media release
8 September 2021
HESTA CEO Debby Blakey appointed to ICGN Board
HESTA CEO Debby Blakey has been appointed to the Board of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), the global body representing institutional investors for the advancement of good governance.
Ms Blakey is the sole Australian representative on the Board, whose members are responsible for assets of more than $79 trillion.
Ms Blakey said she was honoured to be appointed to the position, which demonstrated the Australian superannuation industry’s important responsible investment leadership on the global stage.
“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,” Ms Blakey said.
“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.”
As a long-standing member of ICGN, HESTA remains focussed on creating better futures for its members, believing in the long-term benefits of good governance.
“Enhancing global governance standards helps to better manage systemic risks and improve market behaviour that can lead to stronger, long-term investment returns for members and more sustainable economic growth over time,” Ms Blakey said.
“HESTA’s leadership in responsible investment benefits members through improved long-term investment performance and opportunities like this to develop deep relationships with leading global investors.”
Ms Blakey joins new chair, Henry Jones, president of the CalPERS in the US along with directors Seiji Kawazoe, a senior stewardship office at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management in Tokyo, and Luz Rodriguez, a corporate governance professional at the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association.
Ms Blakey was recently announced as the new President of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) and is on the Board of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Ltd (ASFA). Ms Blakey is also a Workplace Gender Equality Agency Pay Equity Ambassador.
Ends.