November 23, 2021 – The Investor Leadership Network (ILN), a leading network of investors taking action for people, planet, and prosperity, is announcing two new leaders of its CEO Council.
Blake Hutcheson, President and CEO of OMERS, and Marc-André Blanchard, Executive Vice-President and Head of CDPQ Global, have been appointed Co-Chairs of the ILN CEO Council, effective January 1, 2022. Mr. Hutcheson and Mr. Blanchard will succeed Charles Emond, President and CEO of CDPQ who will be exiting his role as Chair.
The ILN is a CEO-led group of global institutional investors dedicated to advancing sustainability and long-term growth, with a particular focus on diversity in investment, climate change, and sustainable infrastructure. Launched at the 2018 G7, ILN now has 14 members representing six countries and more than US$9 trillion in assets.
“The continued success of the ILN depends on dynamic leadership from our CEOs, and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Blake and Marc-André as Co-Chairs of the CEO Council. Under Charles’s leadership over the past two years, the ILN has grown to be an influential voice on the world stage and made tremendous strides to advance investors’ best practices in Diversity, Climate Change, and Sustainable Infrastructure. The success of these three initiatives have helped fill crucial gaps in the investment space. Blake and Marc-André will continue to support and build on this work, and I look forward to leveraging our impact over the next two years in partnership,” said Amy Hepburn, CEO, ILN Secretariat.
“I am proud to take on this role working alongside Marc-André, Amy and all of ILN as we strive to make a meaningful impact – including through developing useful resources and initiatives that are evidence-based, measurable, and capable of driving big-picture change,” said Mr. Hutcheson. “When it comes to advancing sustainable investing practices, institutional investors have an important role to play as both influencers and partners. OMERS support of ILN is consistent with our belief that well-run companies with sound ESG practices will perform better over time, something that is critical to us as a long-term investor acting on behalf of our 525,000 members,” he added.
“Since the inception of the ILN, we have shown that collaboration is key to advancing solutions to meet global challenges. Our network has prioritized concrete actions and delivered tangible results on its three areas of focus”, said Mr. Blanchard. “I am thrilled to join Blake as Co-Chair of the CEO Council. Together, we will continue down the path established by our predecessors. I am confident that, with our colleagues’ vision and Amy’s leadership, we will deepen our impact as we contribute to building a fairer and more sustainable world that can benefit all,” he added.
Earlier this year, the ILN welcomed a new member, held the second edition of its annual Sustainable Infrastructure Fellowship Program and launched a resource library to host a growing collection of thought leadership developed by investors for investors. Some of ILN’s key accomplishments to date include the development of a Blended Finance Blueprint, and investor resources on Climate Change Mitigation, TCFD Implementation, and Physical Risks from Climate Change. As part of its Inclusive Finance Initiative, ILN will introduce metrics and guidance for engaging with portfolio companies around their inclusion efforts in 2022.
About the Investor Leadership Network
The Investor Leadership Network was launched at the 2018 G7 to facilitate and accelerate collaboration by leading global investors on key issues related to sustainability and long-term growth. As the leading network of investors taking action for people, planet and prosperity, the CEO-led group is composed of 14 global institutional investors representative of all continents and assets classes, with over US$9 trillion in assets under management. Learn more about the Investor Leadership Network by visiting our website and following us on Twitter @ILNinfo
Media Contact:
Marielle Brunelle: Marielle_brunelle@investorleadershipnetwork.org