Australia-based investment services and advisory firm Insignia Financial announced today the appointment of James Tayler to the newly created role of Head of Responsible Investing.

In his new role, Tayler will be responsible for driving the development of Insignia’s responsible investing strategy across all investment capabilities, identifying and managing ESG risks and opportunities, and maximizing the effectiveness of engagement with managers and companies. Key focus areas for the new role include climate change, modern slavery, and governance.

Mandy Mannix, General Manager Asset Management Distribution at Insignia, said:

“Having James on the team will allow us to better showcase the ‘ESG’ focus that already exists, while also ensuring our approach remains relevant and contemporary.”

Prior to joining the company, Tayler served at investment management firm Ellerston Capital as Head of ESG, where he was responsible for all aspects of responsible investment and ESG, and at Morphic Asset Management, acquired by Ellerston in 2019, where he served as Head of Research.

Tayler will report to Dan Farmer, Insignia Financial’s Chief Investment Officer. Farmer said:

“We are excited to welcome James and all the industry experience he brings with him to the team. He will support the development of our Responsible Investing capabilities across the business, building on the robust framework our investment teams already have in place.”