Green moves: Chief Executive Women, Hearts & Minds, Rabobank

Hearts & Minds (HM1) chief executive Brett Jollie will step down, having held the role for less than a year.

The board said it would restructure the leadership team, transitioning from a full-time chief executive role to a more "streamlined model".

As a result, Richard Howes will be appointed to a new part-time role of managing director as well as joining the Investment Committee and Conference Fund Manager Selection Committee, effective June 1.

Jollie will remain with HM1 until June 30 to oversee the transition.

"Richard is a globally experienced chief executive and director with over 30 years' experience in the financial services industry," the board said.

"His most recent executive role was as group chief executive of Challenger Limited, as ASX-listed asset manager and retirement income provider."

Jollie joined HM1 in December 2024. The board said since joining Jollie has undertaken a comprehensive review of the business and identified key opportunities to enhance the group's operations and strategic focus.

"On behalf of the board, I want to sincerely thank Brett for his leadership and the significant contributions he has made in such a short time," MH1 chair Chris Cuffe said.

"His efforts have strengthened HM1, identifying key enhancements that will result in a more efficient, streamlined business with reduced operational risk.

"Ironically, it is because of these improvements that we are now able to transition to a leaner leadership structure. We greatly appreciate Brett's impact."

Jollie added: "I am grateful to the board for the opportunity to lead MH1 and to contribute to its unique mission. In a short time, we're made significant progress in strengthening the business, streamlining operations, and positioning HM1 for the future."

"I'm confident that these enhancements will support the company's long-term success and purpose. I was to thank the board and the HM1 team for their support and collaboration, and I wish them the very best as they continue to add value to shareholders and provide meaningful support to medical research."

Cuffe added that the board was delighted to be welcoming Howes to the team.

"Over his 30-year financial services career, he has successfully managed and grown multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios and investment product businesses. I am confident Richard will help us continue to improve our investment offering and to grow our impact."

Howes said he was honoured to be joining HM1, which he said, "represents both an extraordinary philanthropic success story and a genuine innovation in terms of its investment proposition and process".

Meantime, ESG, sustainability and responsible investment consultant Chris Newton has been appointed to the Parks Victoria board.

The professional director who sits on Blackwattle Investment Partners ESG Advisory Council and the board of Nyamba Buru Yawuru is a former executive director of IFM Investors, the industry fund-owned asset manager.

With a background in finance, policy development, social impact, and business strategy, Newton has worked across government, community, and private sectors.

At IFM, Newton managed a team of responsible investment specialists who collaborated with the investment teams to enhance responsible investment strategies and address the needs of investors.

One of his tasks was to embed RI considerations in IFM's investment and reporting frameworks, benchmarked against global best practice.

He also led several internal working groups, including chair of the Paris Aligned Investment Initiative for Real Assets (UK), chair of the Human Rights Working Group at the PRI and as a foundation advisor on the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative.

Before joining IFM, Newton was head of social innovation and development at Australia Post.

He joined Australia Post after serving as principal adviser to the Victorian premier on economic and infrastructure policy, climate change initiatives and the delivery of the state budget.

He previously held roles at Transurban, Indikat, Deloitte, CastleGates, ANZ and AMP.

"Excited to be appointed to the board of Parks Victoria - being in nature and the 'great outdoors' has always been important to me, helping me to rebalance and connect, as I know it is for many people visiting the great parks of Victoria," he shared on social media.

"Looking forward to the challenge and working on behalf of the community and our environment."

Also, this week, after a three-year break, Lissy Smitt has returned to Rabobank as head of sustainability for the wholesale and rural business including the food system transition team.

"After spending the past three years in the impact investing space, I've come to deeply appreciate the critical role that large corporates and institutional players must play in transforming our global food systems," she said.

"Real, lasting change requires scale - and that means working closely with all actors shaping our agricultural and food landscapes."

Smitt has had 20 years of banking experience in Europe, Asia and the USA, including leveraged finance, corporate banking, credit risk management and management roles.

She returned to Rabobank, where she earlier notched up 22 years, from a stint as chief executive of Aqua-Spark - the global investment fund dedicated to sustainable aquaculture

In her view, Rabobank's unique cooperative structure, combined with its position as one of the world's largest lenders in food and agriculture, puts it in a powerful place to lead this transformation, to a more sustainable future.

Meanwhile, Louise Davidson, the chief executive of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), has been elected to the board of Chief Executive Women.

Throughout her career, Davidson has focused on creating long-term value for superannuation fund members. Most recently this has included elevating the importance of ESG factors in managing material financial risk in super fund investment portfolios.

As head of ACSI since 2015, Davidson oversees company engagement, research and policy advocacy. During that time, she has witnessed big improvements in the way listed companies manage critical issues such as boardroom diversity, climate risk and human rights.

Previously she worked at Cbus, responsible for implementing of ESG within the fund's investment portfolio.

Additionally, she is deputy chair of the Federated Hermes Client Advisory board, a former director of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the International Integrated Reporting Initiative and former chair and director of the Mother's Day Classic Foundation.

Speaking of the appointment to the CEW board, Davidson said: "I'm delighted and excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the work of such an impactful organisation."

"I'm looking forward to working with the rest of the board, led by Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, and with chief executive Lisa Annese and her team."