Aviva has appointed Tumelo CEO Georgia Stewart to its Independent Governance Committee (IGC) as a non-independent member.
Tumelo allows pension members to participate with enterprises in which they have a stake on topics such as gender equality, human rights, and climate change. Stewart will succeed Robert Talbut, who will leave Aviva’s IGC at the end of 2021.
Aviva says Stewart’s appointment will be critical to the IGC’s continued success in meeting the expectations of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and representing the members of Aviva’s large workplace pension portfolio, especially with the focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues now within the remit of IGCs.
Stewart’s appointment is effective immediately.
Aviva director of workplace savings & retirement Emma Douglas says: “Georgia’s appointment brings a fresh perspective and diversity to the IGC. Her passion for ESG and member engagement will help the IGC monitor Aviva’s ambitious net-zero carbon targets, both from a corporate and an investment perspective. I’d like to thank Robert for his outstanding contribution to the IGC over the last 7 years and we wish him all the best in his new activities.”
IGC independent chair Colin Richardson says: “We are excited to have Georgia join us to add new perspectives on ESG, engagement and communication from her stand-out experience in these areas. I would also like to add my gratitude to Robert for his considerable role in the IGC since 2015.”
Stewart says: “I am delighted to join Aviva’s Independent Governance Committee. I am passionate about ESG, stewardship and the representation of member voices in these forums. I also believe that the pension industry still has much to learn from the rapid change undertaken across the FinTech sector such as transparency and connectivity initiatives like Open Banking or communication and behavioural science techniques like personalisation and gamification. I hope my background will bring a new facet to this committee as we undertake a holistic value for money assessment on behalf of the members we represent.”