LGT Wealth Management has named Phoebe Stone as its chief sustainability officer (UK) in a newly created role, as the firm works towards its Net Zero 2030 target.
Prior to this role, she ran LGT Wealth Management’s sustainable investing client proposition, dedicated sustainable investment team, ESG integration and stewardship proposition for six years, having launched the division in 2018. She joined the firm in 2014 as a portfolio manager and was made a partner in 2020.
As Chief Sustainability Officer (UK), she will continue her work evolving LGT Wealth Management’s leading sustainable client proposition, which encompasses both private and public market investments, while also driving sustainable change throughout the firm’s operations and divisions.
LGT Wealth Management’s private ownership – and resultant long-term outlook – has allowed it to set ambitious targets, including becoming net zero across its own investments and operations by 2030.
The Chief Sustainability Officer (UK) role is a natural evolution to bring sustainability efforts to date together into one cohesive strategy, particularly following LGT Wealth Management’s 2023 acquisition of the abrdn discretionary fund management business.
Stone said: “The overarching goal is to drive forward our interconnected approach to sustainability, including heightened accountability for our own business practices and those of the companies in which we invest. Continuing to highlight the crucial role the financial sector can play in restoring and protecting our world is fundamental.
"While there is so much complexity and nuance inherent in sustainability, we are in the fortunate position of being able to dedicate what we feel are the necessary resources and expertise – evidenced by our Group’s long-term investment in, and focus on, this space.”
Ben Snee, chief executive officer of LGT Wealth Management, said: “Chief sustainability officers are a rarity in wealth management, with sustainability roles too often seen as a niche area of the investment function. Our creation of a Chief Sustainability Officer is part of our commitment to ensuring we are a firm that looks at our impact on the world in a much broader way, building on our reputation as early-adopters when it comes to sustainability.”
Meanwhile, Jordan Kelly, who has worked within portfolio management in the LGT Wealth Management sustainable team for the past five years, has been promoted to oversee sustainable fund, equity and bond research. Jordan has been embedded in the research process since joining the firm and has been integral to developing the sustainable asset selection approach, as well as generating sustainable investment ideas alongside Phoebe and the wider LGT Wealth Management research team.
