Auckland-based fund manager, Pathfinder, beat out 72 contenders to claim the top prize at the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) awards last week.
In addition to the “supreme” Transforming Aotearoa New Zealand Award, Pathfinder also won in the Communicating for Impact category while co-founder, John Berry, was named Sustainability Superstar – a first triple-crown outcome in the 20-year history of the SBN event.
SBN judges noted that “to win the Supreme Award, all the elements must come together: the vision for a sustainable future, dedication to ethical practice, and products that offer a far better alternative to the status quo”.
Founded in 2009, Pathfinder adopted a formal ethical investment stance more than five years ago, launching a KiwiSaver scheme in 2019, originally branded as CareSaver.
Berry said a SBN leadership course he and Pathfinder co-founder, Paul Brownsey, completed in 2018 gave the pair “the self-belief to be bold and launch our KiwiSaver including our social enterprise model that supports charities”.
Now majority-owned by Alavrium Investments NZ (an entity associated with the Alavarium global group), Pathfinder has more than $600 million under management including about $270 million in the KiwiSaver scheme.
Also last week, the Responsible Investment Association of Aotearoa (RIAA) named Dean Hegarty and Estelle Parker as co-heads to replace outgoing chief, Simon O’Connor.
According to a release, their “combined expertise and demonstrated success as an executive team position them ideally to lead RIAA into the next chapter”.
“This transition to a Co-CEO model aligns with our commitment to maintaining a strong and effective leadership team dedicated to advancing RIAA’s mission and strategy,” the RIAA statement says.
Hegarty, the first NZ-based head of the organisation, joined RIAA in 2020 with Parker hired the following year.
“As RIAA’s first Aotearoa New Zealand-based executive, Dean has played a pivotal role in enhancing the organisation’s presence and activity in both Australia and New Zealand,” the release says.
O’Connor will step down next months after 11 years leading the responsible investment advocacy and product-certification body.