People moves

Fidelity’s global head of stewardship relocates to London

Jenn-Hui Tan is tasked with building out the team in Europe following similar efforts in Asia

Fidelity International’s global head of stewardship and sustainable investing Jenn-Hui Tan has relocated to London from Singapore.

Tan’s move to London is temporary as he seeks to build out the team in Europe, much like he has done in Asia over the past several months.

Fidelity recently hired Paul Milon and Tina Chang as director and associate director respectively for sustainable investing.

Milon joined Fidelity last month from BNP Paribas Asset Management, where he was most recently head of stewardship for Asia Pacific, while Chang is set to join Fidelity in mid-September from BlackRock, where she has served as vice president of Greater China stewardship. Both are based in Hong Kong.

In May, Fidelity also hired Ellie Tang as director for sustainable investing. She joined from New World Development where she was most recently head of sustainability. She is also based in Hong Kong.

Tan has served as global head of stewardship and sustainable investing for the past three years. He has worked at Fidelity for nearly 15 years and previously served as head of capital markets and corporate governance for Asia Pacific.

He started his career as a solicitor at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Snowball expands investment team

Sean Farrell joins from Partners Capital

Snowball, the multi-asset impact fund, has announced Sean Farrell (pictured) has joined the team as investment director.

Farrell has over 20 years’ experience in private and public markets investing both through direct investing and the selection of fund managers. He was previously global head of private markets for $40bn investment firm Partners Capital. He has also worked at 3i, TDR Capital, TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs.

Daniela Barone Soares, CEO at Snowball said: “We are delighted to add Sean’s expertise and he joins Snowball at a key stage with greater investor demand than ever before.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to develop Snowball’s investment approach and portfolio further, and to enhance the risk-adjusted returns and impact for Snowball investors,” Farrell added.

Hirt resurfaces at UBS AM

Left Federated Hermes in March after 18 years

Dr Hans-Christoph Hirt (pictured) has joined UBS Asset Management as head of impact engagement after leaving his post at Federated Hermes earlier this year.

As ESG Clarity reported in March 2022, Hirt exited Federated Hermes after 18 years working for the firm, most latterly as head of EOS. Leon Kamhi, head of responsibility at the group and ESG Clarity Committee member, took on Hirt’s EOS responsibilities on a permanent basis.

Hirt joins UBS AM in the new role of leading impact engagement, which means he will focus on advanced corporate engagement that aims to drive sustainable, value-enhancing outcomes for portfolios supporting both clients’ return and impact objectives.

He is based in London and reports to Lucy Thomas, head of sustainable investing.

She said: “As fluency in sustainability continues to grow, our vision is to become the sustainable and impact investing provider of choice for clients. In support of this ambition, I am confident that, with Hans’ leadership and by working together across the firm, we will be well positioned to deliver impactful outcomes for client portfolios through our engagement programme.”

Eurosif hires exec director to push EU’s sustainable finance agenda

Critical time as EU finalises sustainable finance rules

European member network Eurosif has recruited Aleksandra Palinska (pictured) as its executive director from 19 September.

She will lead the organisation’s long-term strategy to advance sustainable investment practices and encouraging the actions needed to address the climate crisis, including accelerating the development and implementation of the EU Sustainable Finance Agenda.

Palinska said: “I am excited to be joining Eurosif at this critical time when the EU sustainable finance rules are being finalised. An appropriate calibration and efficient implementation of sustainable finance rules is essential in the transition to a sustainable economy

“This is also the time to take stock of how different pieces of the sustainable finance puzzle fit together and consider whether adjustments are needed. Thanks to the trust the Eurosif board bestowed on me, I will have the pleasure to actively participate in this process and steer the organisation into its next phase of growth.”

Based in Brussels, Palinska is senior research and advocacy officer for Finance Watch and a member of EFRAG’s Sustainability Reporting Board, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Will Oulton, chair of Eurosif, said Palinska’s expertise and knowledge of the European regulatory and policy agenda will enable her to “successfully lead Eurosif and deliver our long-term strategy, while acting as a bridge between EU policymakers, investors and Europe’s Sustainable Investment Forums and Associations”.

“The Eurosif board and I look forward to working with Aleksandra.”

ING promotes veteran to global head of sustainable finance

Joined ING in 1994

Dutch multinational bank ING has appointed Jacomijn Vels (pictured) as global head of sustainable finance.

She initially joined ING in 1994 and has worked her way up to various senior leadership roles within the firm’s wholesale banking and global credit restructuring management teams over the past decade.

She has also headed the leveraged finance team in the Netherlands and was regional head of the Asia Pacific leveraged finance teams in Singapore.

In her new position, she will report to Krista Radstake, global head of wholesale banking lending.

Vels said: “Now, more than ever, it is important we play our full part in the social and low-carbon transformation that’s necessary to achieve a sustainable future, steering our financing towards meeting global sustainability goals.

“I am looking forward to build on our pioneering role in sustainability and I am excited this new role gives me the opportunity to combine my personal commitment to positively impact the transition to a more sustainable society with my professional career.” 

Calvert hires engagement director

Served as a research scholar at Harvard Business Scholar

Tom Youmans has left his post at Federated Hermes, where he led EOS engagement and a 12-person team – to join Calvert as executive director and corporate engagement strategist.

Youmans will report to head of engagement John Wilson and will support the delivery of Calvert’s positive impact mandate, while also adding investor value. He will focus on building relationships with selected investee companies and making improvements in their ESG performance.

Prior to joining Federated Hermes, Youmans was research director for the Strategic Investor Initiative at the CECP – Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, and also served as a research scholar at Harvard Business School and the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Family Office Program.

Wilson commented: “Tim’s extensive background in responsible investing advocacy and work as a research scholar establish him as a force for positive change.

“His deep academic focus on ESG sets him apart and gives him a deeper understanding of how material sustainability factors influence financial performance.

“His track record of success engaging with leading global companies is an asset that will advance Calvert’s engagement work significantly.”

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