The Global Impact Investing Network has appointed Mark Grier as its new board chair, Helen Clarkson is The Climate Group's new CEO

APPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) has appointed Mark Grier as its new board chair. GIIN is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing around the world.

Grier’s career has seen him occupy a variety of positions in finance, capital markets, risk management and investment management. He is currently vice chairman at Prudential Financial Inc, where he has worked for almost 22 years.  

“My general interest in impact investing reflects both the culture and practice at Prudential,” he explains. “Prudential has been an impact investor for decades, since long before that term was used.”

Grier has been a strong advocate of impact investing since he got to Prudential. “Impact investing brings together interesting and stimulating investment challenges with social purpose and execution challenges, working with extraordinary people. It's wonderful to be involved.”

In his role as chair, Grier hopes to advance the mission of the GIIN. “My background in a purposeful company, with a long record of impact investing that succeeds, combined with Prudential's position as a global leader in investment management, position me well to serve as the chairman of a strong and effective GIIN,” says Grier. “I will advocate impact investing, and support the GIIN any way that I am able.”

 

Mark Grier

 

Helen Clarkson has now joined international NGO The Climate Group as CEO. She joined from sustainability charity Forum for the Future, where she was acting as chief operating officer.

After studying at Cambridge, Clarkson trained as a chartered accountant with Deloitte. "[Accountancy was] not an obvious progression from my degree in philosophy,” she says, “but I’ve found them very complementary ways of thinking as I’ve progressed in the sector.”

After qualifying, she worked for international humanitarian NGO Médecins Sans Frontières in Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, before moving to Forum for the Future in 2007. In 2010 she went to New York to establish Forum’s US office.

“Working with victims of sexual violence in DRC was eye-opening in understanding the links between women’s health, the environment and their economic situation,” says Clarkson. “That led me into the sustainability field, and I’m still driven by tackling climate change as a humanitarian need.”

In her new role, she is looking forward to “building on The Climate Group’s successes and strengths as we all work to deliver the Paris Agreement”.

 

Helen Clarkson

 

Yvo de Boer has joined SRI Executive Search as a partner and senior advisor in global sustainability. De Boer was director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute from 2014-2016. He was also executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2006 to 2010.

Swiss bank Credit Suisse has appointed Joost Bilkes as head of responsible and impact investing Asia Pacific. He was formally vice president, impact investments Asia Pacific.

Joanne Segars has been appointed to the board of the Environment Agency for a three-year term. Segars is chief executive of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, the UK’s main pension body.

Carina Silberg has joined Swedish pension provider Alecta as head of sustainability, a newly created role. She joins from corporate communications agency Hallvarsson & Halvarsson

Solar energy company Lightsource Renewable Energy has appointed James Brooks as chief strategy officer. Brooks was most recently co-head of energy investments in the merchant banking division of Goldman Sachs. Lightsource is the leading solar photovoltaic energy generator in Europe.

Xeros Technology Group has appointed Karen Mignone as group director, sustainability and environmental affairs. Mignone joins from law firm Verrill Dana.

Karine Hillaireau has become head of sustainability at French automotive manufacturer PSA Group as well as managing director of the PSA Foundation. Hillaireau joined PSA Group in 1996 and has held various positions.

Beat Zaugg and Lotte Knuckles have joined the board of Swiss sustainability rating agency Inrate. Zaugg was previously head of investment consulting, Switzerland at Aon Hewitt while Knuckles was formerly research manager at Sustainalytics.

Paul Fisher is now vice chair of the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Fisher is the Bank of England’s former executive director for supervisory risk and regulatory operations as well as the former deputy head of the Prudential Regulation Authority. He represents CISL at the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance.  

Paul Fisher
 
 

Natural Power has announced the appointment of Christine Sutter as head of environment in North America. A trained bat ecologist, Sutter joins the team with more than 25 years’ experience in wildlife advisement and permitting throughout the US and Canada.

Christine Sutter
 
 

US agribusiness and food company Land O’Lakes has hired Jason Weller as a senior director of sustainability. Weller is the former chief of US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

CSR  appointments 

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