HSBC Asset Management (HSBC AM) has appointed Christine Chow as Head of Stewardship and Engagement.
Based in London, Chow joined on 1 October and reports to Stuart Kirk, Global Head of Responsible Investing & Research.
Chow will lead HSBC AM’s responsible investing work around engagement with issuers and grow the firm’s research and insights on this topic. Her role will be aligned with the HSBC Group’s net-zero strategy and will focus on climate and sustainability engagements that enable the transition to net-zero. She will also grow the team with new hires who will join in the coming months.
Chow has 25 years’ experience in investment management, research and consulting, with a focus on ESG, technology and sustainability. Prior to joining HSBC AM, she was a member of Court and Investment Committee of the London School of Economics (2015-2021), a member of the Data Governance Task Force of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on artificial intelligence (2018 – 2021) and an Adjunct Professor in Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2014 – 2016). She is a Board Member of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and was also appointed an honorary adviser to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Hong Kong in April 2021.
Chow takes over from Thomas O’Malley who moves into the role of Head of Policy within HSBC AM’s newly created Sustainability Office reporting into Erin Leonard, Global Head of Sustainability. In this new role, Thomas will be responsible for policy development related to sustainability and responsible investment. Thomas has been with HSBC AM for over 12 years, developing the firm’s voting and engagement activities as Global Head of Corporate Governance. He has represented HSBC AM on a number of external bodies and as a lead investor in the Climate Action 100-plus initiative.
Kirk says: “Christine’s appointment, as well as the imminent new hires, underlines the importance we place on engagement. Her extensive experience will allow us to build on the work we have done to date and enable us to be a leader when it comes to engagement topics in emerging markets.”
Chow says: “With its presence in Asia and emerging markets, HSBC AM is in a unique position to help these economies to transition sustainably. I look forward to leading a world-class stewardship team focused on outcome-based engagements and to be a strong voice for change where it is needed.”
In 2020, HSBC AM set out its strategy to re-position the business as a core solutions and specialist emerging markets, Asia and alternatives focused asset manager, with client centricity, investment excellence and sustainable investing as key enablers.
Earlier this year HSBC AM strengthened its sustainability proposition with the creation of a Sustainability Office and reorganisation of its Responsible Investment team, headed up by Erin Leonard and Stuart Kirk respectively.
