Franklin Templeton appoints global head of sustainability
Franklin Templeton has appointed Anne Simpson as global head of sustainability, a newly created global environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy role that will begin on 22 February, 2022.
Simpson would join the firm from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), where she served as managing investment director for board governance and sustainability, leading the development and execution of CalPERS’ sustainable investment strategy.
Prior to joining CalPERS, Simpson was a senior faculty fellow and lecturer at the Yale School of Management, head of the Global Corporate Governance Forum at the World Bank, executive director of the International Corporate Governance Network and joint managing director of Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (PIRC).
Franklin Templeton president and chief executive, Jenny Johnston, said: “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 organisation lies with the breadth and autonomy of our specialist investment managers, we also recognise that an organisation of our scale can have a major impact by working collectively on sustainability issues.”
Simpson said: “I am delighted to join Franklin Templeton, a world-renowned investment firm with a 75-year track record shaped by strong values, innovation and long-term conviction.
“I look forward to being part of its next phase of growth and evolution in sustainable investing.
“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.”
At CalPERS, Simpson served as a member of its investment management committee, which determined asset liability management, capital allocation, risk management and operations across global public equity, fixed income, private equity, private credit, real assets and infrastructure.
She also served as the inaugural chair of Climate Action 100+ and its Asia Advisory Group, a global investor alliance of US$60 trillion ($83.6 trillion) which CalPERS convened and co-founded.
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