Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) has appointed Simon O'Connor chief executive following the resignation of long-serving CEO Louise O'Halloran.
With experience across financial services and sustainability industries, O'Connor served as director and senior economist for Economists at Large, senior investment analyst at Innovest (now MSCI) and – most recently – as leading economic advisor for the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF).
His work at ACF saw him leading the debate on various issues central to the development of sustainable financial markets, including financing Australia's low carbon economy.
According to RIAA chair Pablo Berrutti, O'Connor joins the association at a time when strengthening the link between civil society and the investment community will be critical to ensuring the responsible investment industry can meet the needs of beneficiaries in the coming decades.
"Simon provides RIAA with the right leadership for the next phase of our development and to support the changing needs for our members," Berrutti added.
