People

Management and operations

Mark Blair, Director of Operations and Finance
Mark joined PRI as Director of Operations and Finance in July 2010. For many years Mark was Chief Finance Officer of General Atlantic (the business arm of the Atlantic Philanthropies) in the UK and also CEO of a luxury goods division within the group. Mark began his professional career as an Investment Analyst in the City before becoming a Chartered Management Accountant. He has since combined several international Managing and Finance Director roles, predominantly in fashion, leisure, retail and online. Mark is involved with Child's i Foundation, a charity dealing with baby abandonment in Uganda, which was set up in 2009.

Rob Lake, Director of Strategic Development
Rob joined PRI in May 2011 to oversee strategic initiatives, signatory relations and recruitment, public policy work and the PRI's Academic Network.  From February 2007 to April 2011 Rob was Head of Sustainability and Governance at APG Asset Management, Amsterdam. In that role he was responsible for integrating sustainability and corporate governance factors into APG's investment process across all asset classes, and for managing an active programme of engagement with companies, regulators and policymakers.

Rob is a member of the Program Board of the Sustainable Investment research programme funded by MISTRA, the Swedish government environmental research agency, and the Advisory Group to the Chair in Socially Responsible Investment at the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, and the University of Toulouse.

UN partners

Communications and investor relations

Anastasia Guha, Events and Communications Manager
Anastasia Guha is the Events and Communications Manager at PRI. She is responsible for the PRI in Person annual event and all other PRI events globally; she is also part of the team responsible for PRI's marketing and messaging. She holds a BSc in Economics and Applied Statistics (Ferguson College, India) and MA in International Political Economy (Warwick). Previously Anastasia has worked on events and communications at Euromoney, Institutional Investor and Fidelity International. She has also worked as a features editor for various trade publications including Chambers and Partners and has published articles in the Spectator.

Katherine Pruski, Membership Manager
Katherine joined the PRI in February 2011. In her role as Membership Manager she manages the signatory life-cycle and invoicing processes. Prior to PRI Katherine worked on the membership team at Pilotlight, a UK-based charity, and the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff on a support programme for business start ups. She holds an BSc & Econ in Sociology from the University of Cardiff.

Implementation support

Emilie Goodall, Project Manager, Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance
Emilie Goodall joined in July 2011 as Project Manager for the Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance (PIIF), launched January 2011. She is responsible for developing the work stream, recruiting signatories and supporting them in their implementation of the Principles. Previously, she was Senior Investment Manager at CAF Venturesome, a social investment fund. She managed debt and equity-like investments in nonprofits, and was engaged in research and policy work promoting the growth of the UK impact investing market. Prior to that, Emilie worked as researcher and consultant at New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), a consultancy and think tank engaged in nonprofit analysis and the promotion of funder effectiveness. She holds an MA in Philosophy and French from the University of Oxford and qualifications in Financial Management and Development Management.

Katie Swanston, Head of Implementation Support
Katie joined PRI in October 2010 as the Head of Implementation Support. Katie brings over 10 years of relevant work experience to PRI. For the last two years, Katie has been based in Sydney working on a project to build and develop an online education and training programme for responsible investment. The RI Academy launched in September 2010. Between 2000 and 2008, Katie worked for London based Newton Investment Management. Her first 4 years were spent as a trainee fund manager for the Global Multi-Asset team. Her second 4 years were spent as the SRI Officer and member of the Responsible Investment Strategy Group. Katie graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. In 2001, she gained her Investment Management Certificate. Additionally, Katie has trained as a Lead Auditor in Environmental Management Systems (2009).

Clearinghouse

Danielle Chesebrough, Manager of Investor Engagement with the UN Global Compact 
Danielle Chesebrough is the Manager of Investor Engagement with the UN Global Compact and has been working in this role since May 2011. Her role includes developing, coordinating and facilitating investor engagements, with a focus on UN Global Compact principles and initiatives. Danielle will also be assisting in the coordination of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative that addresses the various ways in which stock exchanges can promote sustainable business practices. 

Previously, Danielle worked in ESG client services as MSCI. Prior to joining the client services team, she conducted ESG analysis and led engagements with publicly traded healthcare, food and beverage, and consumer products companies. Danielle also worked with the Global Sanctions team, specializing in Sudan. This experience gives her valuable understanding of the concerns and opportunities facing companies, policy makers, and investors. Danielle has a BA in Political Science from Clemson University and a Masters of Social Work, with a focus on Policy and International Studies from the University of Connecticut.

Jameela Pedicini, Manager of Investor Engagements - Social Issues
Jameela Pedicini joined the PRI in August 2010. In her role she develops, facilitates, and coordinates investor engagements on social issues. Prior to joining the PRI, Jameela worked as a Global Risk Analyst at Maplecroft, where she conducted ESG research and led engagements with S&P 100 companies. Jameela holds an MPhil in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford, where her research examined corporate responsibility in India, specifically how corporations provide health and education to informal sector workers. She also holds an MSc in Sociology, Social Theory and Public Affairs from the University of Amsterdam, BA in Psychology from Antioch University, and the CFA Society of the UK, Investment Management Certificate.

Valeria Piani, Head of Investor Engagements
Valeria Piani joined the PRI Initiative in June 2008. Her role is coordinating and supervising the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse activities to support institutional investors' campaigns with investee companies and policy makers on environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics. Before joining PRI, Valeria worked for three years in Italy as consultant on corporate communications and corporate social responsibility for multinational companies. In 2007, she was awarded the United Nations Fellowship Programme to work in international development cooperation for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme in Argentina. Valeria graduated in International Public Administration and Development at the Luigi Bocconi Business School of Milan. She also completed a Master of Arts in CSR at the University of Nottingham Business School with a dissertation on the effectiveness of shareholders’ collaborative engagement activities with companies on ESG issues.

Olivia Watson, Manager, Environmental Engagements
Olivia Watson joined the PRI initiative in November 2009. Her role includes developing, coordinating and facilitating investor engagements, with a focus on environmental issues. Most recently Olivia worked for two years as a corporate responsibility consultant, and advised UK and US companies on projects related to sustainability strategy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability reporting and climate change communications. Previously Olivia worked as a research analyst at PIRC, where she analysed FTSE companies’ ESG performance and contributed to several engagement projects on climate change risks and opportunities. She has an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and a BA in Biology from Bates College in Maine, USA.

Felicitas Weber, Clearinghouse Assistant
Felicitas Weber has joined the PRI in April 2011. Her role is to facilitate the work of the Clearinghouse team and to co-ordinate the weekly webinars. Prior to joining the PRI, Felicitas has been working as development assistant for the charities Teach First and Historic Royal Palaces. She holds a Master in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics from Universität Leipzig and a Certificate of Political Studies from Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Rennes.

Reporting and assessment

Kristofer Dreiman, Project Manager
Prior to joining the PRI, Kristofer Dreinman worked as a CSR consultant, and has advised companies on the Global Reporting Initiative. He has also worked in academia at universities and managed a sustainable finance project with GlobalFOCUS. Kristofer holds an MSc degree in Industrial Management from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. His thesis explored how institutional investors can influence corporate responsibility through engagement and dialogue. He also holds a BMSc in Public Health with a focus on sustainable development from the Karolinska Institute.

Hitender Gujral, Reporting and Assessment Officer
Hitender Gujral joined PRI in November 2010 as a Reporting and Assessment Officer. He has completed his MBA with Distinction from Nottingham University Business School in December 2010 and has specialised in Corporate Social Responsibility. During the course, he worked as a MBA summer intern at Schroders PLC and was responsible for developing a sustainability management framework for Schroder Property team. After successfully completing the Schroders internship, he worked as a Climate Change Intern at EIRIS for six weeks. The role involved researching on climate change initiatives undertaken by "high risk" companies such as cement production and electricity generation companies. Prior to pursuing the MBA course, he has worked in the Information Technology industry for three years with big IT corporates such as Wipro Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services as a Software Developer/Engineer. His role focused mainly on the development and maintenance of software applications for Banking, Insurance and Financial Services clients. He also holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (2006) specialising in Telecommunications from VTU, India.

Lorenzo Saà, Head of Reporting and Assessment
Lorenzo Saà manages the PRI's annual signatories' assessment. He is also responsible for identifying and providing solutions for the signatories' training needs. Prior to joining the PRI, between 2004-2009, as a project manager in UniCredit Group, he oversaw microfinance initiatives and advised on responsible investments. Before this Lorenzo specialized in assessments and evaluations both as an independent consultant for development organizations such as the World Bank and IFAD as well as a senior financial analyst at MicroRate, a dedicated rating agency for microfinance institutions. Lorenzo started his career in 1996 as an economic analyst at Arthur Andersen. He obtained his BA in Business and Economics in Università Cattolica, Milan and his joint MBA and Master in International Public Policy at SDA Bocconi, Milan and at SAIS - Johns Hopkins, Washington DC.

Titia Sjenitzer, Reporting and Assessment Manager
As Assistant Assessment Manager, Titia Sjenitzer assists designs and manages the PRI's annual signatory assessment process. She is also involved with the analysis of signatory activities and trends. Prior to joining the PRI, Titia worked on sustainability benchmarking of food and beverage companies at Fairfood International. Titia has also contributed to a number of different sustainability initiatives as a freelance researcher and project manager. In 2002 Titia completed an MSc in Sociology, specializing in Methodology and Statistics, at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Besides her research work, Titia works as sailing instructor on coastal waters.

Recruitment and networks

Natalie Beinisch, Academic Network Manager
Natalie Beinisch coordinates the activities of the PRI Academic Network. She is also a PhD Candidate at the London School of Economics. Her research addresses company participation in voluntary regulatory systems in the toy and chocolate industries. Prior to joining the PRI in April 2010, Natalie managed the faculty network at Duke Corporate Education, a global learning and development company. She holds a BA from McGill University and an MSc from the London School of Economics. When not consumed by work or studies, she can be easily spotted running along the River Thames.

Dr Michiyo Morisawa, Japanese Network Manager
Dr Michiyo Morisawa works part-time leading the PRI signatory network in Japan and is Head of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Japan office, guiding the initiative since CDP's global expansion in 2006. Dr Morisawa has been a lead author of the CDP Japan report. She has a PhD in Environment from Tokyo University. She is also a research member of the Hosei University for Low Carbon Policy of Local Government under the project of the Japanese Ministry of Environment. She has prior experience in international business development of financial services (amongst others at Citibank) for reducing settlement risk.

HyunJung Seo, South Korea Network Manager
HyunJung joined PRI in early 2011 as the South Korea Network Manager, supporting South Korean and regional projects. HyunJung has around 10 years' of work experience in the Asian finance market. HyunJung previously worked for a US private equity firm in Singapore as a regional investment analyst and 3 years as a buyside equity analyst at Mirae Asset Investment Management, the largest South Korean investment manager, based in Seoul. HyungJung also spent 4 years as a sellside equity analyst at Cazenove Asia and HanWha Securities. She was nominated as the Best Analyst in her early sellside analyst career. HyunJung has a Bachelors and Masters degree from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in electrical engineering.

Conference organisers note: High resolution versions of some photos for use in conference publications and websites:

• James Gifford, Executive Director
• Wolfgang Engshuber, chair
• Rob Lake, Director of Strategic Development