Expanding your ESG toolkit

Mary Robinson is Director of Research, Policy & Collaboration with the RIA. In this role, Mary promotes awareness of responsible investment in Canada through research and analysis, advocates for policies that support responsible investment, and facilitates collaboration among the RIA’s membership. Mary is a CFA® charterholder with more than 20 years of experience working with institutional investors, including pension funds, endowments and foundations, in consulting and relationship management roles. Mary believes that incorporating ESG factors in investment decision-making is consistent with the goal of achieving positive financial outcomes for the long term.

Patrick Blais, FSA, CFA, is a senior managing director and senior portfolio manager at Manulife Investment Management and head of the Canadian Fundamental Equity Team, responsible for Canadian Core Equity strategies. Previously, Patrick was a member of the Growth Equity team responsible for the Large Cap Growth mandate. Prior to joining Manulife Investment Management, Patrick was a growth portfolio manager and analyst at KBSH Capital Management, focusing on international equities. Previously, he was a global senior equity and corporate debt analyst at Sun Life Financial. Patrick is a CFA charterholder and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

Deborah Debas is a responsible investment (RI) specialist at Desjardins Wealth Management. Her primary role is to inform and educate advisors and investors about the various RI approaches and the types of investment products available. As an RI specialist, Deborah is on top of any current and future industry trends and analyzes the environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges our societies and industries are facing. Proud of Desjardins’s leadership in this field, she is also Desjardins’s RI spokesperson.

As Vice-President, Portfolio Management and Portfolio Manager, Kathrin Forrest oversees Sun Life Global Investments’ asset allocation strategies with a specific focus on Sun Life Granite Managed Solutions and Sun Life Milestone Funds. Her responsibilities further include leadership in evolving SLGI’s manager research and ESG integration efforts and supporting the evolution of the firm’s DC OCIO efforts. When Kathrin joined Sun Life Global Investments in 2016, she brought with her deep insights into manager research and product development in fixed income and alternatives. She uses these insights to build and manage solutions for Canadian investors seeking broadly diversified portfolios.

David originally joined NEI as VP Marketing in August 2016 with a mandate to lead the re-positioning of the organization around Responsible Investing (RI). In his current role since May 2019, David is leading NEI’s ESG team and program helping reinforce the company’s leadership position in the rapidly changing investment landscape and increasingly competitive RI space. A highly versatile leader with 30+ years’ experience in corporate, government, agency and non-profit organizations, David most recently received the President’s Award for Innovation in ESG Practices as part of his completion of a Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from the University of Toronto.