Franklin Templeton is hiring Anne Simpson as global head of sustainability, a newly-created role, to oversee the firm’s overall strategic direction on stewardship, sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategy globally.
Simpson joins from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), where she served as managing investment director for board governance & sustainability, leading the development and execution of CalPERS’ sustainable investment strategy across a global portfolio of US$500 billion with 80% assets internally managed.
She will report to president and chief executive officer Jenny Johnson and join the firm on 22 February, based in California.
Johnson said a hire of Simpson’s prominence “demonstrates our commitment to being a global leader in stewardship and sustainability, which acknowledges that our choices as responsible investors have a profound effect on the world and its future”.
She adds, “We are confident that Anne’s expertise and leadership will take our firm-wide efforts on sustainable investing to the next level. While the strength of our organization lies with the breadth and autonomy of our specialist investment managers, we also recognize that an organization of our scale can have a major impact by working collectively on sustainability issues.”
Simpson said, “I look forward to being part of its next phase of growth and evolution in sustainable investing. 2021 was a year in which the asset management industry reckoned with sustainability challenges and the opportunities these bring across global markets. There is new momentum in finance, driven by policymakers in leading European markets, net zero commitments from COP 26 and broad recognition of investors’ role in driving progress on sustainable investing, including important areas like diversity, equity and inclusion, to foster shared prosperity.”
©Markets Media Europe 2021
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