Financial Services Firm Edmond de Rothschild Hires Chief Sustainability Officer Successor: 4 Things to Know

Financial services firm Edmond de Rothschild has hired Eric de Tessières as group chief sustainability officer (CSO). He succeeds Nathalie Wallace, who joined the company as CSO in 2023. Wallace has exited the business to pursue other opportunities outside the group, a spokesperson told Sustainable Tech Partner.

Here are four things to know about Eric de Tessières' executive experience and Edmond de Rothschild's sustainability strategy.

1. Business Scope and Scale: Edmond de Rothschild, based in Genève, Switzerland, is an investment firm that specializes in private banking and asset management. The company, founded in 1953, serves an international client base of families, entrepreneurs and institutional investors. The firm's expertise spans corporate finance, private equity, real estate and fund services. As of 2024, the company had roughly 2,700 employees and CHF 184 billion (US$223.7 billion) in assets under management (AUM), up 12% from 2023.

2. Sustainability Strategy. Roughly 50% of Edmond de Rothschild assets under management are classified as Article 8 or 9 according to SFDR guidelines, the company asserts. In 2023, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management joined the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAM). At the time, the company also said it was "committed to supporting the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050." Still, we have not seen any updated net-zero statements since that time.

3. Executive Experience: New Group CSO Eric de Tessière previously held key posts at BNP Paribas Asset Management, which had Euro 604 billion (US$684 billion) in total assets under management and 3,300 employees as of 2024. At that company, he was most recently chief operating officer for the sustainability center (2019-2025). BNP Paribas Asset Management's 2023 sustainability report is here.

4. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement, Edmond de Rothschild Deputy CEO Cynthia Tobiano said: "We are pleased to welcome Eric to Edmond de Rothschild. Sustainability is a long-standing commitment for our group. Eric will be able to navigate an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment and headwinds from the financial industry. Commitment to sustainability is at the heart of our shareholder family's investment philosophy. It cannot fail."

Chief Sustainability Officers: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.