Macquarie Asset Management appoints Chief Sustainability Officer

Macquarie Asset Management has appointed Kristina Kloberdanz as its Chief Sustainability Officer to accelerate its plan to be a leader in sustainable asset management.

Kristina will lead the delivery of the firm’s sustainability and ESG commitments, including its ambition to invest and manage its $US579 billion global portfolio in line with net zero emissions by 2040, while scaling efforts to operationalise sustainability and ESG across its investment and asset management processes.

Macquarie Asset Management is focused on driving sustainability across all asset classes in which it invests. Its sustainability and ESG initiatives extend well beyond climate change mitigation and resilience into broader environmental and social topics, including green energy transition, biodiversity, community impact, health and safety, diversity equity and inclusion, and modern slavery, amongst other challenges and opportunities facing businesses and communities globally.

Kristina joins Macquarie Asset Management from Mastercard where she was Chief Sustainability Officer and responsible for establishing and embedding its sustainability strategy. Over a period of five years, Kristina led Mastercard’s sustainability strategy that included financial inclusion efforts to bring one billion people into the financial mainstream and the Mastercard Impact Fund. Kristina spearheaded the company’s net zero emissions by 2040 commitment, environmental products and solutions, and its first sustainability bond. She also chaired the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Trees US Stakeholder Council, mobilising the private sector to accelerate nature-based solutions. Prior to Mastercard, Kristina was responsible for leading IBM’s global corporate responsibility strategy.

Ben Way, Group Head of Macquarie Asset Management, said: “We want to become a global leader in sustainable asset management – not just because it’s the right thing to do for our communities and the environment, but because we firmly believe that integrating sustainability and ESG drives better investment performance for our clients. To achieve our ambition, we need the very best people in our business who are experts and strong leaders in this space. Working together, they can offer new perspectives, challenge our ways of thinking, and foster innovation and partnerships. We are thrilled to welcome Kristina to Macquarie and know she will play an important role in driving progress across our sustainability priorities and commitments – ensuring every investment we make is aligned with our vision to deliver positive impact for everyone.”

Kristina Kloberdanz, Chief Sustainability Officer at Macquarie Asset Management, said: “As a major global asset manager and a custodian of businesses relied upon by more than 100 million people each day, Macquarie Asset Management has a central and critical role to accelerate progress towards a more sustainable society, environment and economy. I am joining a highly talented and committed team, that is passionate about its sustainability journey and energised by the opportunity to make a difference. While we have a significant task ahead, particularly as we seek to decarbonise our global portfolio, I’m excited and optimistic about the progress and commitments Macquarie has made to its communities, clients, employees and stakeholders.”

Macquarie Asset Management details its progress towards managing and investing its portfolio in line with net zero emissions by 2040 in its annual Sustainability Report. As part of its commitment to transparency, the asset manager also outlines its investment stewardship activities in its recently published Stewardship Report.