WisdomTree Names ESG Heads
March 15 2022 - 8:30AM
WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF), an exchange-traded
fund (“ETF”) and exchange-traded product (“ETP”) sponsor and asset
manager, announced today that Ben Wallach and Heather Reisner have
been promoted to drive the firm’s client-first ESG strategy in the
U.S. Both appointments reaffirm the company’s stance that ESG is an
integral part of the full spectrum of product development.
Ben joined WisdomTree in 2011,
focusing on product and business development for over a decade at
the firm and is now Head of Product Development & ESG. Heather
has been with WisdomTree since 2018 in a role overseeing the
development of new products and management of existing products and
is now Senior Associate, Product Development & ESG. She was
also recently appointed the Deputy Chair of WIN, WisdomTree’s
Women’s Initiative Network. In their new, expanded roles, both Ben
and Heather will continue to drive these product development
efforts and will also be tasked with spearheading WisdomTree’s ESG
initiatives.
WisdomTree, which offers three core
integrated ESG ETFs in addition to ESG-screened funds and model
portfolios as well as a suite of ex-state owned funds, ranks among
the top 10 ESG ETF providers in the U.S. with assets in related
funds totaling over $4 billion.
“Heather and I are excited to be
formally leading the ESG charge at WisdomTree, which has been
underway for many years. We are committed to taking a deeply
integrated approach as we continue to develop products that clients
are passionate about,” said Wallach. “With our roles on the product
development team, we see first-hand the energized demand for
investment decisions that have an impact. ESG is one of the fastest
growing areas in asset management, and WisdomTree’s product
strategy has always been informed by how we can best serve our
clients.”
These internal promotions will enable
WisdomTree to address client demand for ESG products at the
“ground-floor” level, while the firm also continues to focus on ESG
from a corporate standpoint. WisdomTree offers an employee training
program through its relationship with Columbia University and will
be rolling out an ESG certification program to help clients address
their ESG needs. The Climate Impact and Investing Program is built
to equip both advisors and WisdomTree’s employees with the
education and tools needed to make sound decisions around climate,
environmental risks, and investing. The program is a workshop built
in conjunction with Columbia Climate School that will address basic
climate science, climate impact and tipping points as well as how
this all impacts the thinking around investing.
WisdomTree also offers an employee-led
Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) to facilitate female leadership
within the organization, has an established DEI council to advance
the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and itself is a
signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible
Investment. In February 2022, WisdomTree’s Board of Directors
expanded its Nominating and Governance Committee’s responsibilities
to include reviewing, and providing oversight and recommendations
with respect to, WisdomTree’s strategy, initiatives and policies
concerning corporate social responsibility, including ESG
matters.
“The path forward begins with a
strategy that is integrated across the firm, encompassing new and
innovative products, education for advisors and investors, and our
own corporate initiatives,” said Jarrett Lilien, President and COO
of WisdomTree. “ESG is not a siloed priority at WisdomTree - it is
critical to who we are as an asset manager, and how we meet and
exceed the needs of our clients. We are proud to promote Ben and
Heather, two individuals already greatly embedded in our product
development team, to drive our ESG program forward so that we can
help clients invest in what matters most to them.”
Throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond, WisdomTree plans to
expand its footprint in the ESG space across four pillars: Tools
and Solutions for Advisors, Educational Content, Product, and
Corporate-level Initiatives.
About WisdomTree
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., through its subsidiaries in the
U.S. and Europe (collectively, “WisdomTree”), is an ETF and ETP
sponsor and asset manager headquartered in New York. WisdomTree
offers products covering equity, commodity, fixed income, leveraged
and inverse, currency, cryptocurrency and alternative strategies.
WisdomTree currently has approximately $78 billion in assets under
management globally.
WisdomTree® is the marketing name for WisdomTree Investments,
Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide.
Contact Information
Media RelationsWisdomTree Investments, Inc.Jessica
Zaloom+1.917.267.3735jzaloom@wisdomtree.com /
wisdomtree@fullyvested.com
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