Stockholm (NordSIP) – American Century Investments (ACI), a global investment manager, announced that Sarah Bratton Hughes had joined the firm on January 3rd as its Head of ESG and Sustainable Investing. Hugues will also lead the ESG and Investment Stewardship team.
Hughes will be responsible for American Century’s sustainable investing strategy and the management of its ESG research platform and active ownership practices. Hughes and her team will assist ACI’s investment teams with implementing firmwide ESG research and training, innovating ESG assessment tools, managing the ESG engagement and proxy voting protocol and driving sustainable investment initiatives and client solutions.
“Over the past five years, we have made tremendous progress in our environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, building a solid foundation, deepening our ESG knowledge and developing innovative tools and resources. As we look ahead, we want to accelerate our sustainable investing efforts and believe Sarah will help take us to that next level,” said Victor Zhang, senior vice president and chief investment officer.
“In hiring Sarah, we have added to our team a talented ESG and sustainable investing leader with a distinguished reputation in the industry.”
Prior to joining American Century Investments, Hughes was the global head of sustainability solutions with Schroders, where she was responsible for delivering innovative, best-in-class sustainability solutions to clients globally. Before that, Hughes was head of sustainability for North America, where she led the strategic development and execution of sustainability initiatives. She was also responsible for ESG integration for all North American-based investment teams, including equities, fixed income and private assets.
Before joining Schroders, Hughes held roles at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and JPMorgan Chase. She has worked in the industry since 2007. She earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and in business management from St. Francis College.
ACI managed US$250 billion in assets at the end of 2021. “Sustainability isn’t just something we practice; it is part of who we are,” says Jonathan Thomas, American Century president and chief executive officer. “As a firm that has directed over 40% of our earnings to more than 20 years of medical research to cure cancer and other gene-based diseases, we attract clients and employees who are inspired to make a difference through their investments, and Sarah will play an important role in advancing our ESG and sustainable investing practices.”
