Welcoming UKSIF’s newly elected Board Directors
Three new Board Members elected at UKSIF’s 24th AGM
At UKSIF’s 2015 AGM on 16th September three new directors were elected to join the Board. They are John Jarrett, Deputy Head, FTSE Russell ESG; Melissa McDonald, Global Head of Equity Product and Responsible Investment, HSBC Global Asset Management and Alexia Zavos, Head of Responsible Investment, Cazenove Capital. UKSIF’s Board is now made up of five women (including the Chair Lesley Alexander) and three men – all experts in mainstream and sustainable finance.
John Jarrett said:
“I am delighted to have been appointed to the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association Board. This comes as my colleague at FTSE Russell, David Harris, steps down as Vice-Chair after having served two terms on the Board. As the market momentum to integrate environmental, social and governance issues into investments grows, UKSIF’s work in catalysing leadership and industry collaboration in this area becomes ever more important. I look forward to supporting the industry as it moves into this next stage of development.”
Melissa McDonald said:
“I am pleased and honoured to be joining the UKSIF Board. Responsible Investing has been an increasingly important focus for me during my 25 years in the asset management industry. I hope this experience may be of some value in supporting UKSIF’s influential work with and for its members.”
Alexia Zavos said:
“I am delighted to be joining the UKSIF Board to represent the high net worth and charity sectors at a time when these markets are showing signs of strong growth. Having spent 13 years working in the space, I hope that my network and experience will bring an in depth understanding of the issues facing the sector and help the Board and its members continue to develop their strategy in this space.”
Simon Howard, Chief Executive at UKSIF, said:
“We are delighted to have such experienced and talented new directors elected to the board. We look forward to welcoming their energy, perspectives and expertise as we continue our work to develop a truly sustainable economy particularly in this important year leading up to COP 21.”
Notes to Editors
For more information please contact Charlene Cranny, Programme Manager on 020 7749 9953 or at charlene.cranny@uksif.org.
UKSIF directors serve in a personal capacity. Organisational affiliations are given for information only.
About UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF)
The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) promotes responsible investment and other forms of finance that supports sustainable economic development, enhance quality of life and safeguard the environment. Founded in 1991, UKSIF has approximately 240 members including pension funds, asset managers, research providers, financial advisers, banks and non-governmental organisations. www.uksif.org.
About John Jarrett
John joined FTSE Russell in April 2015 as Deputy Head of ESG. He has previously been Global Research Director and COO at GovernanceMetrics International (GMI) and has a wealth of experience assisting international businesses and intergovernmental organisations on corporate governance and ESG factors.
About Melissa McDonald
Melissa has 26 years’ experience in the fund management industry across a variety of roles and locations. Melissa joined HSBC Global Asset Management in 2010 as Global Head of Product – Equities and Head of Responsible Investment. Previously she held a number of positions within AXA Investment Managers, including Head of Business Development Asia Pacific and Global Head of Responsible Investment. At HSBC, Melissa is responsible for our equity capability globally including developing our passive and ETF business. She oversees our responsible investment strategy across all asset classes and works with clients across all segments to ensure we meet their specific needs. Melissa is also a Director on the HSBC ETF Plc Board.
About Alexia Zavos
Alexia is the Head of Responsible Investment (RI) and a Portfolio Director at Cazenove Capital, the wealth management and charity investment business of Schroders. She focuses on RI policy implementation for private clients and charities and chairs the Ethical Asset Class Committee. Alexia has also worked at J M Finn and HSBC Investment Management. Alexia graduated from Edinburgh University with an MA in Geography. She has 13 years’ investment experience and is a member of the Securities Institute (diploma).