Catherine Howarth OBE joined ShareAction as Chief Executive in 2008. She is a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s advisory committee on ESG and the HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce. Previously, she has served on the boards of The Pensions Trust and the Scott Trust, owner of The Guardian Media Group, and was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2014.

In 2020 she featured on the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE for ‘services to sustainability’.

ShareAction is an NGO seeking to define and promote the highest standards of responsible investment by working with investors, businesses and individuals on environmental and social issues.

Laura is the Director, Climate and Environment at the Church of England Pensions Board. She has nearly fifteen years of experience in sustainable finance and investment, including working for Bank Australia and the Suncorp Group. Most recently was the Director of Corporate Engagement for the Investor Group on Climate Change, working with over 100+ institutional investors. She also served on the Global Steering Committee for Climate Action 100+. She is currently the Corporate Programme Co-Chair for the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change.

Laura holds degrees from the University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology and is studying a Master of Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.

Chandra Gopinathan is a senior responsible investment professional with more than two decades of experience across public and private markets in credit structuring and investing, portfolio management, sustainability, stewardship and credit research. Until recently, Chandra was a Senior Investment Manager at Railpen covering external managers, multi-asset credit and energy transition investing, and supporting climate strategy, stewardship, and solutions. Chandra is a member of the Technical Advisory Group at SBTI, has been the chair of the Asset Owner working group at the UK TPT, the co-chair of the bondholder stewardship initiative at IIGCC and has also served on the TPI steering committee. Prior to Railpen, Chandra has worked across the buy and sell side at Rogge/Allianz Global Investors and Morgan Stanley. Chandra has a Master’s degree from Columbia University and a CAIA designation. 

DANA BARSKY

ITA KETTLEBOROUGH