CalSTRS has hired Kirsty Jenkinson as its next director of corporate governance, starting in January 2019.
Jenkinson is joining CalSTRS from Wespath Benefits and Investments in Illinois, where she has led Wespath’s sustainable investment strategies team since 2014. She also directs Wespath’s ESG integration, corporate engagement, portfolio screening and proxy voting activities.
She will succeed Anne Sheehan, who retired from the pension fund in March this year, and will lead an ESG portfolio of more than $4.1 billion. Sheehan was the first person to hold the director of corporate governance position at CalSTRS and had led the division for 10 years. PJT Camberview recently announced Sheehan was joining the firm as a senior adviser. She also chairs the SEC’s investor advisory committee.
Before her time at Wespath, Jenkinson was director of the markets and enterprise program at the World Resources Institute, a Washington, DC-based global research organization. She also spent eight years as a director of governance and sustainable investment at F&C Asset Management (now BMO Global Asset Management) and six years in the fixed-income division of Goldman Sachs International in London.
Jenkinson also sits on the investor advisory group of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.
‘[Kirsty] brings great value to CalSTRS via her stellar experience and rich global perspective,’ CalSTRS CEO Jack Ehnes says in a statement. ‘CalSTRS’ commitment to long-term sustainability for California’s educators is bolstered by having [her] on board.’
‘It has been an honor to work with Wespath, and I feel privileged to lead the dynamic team at CalSTRS, one of the world’s most respected leaders in ESG investing and corporate governance,’ Jenkinson says in a statement. ‘I fully support CalSTRS’ mission and vision as a long-term institutional investor, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the talented investments team and the plethora of portfolio companies to shape the future of ESG investing and positively contribute to the financial futures of California educators.’
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
