First Sentier adds to its ESG team

First Sentier Investors has bolstered its responsible investment and corporate sustainability team with three new hires.

First up, Joanne Lee has been appointed responsible investment specialist reporting to the head of the RI team based in London.

Based in Hong Kong, Lee will be responsible for the delivery and promotion of the firm's responsible investment strategy and credentials in Asia.

In the new role, Lee will work closely with Kate Turner, First Sentier's RI specialist in Sydney.

First Sentier is in the process of adding two further Sydney-based appointments to the corporate sustainability team.

Lee joins from the World Wide Fund for Nature, where she was senior manager, sustainable finance. In that role, she led research projects and produced technical guidance on ESG integration, nature-related risks, net-zero climate alignment, the blue economy, and sustainable infrastructure finance.

Before that, she spent more than four years with International Renewable Energy Agency as an associate program officer - renewable energy finance.

Also, Rebecca Antonini has been appointed head of corporate sustainability, a newly created position.

In this role, she will deliver and execute a global strategy to effectively manage First Sentier's ESG impacts. She will report to the fund's chief financial and strategy officer Suzanne Evans, who will ensure the business operates at best practice.

Finally, Cressida Grant has been recruited as head of corporate philanthropy.

Reporting to Antonio, Grant will be responsible for developing the firm's global philanthropic strategy.

Previously, she held the role of head of philanthropy at The Prince's Trust, where she managed relationships with ultra-high net worth donors and established the trust in the US.

Earlier in her career, Grant developed and managed the Stonehage Fleming Charitable Foundation, where she was responsible for developing and managing their philanthropic strategy.

First Sentier chief executive Mark Steinberg welcomed the new appointments.

"Joanne's appointment supports the investment team's commitment to incorporating ESG principles across their processes and strategies. This is central to their investment approach and underpins our corporate identity," he said

"Increasingly, corporates are also being assessed and held to account for their business practices and social impacts and how these align with stated responsible investment principles."