The sustainable investing team

Our sustainable investing team has been structured to enable abrdn to make investment-critical decisions with a comprehensive top-down and bottom-up view of sustainability.

Our global efforts are led by our Chief Sustainability Officer, Dan Grandage and supported by the global Sustainability Group, which makes up abrdn's Sustainable Investing leadership team.

The Sustainability Group focus on four key pillars: delivering insight, investment frameworks and standards, active ownership, as well as client and commercial focus. They are the subject matter experts that derive insight across sustainability trends and set standards on matters across the firm including our investment process, compliance, voting policy, engagement and corporate sustainability. They are governed by the board of abrdn and oversee sustainability experts throughout the business.

In addition, there are centres of excellence within Asia Pacific and Americas. They deliver solutions, insights and regulatory oversight specific to these diverse markets with a dedicated leadership and team structure.

Global Sustainability Group

Dan Grandage

Chief Sustainability Officer

Dan Grandage is Chief Sustainability Officer (CIO Investments), where he leads the firm’s sustainable investment strategy and the Investments Sustainability Group. His role is pivotal in driving the company’s commitment to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its investment processes.

Prior to this role he was Head of Sustainable Investing, supporting the company’s global investments business to protect and enhance investment performance through integrating ESG and sustainability into the investment process. This was achieved through sustainability research and insights generation, the oversight of standards and market leading frameworks. Dan represents the company on the FTSE Russell Sustainability Committee, the TISA Responsible Investing Committee, and is involved in several Investment Association sustainable finance working groups. Dan joined the company in 2013 from WSP Group where he spent over 15 years as an environmental and energy consultant.

Andrew Mason

Head of Active Ownership

Andrew Mason is the Head of Active Ownership within the Investments business Sustainability Group. He is responsible for the active ownership activities undertaken by our Stewardship team. He manages the production of our Stewardship Report and our interaction with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) on stewardship matters and our relationships with a number of external stakeholders including, for example, the Investor Forum and the Investment Association. Prior to joining, Andrew worked on the development and implementation of environmental, social and ethical risk policies in the banking sector. Andrew is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and the University of Cambridge.

Danielle Welsh-Rose

Head of Sustainability Investment Specialists, APAC Sustainability Institute, and APAC Sustainability

Danielle Welsh-Rose is Head of Sustainability Investment Specialists, APAC Sustainability Institute, and APAC Sustainability at abrdn. Danielle is responsible for driving ESG strategy in Asia Pacific. and supporting the integration of ESG factors into investment decision-making in Australia and across Asia-Pacific, and advocates for the importance of ESG capabilities with clients and potential clients across the region. Danielle joined in 2019 from the Victorian Funds Management Corporation where she was Head of ESG. Previously, Danielle held senior consulting. ESG and corporate sustainability roles at Sustainability Advisers and VicSuper. Danielle has over 20 years of industry experience, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance from Kaplan, a Masters of Environment from The University of Melbourne, and a Masters of Laws (Juris Doctor) from Monash University.

About our sustainability institutes

We established the Asia Pacific (APAC) Sustainability Institute in 2021 as a fully integrated sustainability centre of excellence that brings together Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) experts across Asia Pacific. We subsequently launched the Americas Sustainability Institute in late 2022.

Working with our global Sustainability Group, the Institutes are well-situated to translate abrdn’s global strategy for key regional markets, while developing a deep understanding of local client requirements and contributing to their ESG ecosystems.

The Institutes work closely together, creating synergies and sharing best practices for the benefit of our clients.

The institutes' mission

The Institutes drive sustainable investing by directing resources across the business towards sustainable outcomes in APAC and Americas by developing solutions that better meet investors’ needs, and by contributing to a resilient regional ESG ecosystem.

Their mission is to:

  • Deliver regional sustainability solutions and insights
  • Build regional sustainable investing knowledge communities
  • Contribute to regional sustainable investing progress

Sustainability institute leadership

Our two Sustainability Institutes are overseen by Danielle Welsh-Rose, Head of Sustainability Investment Specialists, APAC Sustainability & the APAC Sustainability Institute. The Americas Sustainability Institute is led by Fionna Ross, Head of Sustainability, Americas.

The Institutes’ membership comprises of established sustainability experts within the regional investment teams, and across the business; including Distribution, Compliance, Product, Learning and Development, and Corporate Sustainability.

Rather than establishing a stand-alone team of sustainability experts, our model supports a structure where such expertise remains embedded within the investment teams and supporting functions – closest to where they are most needed.

Sustainable Investing Solutions

Let’s use the power of investment to help drive positive change

Explore our approach to sustainable investing solutions

More about abrdn sustainable investing

Sustainable investing insights

Sustainable investing team

Active ownership and voting