About this Event
Discussion topic: Evolution of Proxy Choice
We are happy to invite you to save the date for our next breakfast discussion on Wednesday, March 11th from 7:45-9:30am. Morningstar is generously hosting our discussion at 22 W Washington St, Chicago, IL, and Wespath is generously sponsoring our coffee and breakfast.
This event will focus on the evolution of proxy choice to discuss real time how the market is evolving and whether there are meaningful differences from how asset managers approached this topic in the past. Our conversation will profile a select group of large global asset managers to discuss the underlying philosophy driving their proxy strategies, the approach / strategy managers are taking for client-driven proxy voting choice, and the current scope of actual proxy choice and how it may evolve over the next three years.
Speaker Bios
Alec Castellanos, Director, BlackRock
Alec Castellanos, Director, is a member of BlackRock's Investment Stewardship group. He is responsible for the development and implementation of BlackRock’s Voting Choice offering to expand the opportunity for clients to participate in proxy voting decisions where legally and operationally viable. In addition, he is responsible for the global operations of BlackRock's corporate governance program. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2015, Alec managed voting and research operations at the proxy service provider Glass Lewis & Co, where he oversaw the implementation of client voting policies on the Glass Lewis voting platform, and consulted with clients on corporate governance and proxy voting policy issues.
Catherine Moyer, Sr. Vice President, Head of North America Stewardship, Northern Trust Asset Management
Christian Preussner, Global Head of Sustainable Investing and Stewardship, JPMorgan Asset Management
Christian Preussner, Managing Director, is the Global Head of Sustainable Investing and Stewardship, leading J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s firm-wide strategic efforts around sustainability and investment stewardship. He is responsible for the global sustainable investing platform, partnering closely with the investment teams to further refine the integration of financially material ESG considerations into investment strategies and decision-making processes. In this function, Mr. Preussner also leads the development of innovative strategies and analysis on sustainable investment opportunities, JPMAM’s proprietary ESG research, investment stewardship and thought leadership. He is a member of the Asset Management Operating Committee, chairs the Sustainable Investing Oversight Committee and is a member of the JPMC Firmwide Environmental Committee. Before assuming this role in July 2024, Mr. Preussner worked within the US Equity Team, co-heading the US Equity Investment Specialist team globally since 2017 and internationally since 2011. An employee since 2004, he previously worked as a Senior Investment Specialist within J.P. Morgan Asset Management's Equity/Balanced Portfolio Management Group in Frankfurt (Germany) covering both Emerging Markets Equities and US Equities. He holds a diploma in Business Administration (MBA equivalent) from the European Business School Oestrich-Winkel (Germany) and is a CFA charterholder.
Moderator
John Hoeppner, Head of Strategic Relationships & Active Ownership, Builders Vision
John Hoeppner builds strategic relationships with like-minded investors and directs active ownership initiatives, including corporate engagement, thematic collaborations and proxy voting across investment portfolios. Previously, John was Head of US Stewardship and Sustainable Investments at LGIM America. He was the first member of the corporate governance team to be based outside of the headquarters and led on many strategic initiatives, including engagement with consequences, novel collaborations with NGOs, and shareholder proposals. Prior to joining LGIM America, he led the Impact Investing practice at a Chicago advisory group. He has held multiple senior product positions in the asset management divisions of UBS and Northern Trust. He started his investment career at Cambridge Associates on the capital markets research team. John earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. John is a board member of The Shareholder Commons, an Advisor to the High Meadows Institute and an active member of multiple industry associations advocating improved sustainability disclosures, corporate governance, and universal ownership.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, March 11th!
---
Chicago SRI-ESG-Impact Breakfast Group Organizers
John Hoeppner
Dan Nielsen
Lucas Schoeppner
Leah Yablonka
Impact Engine
If you would like to join the private Chicago SRI-ESG-Impact Breakfast LinkedIn Group, click here. If this message was forwarded to you and you would like to be added to the invitation list for this group,click here.
Background of the group: Some of our group who work in ESG/SRI/Impact investing realized that we were spending more time on the coasts connecting with other industry peers, so in 2012 we began holding quarterly meetings to figure out who was doing what in the Chicago region. We intentionally try to go “mainstream” – in other words, focusing on investment professionals who are trying to figure out the SRI/ESG world because of client demand or perceived business opportunity. This is a different starting point than many traditional SRI/ESG groups, which have come at this from a values-first perspective. The group has grown to include people from institutional investment consultants, private banks, UHNW wealth advisory firms, universities, and asset managers. We typically have more than 120 people attend.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Morningstar, 22 West Washington Street, Chicago, United States
USD 0.00
