Alexis Cheang joins TCorp

TCorp has appointed Alexis Cheang as head of investment stewardship, hiring from Mercer.

In her new role at the New South Wales Government's investment arm, Cheang will report directly to Stewart Brentnall, TCorp's chief investment officer, and join the investment leadership team.

"I'm delighted to welcome Alexis to the Investment Leadership Team," said Brentnall.

"She has long and deep experience in the investment industry and ESG, with prior careers at a major asset manager and a global investment consultant, spanning Australia, the UK, and the USA."

The investment chief noted that Cheang had acquired a thorough understanding of the dynamics of ESG, and is familiar with TCorp's investment and operating context, having been an integral part of advising State Super on reaching their net-zero by 2050 commitment.

At the $113 billion sovereign wealth fund, Cheang will be responsible for leading the investment stewardship team and managing and evolving TCorp's best-practice stewardship strategy, operating model, and portfolio outcomes.

This includes implementation of the Investment stewardship policy and ongoing management of the five stewardship pillars - portfolio integration of ESG, proxy voting, engagement with investee entities, industry collaboration, and transparency/disclosure - and embedding this throughout TCorp's investment model and processes.

Commenting on the appointment,  Cheang said moving to an asset owner was the natural next step for her given her desire to get closer to investment decision-making and ultimately member or stakeholder outcomes.

"I hope to have a better opportunity to ensure that robust integration of ESG factors and good investment stewardship have a meaningful impact on our clients' risk-adjusted returns," she said.

At Mercer, Cheang was the partner responsible for responsible investment for eight years. During that time she had advised TCorp on its investment stewardship journey from its beginning in 2017.

"I've seen the strategy and team grow and flourish to become one of the most sophisticated and well-regarded in the industry," she noted.

"Now that I am at TCorp, I will have to ensure we deliver on that promise and show real progress towards that goal within the defined benefit fund while broadening this commitment further across the combined New South Wales family of funds."

Before her eight-year stint at Mercer, Cheang spent nearly ten years as director of governance and sustainable investments at F&C, a UK-listed asset management firm.
She also held roles at the Global Network Initiative and Climate Wise.