The fund arm of Swiss private bank Lombard Odier has hired its first Chief Nature Officer – forestry expert Marc Palahí. The timely appointment comes amidst environmental concerns and the fight against greenhouse gas emissions. European regulators have pushed companies to disclose their environmental impacts and carbon dioxide production levels.
“For the last twenty years, I have been working to better understand the large societal challenges we are facing, as well as the potential solutions that nature, science, and technology can offer to address them. It is paramount that in the next decade, we need to facilitate an unprecedented economic transformation if we want to place our world on a sustainable path,” said Palahí.
Palahí’s role with Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) will help the company develop its sustainable investment unit – holistiQ Investment Partners. holistiQ is a partnership with system change company, Systemiq, committed to system-level change focusing on sustainability.
“Marc’s extensive academic experience across nature, forests, and the emerging circular bioeconomy industries will be instrumental as holistiQ develops leading nature-based investment products,” said Jean-Pascal Porcherot, Lombard Odier’s Managing Partner.
In the pipeline are investment strategies and various tools to support the gradual elimination of carbon-intensive economic activity. Steering towards those that benefit nature, as part of holistiQ’s overall nature strategy.
Palahí was part of the European Forest Institute since 2007 and became director in 2015, developing its presence as a science-policy platform.
