On the road again

I got the 8 am bus to Belfast then a cab to the house--saves time vs. the city bus. At some point I got an email from Anne Simpson, the head of sustainable investing at CalPERS (largest public pension plan in the US) asking whether I could be in London on Monday? She’ll be in town because she’s participating in a debate at the Oxford Union on Tuesday. Anne is chair of the steering committee that I will be coordinating. This is an excellent opportunity to meet her in person. So I got my airfare, train fare, and Air BnB booked and off I’ll go. Anne is a rock star in the world of responsible investing because CalPERS is a very active owner and isn’t shy about putting pressure on the companies in which it invests. She is a pain in the backside of many boards. Recently there was a big announcement by Shell that it will tie compensation to concrete emissions reductions. She was pivotal in negotiating that agreement. She has longstanding relationships with executives at Shell and she was able to translate the trust and goodwill she has built up there into a major commitment on climate in the oil and gas sector. I can’t believe I’m going to meet her.
Dec. 7