Bron
IIGC
The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is announcing five new board members, to coincide with its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Three of them are Dutch. The seniority of appointees reflects the importance placed on climate change by the investment community and the impact of IIGCC in addressing the issue.
The new board members announced are:
- Jelle van der Giessen, Chief Investment Officer, NN Group
- Roelfien Kuijpers, Head of Responsible Investments and Head of Global Client Group for Ireland, Scandinavia and UK, DWS
- Karlijn van Lierop, Director for Responsible Investment and member of Management Fiduciary Advice, MN
- Dr Udo Riese, Global Head of Risk and Monitoring, Allianz Investment Management SE
- Ian Simm, Founder and Chief Executive, Impax Asset Management
Changes to the board come at an important time for IIGCC as membership growth is matched by a clearer appreciation of the significant role investors play in addressing climate change. 33 new members have joined IIGCC over the past year, including some of the leading names in the sector, adding €7 trillion in assets represented1. IIGCC now has over 190 members in total, with over €28 trillion in assets collectively under management.
The new board members were confirmed at IIGCC’s AGM, which focused on pathways to net zero emissions by 20502. Speakers, including UK President Designate of COP26 Claire O’Neill and Christiana Figueres, Convener, Mission 2020 and Former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, set out the importance of meeting this objective.
“Investors have a crucial contribution to make in the transition to a more sustainable future,” explains Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO, IIGCC. “While there is so much to achieve, it’s clear the sector is more determined than ever to play its part. Our new board members join IIGCC at an important time as we build on this momentum to ensure we realise a net zero future.”
The AGM also provided an opportunity to update members on IIGCC’s activities and its priorities for the year ahead. These are also captured in its 2019 Annual Report, launched at the AGM.
“We need to accelerate the pace of change in decarbonising the global economy. This requires action from policy makers, the corporate sector and of course investors themselves,” adds Peter Damgaard Jensen, IIGCC, Chair and CEO of Danish pension fund PKA. “I’m proud to see IIGCC lead investor action across all of these fronts, in Europe and globally. The benefits of action on climate change are without doubt and it’s our fiduciary responsibility to play as full a role as possible in ensuring we successfully tackle the climate crisis.”
IIGCC has made a significant contribution to investor action on climate change over the past year. The Paris Aligned Investment Initiative is defining the approaches needed to enable the sector to align portfolios with a net zero emissions future. 60 members with over €13 trillion of assets under management are now actively contributing to this initiative. In addition, IIGCC and its members have played an instrumental role in encouraging companies to make commitments on climate change through the global Climate Action 100+ corporate engagement initiative. IIGCC’s policy engagement continues to ensure the investor voice on climate change helps shape sustainable finance and climate policy, both globally and at a European level.
