian Government’s Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group and the Governance and Advisory Board to the Australian National Contact under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, based in Cth Treasury.
Vanessa’s qualifications include a Master of Laws from Harvard University.