Franklin Templeton has expanded its global sustainability strategy team with the hire of Christine Shaw as senior advisor.
Shaw joins Franklin Templeton after more than 20 years at the State of Connecticut’s Office of the Treasurer, where she served in various roles with oversight of $65bn in assets.
In her most recent role, she directed the shareholder engagement, corporate governance and proxy voting activities for the $46bn Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds.
She was also responsible for overseeing the integration of ESG risks into the investment processes for internally and externally managed assets.
Shaw is the latest addition to the multi-disciplinary team, which works across Franklin Templeton to integrate sustainability into the firm’s investment portfolios and implement organisation-wide priorities, such as climate reporting and data.
She will advise on the overall execution and efficacy of Franklin Templeton’s sustainability programme. Shaw will also provide counsel on the effective implementation of Franklin Templeton’s sustainable investment strategy, and analyse policy and regulation related to sustainable finance. She reports to James Andrus, vice president of sustainability global markets. The team is led by Anne Simpson, global head of sustainability.
Andrus said: “Christine’s multi-decade experience in corporate governance and risk management will be critical in advancing the firm’s sustainability priorities and initiatives. She will be a strong and important contributor to our stewardship, proxy voting, engagement and policy work going forward, and we are thrilled to add her to our growing team.”