ICGN Announces CalPERS as Board Chair and approves three new Board Governors at AGM
London, United Kingdom, 2nd September 2021 – The International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), with Members responsible for assets of $59 trillion, announced the appointment of Henry Jones, President of the Board of CalPERS, as the incoming Chair of the ICGN Board of Governors.
Mr Jones succeeds Robert Walker, Principle, LVC Strategies who retired as Chair of the ICGN Board at the ICGN Annual General Meeting today held on 2nd September 2021. The incumbent ICGN Board of Governors confirmed the appointment along with the appointment of Ian Burger, Head of Responsible Investment at Newton Investment Management, as incoming Board Vice Chair – a position Mr Burger currently holds.
On confirmation of appointment Mr Jones said: “I am deeply honoured to have been elected Chair of the ICGN Board of Governors. ICGN is a rare entity that unites institutional investors, stakeholders and corporations to develop strategies on issues ranging from responsive and responsible corporate governance to global economic concerns including the societal impacts of investment policies. I look forward to working with the Board to leverage our collective networks towards the continued evolution of sound and sustainable policies and principles for international investing.”
In concluding his term Mr Walker said: “I am honoured to have served ICGN over the past two years as Chair of the Board. I believe the organisation has made significant progress in advancing its mission and has emerged from the COVID pandemic in strong financial shape. I wish to express my thanks to Kerrie Waring and her team, my fellow board directors, the members of our Nomination Committee and, of course, ICGN Members for their support, commitment and expertise. With Henry Jones taking on the role of chair, we have strong leadership to move ICGN forward.”
At the AGM ICGN Members also approved three new ICGN Board Members: Debby Blakey (CEO, HESTA, Australia), Seiji Kawazoe, (Senior Stewardship Officer, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, Japan) and Luz Rodriguez (Senior Investment Stewardship Analyst, Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association, USA).
Debby Blakey said: “It is a privilege to be appointed to the Board of ICGN, an organisation which exists to raise the standards of corporate governance. ICGN’s mission is absolutely critical to ensure that companies and investors alike act with a shared responsibility for improving the sustainability of our global markets and economies. HESTA is committed to the principles of active ownership and responsible investing and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the work of ICGN on a global scale.”
Seiji Kawazoe said: “Healthy corporate governance leads to resilient companies. Reforms in every market around the world have reflected an evolution towards stakeholder accountability and a deeper awareness of the importance of sustainability among investors. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management has actively participated in these reforms in Japan by engaging with companies, regulators and stock exchanges. I look forward to serving on the ICGN Board as a global network to help accelerate the momentum of these reforms to enhance corporate governance resilience and sustainable growth.”
Luz Rodriguez said: “It’s an honour to join the ICGN Board and support its work in promoting effective standards of corporate governance and investment stewardship. ICGN plays a crucial role in advocating for comprehensive improvements to shareholder rights and influencing policy and reforms that foster trust in the integrity of global capital.”
ICGN placed on record its gratitude to three outgoing Board Members at the AGM being Melsa Ararat (Sabanci University), George Iguchi (Nissay Asset Management) and Robert Walker (LVC Strategies).
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EDITOR’S NOTES
About International Corporate Governance Network
Led by investors responsible for assets under management of over $59 trillion, and bringing together companies and stakeholders, ICGN advances the highest standards of corporate governance and investor stewardship worldwide in pursuit of long-term value creation, contributing to healthy and sustainable economies, society, and environment. This is achieved through a comprehensive international work programme based around three core activities:
- Influence: Promoting ICGN Principles as investor-led global standards for governance and stewardship and influencing public policy and professional practice.
- Connect: Delivering high-quality global events and webinars with unrivalled opportunities for networking, knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
- Inform: Enhancing professionalism in governance and stewardship practice through information and education.
For enquiries, please contact:
Elizabeth Thomas Milly Sheehan
Operations Director Senior Communications & Events Manager
T: +44 (0)20 7612 7096 T : +44 (0)20 7612 7093
E: elizabeth.thomas@icgn.org E: milly.sheehan@icgn.org
New Chair Biography
Henry Jones is serving his fourth term on the CalPERS Board of Administration and his second one-year term as president. Prior to being elected president, he served three years as vice president of the board. He retired in 1998 from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) — the second largest in the nation. As chief financial officer, he oversaw LAUSD's $7 billion annual budget. He also headed their Annuity Reserve Fund Board overseeing the pension fund for 7,000 schoolteachers and administrators. Henry currently serves as a personnel commissioner for the Los Angeles Community College District. He is a member of the governing board of the Robert Toigo Foundation, a non-profit organization that encourages minorities and women to pursue careers in finance. He also serves on the board of the Pacific Pension & Investment Institute, an educational organization that assists pension funds, corporations, financial institutions, and endowments worldwide with their fiduciary responsibilities, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region.
New Board Member Biographies
Debby Blakey was appointed CEO of HESTA on 2 March 2015, and is responsible for leading the industry fund dedicated to the health and community services sector. Debby joined HESTA in 2008 as an Executive leading the Member Advice Unit, and assumed the role of Deputy CEO in 2012. A proven leader with more than 25 years' experience in super and financial services, Debby has a wealth of experience having held a range of senior positions within financial institutions and having run her own business as an Employee Benefit Consultant for 12 years. Debby is a Director of Fund Executives Association Limited (FEAL), an organisation dedicated to supporting the professional development of leaders in the superannuation industry, Industry Super Australia Ltd (ISA) and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI). Debby holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Natal (South Africa), is a Certified Financial Planner™, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2018 Debby was awarded FEAL's Fund Executive of the Year.
Seiji Kawazoe is a senior stewardship Officer at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management with strong global experience based in Tokyo, NYC, London, Luxemburg as a global equities portfolio manager. He has built ESG capabilities at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, and now at its subsidiary AUM of over USD750 billion after the reorganization in October 2018. Currently, Seiji is responsible for stewardship oversight of global institutional investment assets such as public funds, private Pension funds. Also, he is actively involved in various global engagement projects, being a steering committee member at CA100+, Committee member of PRI IPDD (The Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation) a member of investor group 30% club Japan.
Luz Rodriguez has ten years of corporate governance and investment stewardship experience. Ms. Rodriguez serves as the corporate governance lead and contributes to the development and implementation of the investment stewardship program for the $60 billion Association. Ms. Rodriguez is a deputy board member of the Council of Institutional Investors. Prior to joining the Investment Stewardship Division, Ms. Rodriguez was the Director of the Legal Services and Corporate Governance Division at PERA. She was responsible for overseeing PERA’s administrative review process, securities litigation policy implementation, the coordination of internal and external counsel, proxy voting, engagement with companies and partnerships in which Colorado PERA invests, and reporting to the Shareholder Responsibility Committee of the PERA Board of Trustee. After graduating with an accounting degree from the University of Colorado in 2003, Ms. Rodriguez worked in investment accounting and was responsible for the pension payroll for Colorado PERA, which is the 23rd largest pension plan in the United States and serves as the pension fund for over 630,000 current and retired Colorado Public servants.
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