Swiss Life Asset Managers has appointed its first-ever head of environmental and social governance ESG, in a bid to improve its green credentials.
The real estate arm of the Swiss insurer announced that Nelufer Ansari will assume the role. She joined Swiss Life in 2018 as head of strategic & special tasks.
The appointment is part of a year-long process by Swiss Life to integrate green thinking into its risk management and investment strategy. The real estate business is to adopt a sustainable investment approach across all asset classes.
Unveiling the appointment, Stefan Mächler, CIO of the Swiss Life Group, said: ‘By appointing a Head of ESG, we are underlining our aspiration for sustainable investment solutions and uniting the local endeavours. This will enable us to provide customers with our know-how more effectively in the future.
‘By bundling our activities under a uniform management, we also aim to gear our investment objectives more strongly to the growing number of customers wishing to include sustainability criteria in their investment spectrum in addition to financial aspects.’
Prior to joining Swiss Life, Ansari was at industrial investment company BEOS, which is a subsidiary of the Swiss giant.
Ansari said: ‘My job as Head of ESG activities at Swiss Life Asset Managers is an exciting challenge as I will be able to build on the strong commitment and high aspirations of the management team of Swiss Life Asset Managers in the area of sustainability. I also have every confidence that our good starting position in the asset management market will enable us to assume a stronger role in the ESG area in future.’
