Stockholm (NordSIP) – It is only last month that Sweden’s Sustainable Investment Forum (Swesif) announced the organisation would be joining Eurosif, Europe’s leading sustainable and responsible investment association, as a full member. Following that decision, on 9 December, it was revealed that Susanne Bolin Gärtner, Chairperson of the Board of Swesif, has been elected to the Board of Eurosif. Despite an impressive list of nominees for the director position, she won the election held between 7 and 9 December gathering a significant majority of votes, according to Eurosif.
Eurosif has been on the lookout for a new board member since Laurène Chevenat, representative of the French SIF (FIR), announced earlier this year that she would leave the board on 30 September. “We are looking for a person who is committed to the Eurosif mission, which is to promote sustainable development through financial markets by supporting the financing through private and public capital of investments that make a measurable contribution to the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, the European Union and other European countries, and who will act in the best interest of Eurosif in acting the Eurosif Board Member capacity,” commented Eurosif’s Executive Director Aleksandra Palinska at the onset of the official process to replace Chevenat. She added that a strong interest and sufficient knowledge of sustainable finance was required.
Apart from Gärtner, three other SIFs nominated candidates to replace Chevenat: Finnish FinSIF, French FIR and German FNG. Swesif’s representative was elected in a process where all Eurosif members were asked to rank the four candidates using an online voting tool. In her new role, Gärtner will join a board led by chairman Will Oulton and composed of representatives from the UK (UKSIF), James Alexander; Italy (ItaSIF), Francesco Bicciato and Spain (SpainSIF), Andrea González González.
“On behalf of Swesif, I am honoured to be the first Nordic SIF representative on the Eurosif Board,” comments Gärtner. “In my role as Chair of the Board of Swesif, I have been instrumental in initiating Swesif’s observer status in Eurosif and, following the recommendation of the Swesif-Eurosif working group that has been monitoring the cooperation throughout the year, the Board made a formal decision that Swesif should become a full member. In addition, we have an active dialogue with the other Nordic SIFs which has contributed to FinSIF also joining as a full member and the other Nordic SIFs initiating an observer role. I look forward to ensuring that Swesif contribute a Nordic perspective to Eurosif as well as channelling information to our members and enabling them to participate in Eurosif’s working groups in the future.”
