Global Asset Management Firm Hires Chief Sustainability Officer: Victoria Barron Joins GIB

GIB Asset Management UK (GIB AM) has hired Victoria Barron as chief sustainability officer (CSO). Barron succeeds Venetia Bell, who exited GIB AM in June 2024 to join Clean Air Fund as chief operating officer.

Here are four things to know about GIB Asset Management and Victoria Barron's experience.

1. Business Scope and Scale: GIB (UK) Ltd is a London and New York-based global asset manager with more than $11 billion in assets under management (AUM). As a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, it offers sustainable investment strategies. GIB is owned by the governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is the primary shareholder.

2. Sustainability Strategy: GIB AM offers various sustainable finance options to customers. Within its own business:

• GIB formed a sustainability council in April 2020;
• rolled out companywide sustainability training in Q1 of 2021; and
• set specific sustainability targets in Q3 of 2023.

In terms of sustainability goals, the company has committed to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 11.89% by 2025 compared to a 2020 baseline. The company as of 2023 was in "varying stages of maturity in measuring Scope 3 emissions across our business, and hence we are not yet in a
position to accurately capture past emissions on a consolidated basis." Those updates surfaced in the company's Sustainability 2023 report.

3. Victoria Barron's Role and Experience: At GIB AM, Victoria will "drive the business' sustainability agenda, sustainability frameworks and governance, as well as lead projects to enhance corporate sustainability while supporting the growing development and adoption of sustainability at the sector and regional levels," the company said.

Barron has been co-chair of the ASCOR Project, an open-source effort to assist investors in evaluating countries’ emissions pathways, climate policies and climate-related funding needs. Moreover, she was head of sustainable investment at Brightwell, which supports BT Pension Scheme. Earlier, she held key ESG posts at Newton Investment Management and Federated Hermes, among other career experiences.

4. Executive Perspectives: In a prepared statement, GIB AM UK CEO Katherine Garrett-Cox said: “This is an exciting time for us at GIB AM, as we continue to grow our sustainability footprint in the UK and the Middle East. At GIB AM, we’re focused on seeking out, investing in, and supporting sustainable businesses that share our ambition to shape a better future. Building on our strong foundations, we are delighted to welcome Victoria and look forward to her contributions across all our sustainability initiatives.”

Added Barron: “I am delighted to be joining GIB AM given the firm’s exceptional sustainability-led strategy and investment philosophy. I look forward to drawing on my recent experiences and current role at ASCOR to further develop sustainable activities and initiatives within the business.”

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.