Environmental, social and governance (ESG) capabilities are now a core feature of wealth and asset management rather than a niche space, as this latest appointment appears to suggest.

PGIM, the $1.5 trillion global investment management business of Prudential Financial, has appointed Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson to the newly-created role of global head of ESG, taking effect on 1 February. 

Based in London and reporting to PGIM’s chief operating officer, Taimur Hyat, Unanyants-Jackson will be responsible for shaping and coordinating ESG strategy and approach across the firm, including chairing the PGIM ESG Council and engaging with clients, consultants, regulators, and industry associations.

The appointment is another sign of how major wealth and asset managers are building ESG capabilities, no longer as a “nice-to-have” offering but as a core part of the business.

Unanyants-Jackson joined PGIM Fixed Income in 2020 as the firm’s inaugural head of ESG Research. She led the development of ESG Impact Ratings, a proprietary tool to help clients invest according to their ESG preferences. 

Separately, PGIM Fixed Income has named John Ploeg and Armelle de Vienne as co-heads of ESG Research, reporting to Richard Greenwood, head of credit. Ploeg, based in London, and de Vienne, based in Newark, will step into their roles at the start of February, having previously worked as ESG specialists and regional team leads within PGIM Fixed Income’s ESG Research team.

Ploeg brings extensive investment experience having previously worked in PGIM Fixed Income’s US and European CLO product management teams. De Vienne most recently worked alongside Ploeg as an ESG specialist and US team lead. Prior to joining PGIM Fixed Income in 2021, she worked at Rockefeller Capital Management.