Alternative credit manager Pemberton Asset Management appointed Niamh Whooley as managing director and head of sustainable investing.
Whooley has been tasked with working across all areas of the business to deliver on Pemberton’s ESG commitments, further developing Pemberton’s sustainable investments, leading the dialogue with key stakeholders and working in partnership with clients globally as Pemberton’s strategy continues to expand. Whooley reports to Harriet Steel, partner and global head of clients, in this new role.
“Since the inception of Pemberton, ESG has been core to our vision and values, and it is fundamental to long term value creation,” said Symon Drake-Brockman, managing partner at Pemberton, which manages $18.8 billion in assets. “As ESG and sustainable investing in private credit markets continues to evolve, Niamh’s extensive experience in this field will be invaluable and help us further shape and implement best practice across the spectrum of ESG factors.”
Most recently, Whooley was global head of fixed income ESG research at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she worked closely with investments teams across asset classes on ESG integration and with global clients to develop investment solutions to help meet their sustainability objectives while maintaining regulatory alignment. She has held other sustainable investment and senior roles at PIMCO, Societe Generale CIB and Fidelity International.
Pemberton has embedded ESG in its investment process and proactively engaging with borrowers to support long term, sustainable and profitable growth. Whooley’s role will further accelerate the firm’s work in this area and amplify the positive impact alternative investment managers can bring to sustainable investing, officials said.
“Pemberton stood out to me as forward thinking around sustainable investment in the private credit space,” said Whooley. “I look forward to leading Pemberton’s growth and innovation in sustainability across teams and strategies, ensuring we stay at the forefront of sustainable debt investing and facilitating progress within the industry.”
Whooley has been active in a number of industry groups related to ESG integration, including as a consortium member of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment’s Inevitable Policy Response (IPR), and serving on the PRI’s Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG) Advisory Committee and the Bondholder Engagement Working Group (BEWG).
