The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is appointing Deborah Orida as its first chief sustainability officer.
In the role, Orida will lead the CPPIB’s efforts to address climate change. She’s mandated to maintain a global, cross-enterprise approach to sustainability.
In a press release announcing her appointment, John Graham, the CPPIB’s president and chief executive officer, described the newly-created position as part of a strategy to capitalize on the investment opportunities brought about by climate change and insulate the organization from associated risks.
“Our enterprise-wide chief sustainability officer will be responsible for our approach to environmental, social and governance matters, particularly climate change, working closely with our chief investment officer to ensure a sustainable CPP fund endures to the next century,” he said.
In the same release, Orida noted that the CPPIB’s focus on sustainability long preceded the creation of the position. “Our organization has recognized the importance of, and challenge posed by, climate change for nearly 15 years and has been a leader in pressing the market for better standards in areas such as disclosure and investing in assets and companies for the economy transition.”
Read: CPPIB appoints first chief investment officer
Orida will continue in her role as the CPPIB’s senior managing director and global head of real assets, which she’s held for the past two years. She first joined the organization in 2009 as a portfolio manager. In her time with the CPPIB, Orida has held a number of positions, including head of private Asian equity.