JPMorgan Chase announced today the appointment of Ben Ratner to the position of Executive Director, Sustainability. Ratner joins the firm following ten years at environmental sustainability-focused group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he led the EDF+Business Energy Transition team, blending business and policy solutions in collaboration with the world’s leading investors and energy companies.

In his new role, Ratner will be responsible for supporting JPMorgan Chase’s sustainability strategy and helping to further integrate sustainability into the company’s efforts to drive inclusive growth, including low-carbon technology acceleration and community climate resilience. Ratner will report to Marisa Buchanan, Global Head of Sustainability.

Buchanan said:

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ben to our growing team, as we expand JPMorgan Chase’s capacity to work with our clients and local communities to advance climate action and more inclusive, sustainable growth.” 

The appointment follows a series of sustainability and sustainable finance commitments made by JPMorgan Chase over the past few years. In October 2020, the bank committed to align its financing activities with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and to help clients navigate the challenges and capitalize on the long-term economic and environmental benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon world. Last year, JPMorgan announced a goal to facilitate $2.5 trillion of sustainable finance over the next ten years, earmarking $1 trillion for green initiatives that support climate action, with the goal of accelerating the deployment of solutions for cleaner sources of energy and facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

In its own operations, the company announced last year that it had achieved carbon neutrality, and introduced a series of new sustainability goals, including targets to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the operation of its buildings, branches and data centers, cut water consumption and ramp the use of renewable energy.

Ratner said:

“I am truly humbled to join the impressive sustainability team at JPMorgan Chase, which I believe is uniquely positioned to accelerate the low carbon transition at scale. My time at EDF impressed upon me the financial sector’s pivotal roles in addressing climate change, from partnering with traditional energy firms on pragmatic,  low-carbon solutions to scaling green technologies. There is a palpable sense of sustainability momentum building at the firm, and I look forward to collaborating with companies, investors, and other key stakeholders during this period of unprecedented challenge and opportunity.”