Cites growing investor interest in sustainable investment

FTSE Russell, one of the world’s leading global provider of investment benchmarks, analytics and data solutions announced that it appointed ESG veteran Helena Fung to the newly created role of Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific (APAC). Ms. Fung will be responsible for the company’s Sustainable Investment indexes and data services across the Asia Pacific region, and will also help develop FTSE Russell’s Asia Pacific sustainable investment product strategy and expansion.

FTSE Russell created the new role to help address the growing desire by Asia Pacific investors to incorporate sustainable investment approaches into their investment strategies. The company has recently added to its sustainable investment capabilities in APAC, growing its climate, screenings and ESG ratings research coverage too 800 securities in China and 1,300 securities in Japan.

As we reported last month, FTSE also recently launched a new climate benchmark, the FTSE TPI Climate Transition Index.

Prior to joining FTSE Russell last month, Ms. Fung worked for a private family investment office in Hong Kong, where her responsibilities included  ESG investment analysis and due diligence for philanthropic and grant-making programs. She has been working as an expert in sustainable investing since 2008.

Commenting on the new hire, and the growth of ESG investing in Asia, Jessie Pak, Managing Director, Asia at FTSE said:

“We are delighted to welcome Helena Fung to the FTSE Russell team in Asia Pacific in a newly created role as Head of Sustainable Investment. Helena brings a wealth of experience within ESG and sustainable investment across the investment industry, both in Europe and Hong Kong. I look forward to working with Helena as we continue to expand our business in Asia Pacific. Our growth in sustainable investment capabilities, including in indexes, data and research, will meet the growing demand from customers across Asia and globally.”

Ms. Fung added:

“I am delighted to join FTSE Russell which has a strong heritage and deep capabilities in providing sustainable investment indexes and data and has a growing presence in Asia. I look forward to working with investors and colleagues globally to further develop these capabilities in an increasingly dynamic market.”