Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum, announces today the appointment of François Passant as the new Executive Director and Anders Nordheim as the new Head of Research.
Both Mr Passant and Mr Nordheim are based in Brussels as Eurosif will seek to relocate its headquarters from Paris to the capital of Europe in the coming months. While Eurosif has become a key promoter for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters to EU policy-makers, the Association intends to further strengthen its advocacy presence by being based in Brussels.
François Passant is officially assuming Executive Director responsibilities from Matt Christensen. He brings over fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry with deep expertise in asset management and regulatory matters. A former Executive Director of Vanguard Investments Europe, the European subsidiary of the Vanguard Group, Inc. Mr Passant has gathered a wealth of experience in servicing European institutional investors, including pension and sovereign funds. His past positions cover senior responsibilities in marketing, product development, strategy and general management. He recently performed pro-bono lobbying work for the European Federation of individual investors, EuroInvestors.
Mr Anders Nordheim has been appointed as Eurosif’s new Head of research. As such, he assumes responsibilities for the conception and delivery of Eurosif’s research agenda as well as for the coordination of the European Retail SRI Transparency Code which will undergo major changes in the coming months. Formerly a Corporate Governance Analyst at ISS, the Institutional Shareholder Services platform and a Financial Advisor for a private wealth management firm, Mr Nordheim will bring valuable insights in ESG and policy-related matters. He holds degrees in Economics from Rhodes and Cape Town Universities.
According to Giuseppe van der Helm, Eurosif President, Mr Passant and Mr Nordheim bring “a fresh and strategic perspective on how Eurosif can improve its services to Member Affiliates, to increase our presence in more European countries and to strengthen our contribution to the dialogue on a European level ”. He adds,
“Eurosif has undergone major changes in the past decade and has gained wide acclaim for its thought leadership role. Mr Passant is a person who joins with a deep industry knowledge, vision and strong managerial capabilities. These characteristics certainly have the potential to raise the bar for our organisation in ways that will be beneficial to all of our membership.”
“I am honoured to have been chosen to lead Eurosif” said Passant. “I am of course very much looking forward to working with the Board, national Sustainable Investment Forums and Member Affiliates to bring it to new levels of leadership in SRI research and advocacy.”