Yarra Capital Management has appointed Erin Kuo as its inaugural chief sustainability officer.
Dr Kuo has more than 15 years of experience working within sustainability and previously ran a consulting business, advising fund managers and family offices on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters.
She was formerly chief impact officer at Impact Investment Group and has held senior positions at Impact Investing Australia and cleantech private equity investor Pacific Corporate Group. Earlier in her career, she also worked as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in the US.
As chief sustainability officer, Dr Kuo will lead Yarra’s corporate sustainability and work closely with its investment teams to support best practice ESG integration into investment processes.
Dion Hershan, executive chairman and head of Australian equities at Yarra Capital Management, said that the firm was incredibly excited to welcome Dr Kuo.
“There has never been greater focus on ESG and sustainability matters in financial markets, and Erin’s deep experience will significantly benefit the investment solutions and expertise we can offer to our clients,” he said.
Dr Kuo previously worked as a university researcher and lecturer on sustainability measurement and social impact and has led projects on social enterprise and impact investing for the Victorian government and the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA).
Her qualifications include a BA in environmental science from the University of California and a PhD from Monash University. She was also previously an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology.
“I’m thrilled to have joined Yarra Capital Management to lead the firm’s sustainability efforts,” Dr Kuo said on her appointment.
“I am incredibly passionate about deepening positive impact for people and the planet and am excited to now be working with Yarra’s investment teams to build out our sustainability capabilities and tools.”
Jon Bragg
Jon Bragg is a journalist for Momentum Media's Investor Daily, nestegg and ifa. He enjoys writing about a wide variety of financial topics and issues and exploring the many implications they have on all aspects of life.
