Downing has appointed ex-BMO Global Asset Management product strategy head Graham Brady as its head of sustainability.
In the newly created role, Brady (pictured) will lead Downing’s sustainability strategy and report to the company’s chief operating officer James Weaver.
Prior to BMO Gam, Brady worked at JP Morgan Asset Management having started his career in the British Army.
“Graham is a key hire for Downing and the company will benefit greatly from his experience,” said Weaver.
“As a business we are committed to developing our approach to sustainable investing and he will provide direction and leadership across our five principal business areas: Energy & Infrastructure, Development Capital, Property Lending, Ventures and Downing Fund Managers. It is a highly complex and rapidly evolving environment – it is important to us and is clearly becoming increasingly important to our investors.”
Brady added: “The pace of change driven by investor demand, regulatory change and the immediacy of a well-advanced climate emergency makes sustainability everyone’s business, not one person’s job. I’m excited to be joining Downing and look forward to helping bring together the great work that is already in motion.”
Downing currently has around £1.5bn of funds under management, including over £170m worth of VCT assets. Last March the boutique added ex Schroders and Sanford Deland UK equities manager Rosemary Banyard to its ranks and in November poached European equities duo Michael Clements and Pras Jeyanandhan from Syz Asset Management.
Last week the company announced that the Downing Four venture capital trust is launching an AIM share class targeting a raise of £10m.
The Downing Four, which launched in 2016, invests in VCT qualifying investments in a Generalist share class and Healthcare share class.
The new share class will offer investors the additional flexibility to allocate funds to a high conviction, actively managed target portfolio of between 15 and 20 companies.
