UniSuper sustainability exec departs for Vanguard

UniSuper governance and sustainability manager Sybil Dixon is departing the fund after 14 years to join Vanguard.

Dixon will join Vanguard in August as head of ESG product, a Vanguard spokesperson confirmed to FS Sustainability.

UniSuper said Dixon's contribution to driving UniSuper's ESG framework "leaves a lasting legacy for our more than 500,000 members, helping to deliver futures worth retiring for that don't cost the Earth."

The $105 billion industry super fund called Dixon's contribution to their annual Climate risk and our investments report "outstanding, shining a light on long term risks and opportunities of our investments to members in a decarbonising economy."

UniSuper set a net zero target in 2020, and at the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) annual conference earlier this year, Dixon explained why the fund set that target.

"From UniSuper's perspective, one of the reasons why we put in place a net zero target was to support and enable our investments team to speak more proactively to some of the engagement and the impacts we've been having in engagements across our portfolios," Dixon said.

"We've been targeted by activist groups for divestment, and I think one of the key nexuses we saw was that while we didn't think divestment was the best lens to talk about the work we're doing around decarbonisation, we did need a more positive story on the work we were doing and also to hold ourselves accountable."

UniSuper's actions on climate have included divesting from companies generate over 10% of their revenue from the extraction of thermal coal, setting the goal that their 50 largest Australian investments set Paris-aligned operational targets by the end of 2021, with 41 companies achieving that as at 31 December 2021, up from 34 reported in 2020, achieving net-zero emissions in their direct unlisted property portfolio from 2022, and achieving carbon neutral status for our operations.

"UniSuper wishes Sybil all the very best for the future, and thanks her for her years of dedication and hard work to benefit members," said UniSuper chief executive officer Peter Chun. ""We look forward to inviting fresh talent to build upon this considerable legacy and continue UniSuper's drive for excellence in ESG."