Church Commissioners’ Planet Lead to Heighten Engagement Efforts
In her new role, Laura Moss-Bromage will develop a coherent strategy focusing on climate change, nature loss and social inequality.
The Church Commissioners for England has appointed Laura Moss-Bromage as Planet Lead – a new role created as the organisation looks to bolster engagement with companies and policymakers on climate change and biodiversity.
“My responsibilities will be designing and implementing the fund’s nature strategy as well as driving our environmental engagement initiatives,” Moss-Bromage told ESG Investor. “As I build out the fund’s nature strategy, a core pillar will be understanding the climate and nature impacts of the portfolio, which will then shape our future environmental stewardship priorities.”
The Church Commissioners is already involved in a number of environmental engagement initiatives, including Climate Action 100+, Nature Action 100, Finance Sector Deforestation Action, Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation, and the Investor Initiative on Responsible Nickel Supply Chains – facilitated by the Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) and Rainforest Foundation Norway.
As part of her new role, Moss-Bromage will design and drive the Church Commissioners’ portfolio-wide biodiversity strategy and lead on nature and climate-related stewardship initiatives.
“The Church Commissioners views engagement as one of the most important levers to drive real-world change,” she said. “I will be revamping our climate change engagement strategy to focus engagement efforts on companies that we believe will genuinely play an important role in the transition.”
Corporate activity has been a major driver of both climate change and nature loss, so engaging with companies to reduce their impact and influence positive change has been a priority, Moss-Bromage explained.
Engaging with industry bodies and policymakers can also be an effective lever, as it helps to provide companies with a policy environment that is “stable and supportive from a sustainability perspective,” she added.
Last June, the Church of England Pensions Board (CoEPB) and Church Commissioners announced they were divesting from oil and gas firms – including BP, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total – due to their failure to align with climate goals. The latter had previously excluded 20 oil and gas majors from its investment portfolio.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen significant commitments made by organisations and now it is time to focus on the actions that will really lead to transformative outcomes,” said Moss-Bromage. “That will be a core priority for my role.”
The Church Commissioners has a 2025 target to reduce the carbon footprint of its listed equity and real estate portfolio by 25% from its 2019 baseline. It also has a long-term commitment to align with net zero by 2050, and achieve a net zero portfolio.
To fulfil these objectives, the organisation prioritises initiatives that it says drive the “system-level change” that is required. It currently manages a £10.3 billion (US$12.88 billion) endowment fund to support the goals and objectives of the Church of England, investing across both public and private markets.
Aligning systemic risk efforts
Moss-Bromage joined the Church Commissioners from consulting firm EY, where she spent more than three years, including two as a senior manager in the climate change and sustainability services team. She has also advised clients across a range of sectors, including banking, agriculture, and mining
In the newly created planet lead role, she will drive environmental sustainability activities across the fund, combining work previously overseen by a number of people across the team into one position.
“As we look to expand and increase focus on issues beyond climate, these activities need to be brought together under one remit, with a coherent strategy,” Moss-Bromage explained. “This role is ultimately about looking to achieve respect for our planet, addressing risks and identifying solutions for both climate change and nature loss.”
She said what attracted her to the role was the breadth and scope of the mandate, combined with the Church Commissioners’ reach and influence. The core objective of its responsible investment team, she added, is to support positive outcomes and reduce negative ones, and manage exposure to risk across three systemic risk factors: climate change, nature loss and social inequality.
The planet lead will focus on the two former risks, while the latter will be overseen by Social Lead Dan Neale – although there will be close collaboration between them. Moss-Bromage will also work closely with Paul Jaffe, Real Assets ESG lead to ensure a fully holistic approach.
“My role will focus on the management of environmental-related risks and opportunities, while recognising the interlinkage with many social issues,” said Moss-Bromage. “Although we split out these issues as three separate areas, we recognise that our planetary and social needs are so closely interconnected that our strategy must collectively seek both a just and regenerative transition.”
The post Church Commissioners’ Planet Lead to Heighten Engagement Efforts appeared first on ESG Investor.