Boutique asset manager Maple-Brown Abbott (MBA) has appointed Emma Pringle as head of environmental, social and governance (ESG).
Pringle’s appointment followed the departure of Natasha McKean as ESG investment analyst after she decided to take up a position in Brisbane, where she lived, following her maternity leave.
Garth Rossler, chief investment officer, said McKean had been pivotal in developing and implementing MBA strategies over a decade.
“We thank Natasha for her immense contribution to Maple-Brown Abbott and wish her well for her future endeavours,” Rossler said.
“With her strong ESG background, Emma will continue to build on what Natasha started. ESG considerations are playing an increasingly important role in our clients’ portfolios with the transition to net zero.”
Over the past 12 months, while in a maternity cover role, MBA said Pringle had built on the firm’s long-established ESG program which included joining Climate Action 100+ and Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking Asia-Pacific.
MBA also became signatory to the Transition Pathway Initiative and the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.
In her new role, Pringle would have oversight of the ESG process for all MBA’s Australian and Asian equity strategies and at the corporate level.
Prior to MBA, she was most recently at BT as head of customer governance and sustainability, where she gained background in product governance and sustainability across superannuation, investments and insurance.
Prior to that, she held strategy and operations roles in BT’s private wealth, superannuation, investments, platforms and advice divisions.
She had also served as co-chair of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI) technical working group on meeting community expectations.
Sophia Rahmani, MBA chief executive and managing director, said the appointment reflected the firm’s continued investment in the ESG space and how seriously it was integrating ESG factors across all portfolios.
“We expect this will be even more important as risks around climate change and social issues like modern slavery become more prevalent,” Rahmani said.
“Emma brings market-leading experience and talent and I’m confident that under her oversight we will continue to be a leader in ESG.
“Maple-Brown Abbott has been a signatory to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2008 and was again being awarded an A+ for its approach in 2020.
“We have a long-standing commitment to integrating ESG factors into our investment process across each of our investment strategies.”
