Deutsche Bank announced today that it has expanded its Asia Pacific ESG team with the hire of Kalpana Seethepalli. In her newly created role, Kalpana will be responsible for leading the team’s work on results frameworks, measurement, monitoring, and sustainable finance taxonomies for ESG transactions.

Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Seethepalli was Managing Director, Sustainability and Impact at Infra-Tech Capital, an impact fund investing in companies utilizing technology to provide infrastructure services and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has also held several positions at the World Bank, including Senior Economist, where she led complex institution-building and infrastructure finance World Bank loans aimed at leveraging private capital into infrastructure amid transparent government policy and institutional arrangements.

Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific CEO Alexander von zur Muehlen said:

“It is abundantly clear that in Asia Pacific ESG impact is becoming increasingly central to business and investment decisions, and rightly so. Client demand for proven ESG expertise from their banking partners is rapidly rising. At Deutsche Bank we are intensely focused on building out our ESG competence and embedding it throughout all of our businesses and service offerings as a key element of our growth strategy for the region.”

Seethepalli’s appointment comes a few months after Deutsche Bank hired Kamran Khan to the newly created role of Head of ESG for Asia Pacific. Khan also joined the bank from Infra-Tech, where he served as CEO and Managing Partner.

Khan said:

“Over the last months we have seen tremendous interest from clients in ESG-related engagements and increasing momentum in the development of our transaction pipeline. Kalpana’s arrival adds best-in-class sustainability operational expertise to complement our strong coverage, structuring, and transaction services capabilities. This is a powerful combination of content and platform that will further accelerate our rise as a leader in the ESG market in Asia Pacific.”