Future Fund recruits ESG exec from AMP

The Future Fund has recruited a high-profile industry executive to its investment stewardship team.

Karin Halliday will join the Future Fund as director of ESG and investment stewardship the sovereign wealth fund has confirmed.

Halliday will report to Kirsten Simpson, head of ESG and investment stewardship.

Simpson assumed that role following the departure of Joel Posters in April 2022.

Halliday joins the Future Fund after having worked for AMP Capital for more than three decades. She served in a variety of investment stewardship and governance roles, including as team leader of the ESG and investment stewardship.

Before that, she was senior manager of governance and sustainable management and responsible for monitoring corporate governance activities of Australian companies, Asian markets and Europe, recently having a stint in AMP Capital's London offices.

Through the years, she has frequently spoken with sister publication FS Sustainability about good governance, transparent communications to shareholders and other stakeholders, and issues including executive remuneration, diversity, succession planning, board skills matrixes, data security, and the value of non-financial performance.

In 2013, Halliday explained from her perspective as corporate governance manager that while governance was just one of the risk factors that AMP Capital considered, it was part of the process of identifying the quality of a company.

"If all other factors were equal, we would prefer to invest in the 'better' governed companies/markets as they offer less risk," she said at the time.

"As the risk of poorly governed companies is recognised, investors will look to buy at a price low enough to compensate for that risk. Companies will either have to improve their governance or accept a lower price."