Maria Lettini was appointed CEO of US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, the non-profit hub for the U.S. sustainable and impact investment sector said Thursday.
US SIF represents members with a collective $5 trillion in assets under management or advisement.
Ms. Lettini will start May 15, succeeding Lisa Woll, who led US SIF for 17 years. Ms. Woll will stay during the transition but has not announced future plans, according to a spokeswoman.
Ms. Lettini said in an interview that her work with institutional investor networks is a good opportunity to bring key sustainable investing organizations to the table when she joins US SIF.
"If we are talking about transformational change ... to secure the long-term value of pensions and retirement plans, we have to have them. There really is not a world where we can't have the U.S. at the table," said Ms. Lettini, who will be based in Washington. "The U.S. has a critical role to play, and we can't shy away from the potentially difficult discussions."
Ms. Lettini served as executive director of FAIRR, a global institutional investor network based in London focused on risks and opportunities within the global food system. After joining FAIRR in 2016, she oversaw the organization's growth and expanded its impact in research, data, collaborative engagements, policy and investor outreach, the US SIF announcement said.
Before FAIRR, she worked for the U.N.-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.
She is a member of the Intentional Endowment Network's (IEN) Steering Committee.
"Hiring such an experienced CEO reinforces the ambitions of our board and the organization," said Diederik Timmer, chairman of US SIF's board of directors and managing director of corporate and climate solutions at Sustainalytics, in the announcement.
