Nuveen’s Westchester Group Appoints Cristina Hastings Newsome as Head of Sustainability
Nuveen’s agricultural real estate and global farmland investment-focused company Westchester Group Investment Management announced today the appointment of Cristina Hastings Newsome as its new Head of Sustainability.
In her new role, Hastings Newsome will be responsible for driving Westchester’s global sustainability efforts, supporting the team’s approach to sensitively managing farmland investments, and the company’s response to rising investor demand for carbon neutral portfolios, providing scalable, natural solutions to counter climate change through farmland investments. Additionally, she will also support Westchester’s ESG committee to lead innovation and implementation on a broader range of ESG themes across the farmland portfolio, including providing supportive working conditions and resource efficiency.
Hastings Newsome joins Westchester from leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods Louis Dreyfus Company, where she worked for over nine years, most recently serving as Global Sustainability Lead – Oilseeds & Grains, responsible for developing the sustainability strategy for Soy and Palm, and leading the implementation team at the global level. She has also held roles at companies including held roles at AstraZeneca, Proteus and Accenture.
Martin Davies, CEO and President of Westchester Group, said:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of agriculture to everyday societies, with food essential to a growing population. The FAO estimate that $350B of investment is needed annually by agriculture and the supply chain to develop sustainable food production systems. With a limited land resource base and focus on more efficient resource use stable supply-demand dynamics for agricultural produce are critical for a sustainable future. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of agricultural production whilst acting as valued partners with local communities to drive ESG improvements. For our increasingly sustainably focused investors, this is compelling.
“Cristina brings with her a wealth of experience that will be integral to support sustainability efforts across our farmland portfolio. We continue to evolve our approach to ESG to meet our commitment to drive positive change and client demand, and Cristina’s appointment is testament to this.”