- Newly created role will further strengthen FTSE Russell’s global sustainable investment team
- Helena brings over 10 years expertise in ESG and sustainable investment
- Market participants in Asia Pacific are increasingly looking to incorporate sustainable investment approaches into their investment strategies
- FTSE Russell has 20+ years’ experience in supporting clients around sustainable finance and investment
FTSE Russell, the global index and data provider, today announces that Helena Fung has joined FTSE Russell as Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific. In this newly created role, Helena will be responsible for FTSE Russell’s Sustainable Investment indexes and data services across the Asia Pacific region. This will include engaging with clients on a comprehensive range of products and data to support them in reaching their investment decisions. Working with FTSE Russell’s global research and leadership teams, Helena will also help develop FTSE Russell’s Asia Pacific sustainable investment product strategy and expansion.
Helena has been working as an expert in ESG and Sustainable Investment since 2008, including providing advisory research on stewardship implementation for pension funds and family office clients, drafting responsible investment policies and integrating sustainability policies into both active and passive portfolios. Helena relocated to Hong Kong in 2014 from London, a key hub for ESG investments, where she worked for the responsible investment arm of Hermes Investment Management as global head of client relations, enabling pension funds and asset managers to integrate sustainability criteria into passive and active portfolios. Before joining FTSE Russell, Helena worked for a family office in Asia where her responsibilities included ESG integration, equity analysis and advising on philanthropy.
Jessie Pak, Managing Director, Head of Information Services Asia Pacific, London Stock Exchange Group said: “We are delighted to welcome Helena Fung to the FTSE Russell team in Asia Pacific in a newly created role as Head of Sustainable Investment. Helena brings a wealth of experience within ESG and sustainable investment across the investment industry, both in Europe and Hong Kong. I look forward to working with Helena as we continue to expand our business in Asia Pacific. Our growth in sustainable investment capabilities, including in indexes, data and research, will meet the growing demand from customers across Asia and globally.”
Helena Fung, Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific, said: “I am delighted to join FTSE Russell which has a strong heritage and deep capabilities in providing sustainable investment indexes and data and has a growing presence in Asia. I look forward to working with investors and colleagues globally to further develop these capabilities in an increasingly dynamic market.”
FTSE Russell has 20+ years’ experience in developing products and services to support the growing demand from investors to incorporate sustainable investment into their portfolios. FTSE Russell’s sustainable investment data models provide a broad range of measures that can be used in multiple approaches; from considering climate risks, providing ESG Ratings and supporting investment alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
In Asia, FTSE Russell recently expanded its sustainable investment analysis in China and Japan. Approximately 800 China A Share securities are now included in sustainable investment analysis covering climate, screenings and ESG Ratings. In Japan, FTSE Russell extended its coverage of small cap companies to bring the universe of Japanese securities to approximately 1300 securities. In total sustainable investment analysis now includes over 4300 securities across the Asia-Pacific region. The total coverage of securities globally now stands at 7200, enabling investor stewardship and ESG integration into active and passive strategies globally.
FTSE Russell’s ESG Ratings are comprised of an overall Rating that breaks down into underlying Pillar and Theme Exposures and Scores. The Pillars and Themes are built on over 300 individual indicator assessments that are applied to each company’s unique circumstances. Eligible companies are each given an ESG Rating ranging from 0 to 5; with 5 being the highest rating. The ESG Ratings support alignment with the UN SDGs, with all 17 SDGs reflected in the 14 Themes under the ESG framework.
Further information can be found online at FTSE Russell’s ESG Ratings data page.
Global Media
Oliver Mann / Lucie Holloway
+44 (0)20 7797 1222
newsroom@lseg.com
About FTSE Russell
FTSE Russell is a global index leader that provides innovative benchmarking, analytics and data solutions for investors worldwide. FTSE Russell calculates thousands of indexes that measure and benchmark markets and asset classes in more than 70 countries, covering 98% of the investable market globally.
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