M&G new CSO to assume role in New Year

Marian D’Auria is to join M&G in the New Year as the investment firm’s new Chief Sustainability Officer.

The appointment by the investment firm, which has over £323 billion of assets under management, follows the departure of former Chief Sustainability Officer Kathy Ryan in October after two years in the role. Ryan was the firm’s first CSO.

D’Auria has over 20 years' experience spanning financial services, industrials, and institutional governance, most recently at GFG Alliance, where she held the position of Global Head of Risk & Sustainability.

New CSO to report to Corporate Affairs chief

Starting in the New Year, and reporting into Louise Shield within the Corporate Affairs, Brand and Sustainability team, D’Auria will have a remit of working with colleagues to further develop and integrate the sustainability strategy into M&G's business.

M&G’s sustainability strategy revolves around reducing operational emissions and integrating ESG considerations into its investment policy. The firm’s portfolio decarbonisation targets entail having 50-70% of financed emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) assessed to be ‘net zero’, ‘aligned’ or ‘aligning’ by 2030.

In 2024, M&G Investments launched an updated ESG Integration & Sustainable Investment Policy to provide greater clarity and transparency on the approaches and resources in place to embed sustainability considerations into the investment process. 

Marian D'Auria: a sustainable investment thought leader

Her LinkedIn profile describes her as “working at the intersection of sustainability, risk, and investment to help organisations embed risk management and sustainability in a way that is commercially credible, operationally grounded, and aligned with regulatory expectations.”

D'Auria is an active voice in shaping the future of sustainable investment through industry working groups, public speaking, and board-level policy work. She is a chartered actuary and a former member of the Sustainability Board of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.