Janus Henderson hires chief responsibility officer

Janus Henderson Group has hired Michelle Dunstan as chief responsibility officer.

Dunstan will join the global fund manager in early January and will be responsible for overseeing Janus Henderson's corporate responsibility and responsible investing efforts.

In her role, she will be based in the US and report to Janus Henderson chief executive officer Ali Dibadj.

She will work with Janus Henderson's existing ESG teams to "define the optimal approaches and frameworks for our responsible investing and corporate responsibility efforts, drawing together and amplifying the work that Janus Henderson already does in this space."

"With Michelle's hire as Janus Henderson's chief responsibility officer, the firm is taking another big strategic step forward to deliver on behalf of our clients," said Dibadj.

"I've known Michelle for many years; she is a hugely talented and dynamic figure. Michelle augments our existing capabilities with her experience and leadership skills and will further embed corporate responsibility and responsible investing capabilities across our company. I know she will be an effective advocate for appropriate sustainability work both within the company and in the industry at large."

Dunstan joins from AllianceBernstein, where she has spent the last eighteen years in a variety of roles, including global equities portfolio manager and senior research analyst, and most recently chief responsibility officer.

As chief responsibility officer, she developed and maintained AllianceBernstein's corporate ESG strategy and co-created and co-managed one of their ESG-focused equity portfolios.

In another role, Michelle devised AllianceBernstein's responsibility policies, covering ESG governance strategy, ESG integration process, engagement escalation, and stewardship policies

"I'm thrilled to be joining Janus Henderson," Dunstan said. "It is an exciting time of great change and positive momentum - both for Janus Henderson and for responsibility.

"Janus Henderson's rich history of providing differentiated insights and disciplined investments places it well to lead in developing both the ESG thought leadership and the portfolio solutions that will help our clients achieve their goals. I look forward to working with Janus Henderson's existing talented teams to continue to advance and strengthen the organization on its responsibility journey."