Man Group today announced the appointment of Steven Desmyter (pictured) as Head of Responsible Investment and Chair of Man Group’s Responsible Investment Committee. This position recognises his instrumental role in developing and driving forward the firm’s responsible investment capabilities, in support of clients’ needs. Steven, who is member of Man Group’s Executive Committee and Head of Sales across EMEA, will also continue in his current role.
As Head of Responsible Investment, Steven will lead Man Group’s focus on serving its clients’ interest in incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations in the investment decision-making process. He will additionally Chair Man Group’s Responsible Investment Committee, which oversees firm-wide responsible investment policies and leads efforts to educate and support each of Man Group’s investment management businesses in adopting responsible investment approaches that are appropriate for their individual investment strategies.
To support its ongoing responsible investment focus, Man Group has also appointed Jason Mitchell as Sustainability Strategist, addition to his current role on Man GLG’s European and international equity teams. In this role, Jason will be responsible for developing the strategy, organisation and methodology to underpin Man Group’s ESG efforts. He will work across the firm’s investment strategies, to support the integration of extra-financial factors and sustainability themes into investment processes across all asset classes.
Jason, who joined Man GLG in 2004, has chaired the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Hedge Fund Advisory Committee since 2014, is a member of the Plastic Disclosure Project Steering Committee and part of the Tobacco Free Portfolios Working Group. Actively involved in sustainable investment at Man GLG from 2004 and Man Group since 2010, he has written and presented widely on sustainable investment and social-political issues, including in Institutional Investor, London Review of Books, Global Times, Aftenposten and most recently as contributing author in Sustainable Investing: Revolutions in Theory and Practice (Routledge, 2017).
Luke Ellis, Chief Executive Officer, Man Group said:
“Our investors increasingly consider environmental, social and governance factors to be a key part of sound investment stewardship. Through his strong relationships with our clients and understanding of their needs, Steven has already been instrumental in developing our responsible investment capabilities. We are committed to furthering the interests of our clients in this area and I am delighted that Steven will now be formally leading Man Group’s efforts in this space, supported by Jason Mitchell who has been a key industry advocate for responsible investment.”
Steven Desmyter, Head of Responsible Investment, Man Group said:
“We consider responsible investment fundamental to our fiduciary duty to our clients, as they seek to better understand and mitigate long-term, non-financial risks. Our industry is still working towards a truly sustainable and consistent approach to responsible investment but I have been encouraged by recent progress. I look forward to working with Jason Mitchell, the Responsible Investment Committee, and Man Group’s executive team and portfolio managers to further integrate responsible investment capabilities into our client offering.”
