Debby Blakey joined HESTA as the Executive for Member Advice in 2008 and held the role of Deputy CEO before becoming CEO in 2015.
She has more than 25 years’ experience in the super and financial services sector, including 12 years as founder and principal of an employee benefits consultancy.

Under Debby’s leadership, the $82 billion health and community services sector super fund has become a vocal proponent of responsible investment. She has overseen HESTA’s commitment to a Climate Change Transition Plan which is on target to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050 and is committed to active stewardship of HESTA’s investments on behalf of its one million plus members.

With approximately 80% of HESTA members women, Debby is a strong advocate for a fairer financial system that prioritises womens’ and low-income workers’ financial security, both during their working lives and in retirement.

Debby is the President of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, a Director of the International Corporate Governance Network and founding Chair of the 40:40 Vision initiative – promoting gender equity at executive and Board level in ASX300 companies.
Debby holds a Bachelor of Science with majors in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Fabio Coelho is the CEO of Amec, the Brazilian Capital Markets Investors’ Association, representing over 60 institutional investors in Brazil and abroad. He has extensive experience in financial regulation and supervision, with a career spanning the capital markets, banking sector, and pension fund systems. Before leading Amec, he served as Chairman of the Brazilian Pension Regulator, where he also held positions as Chief Economist and Commissioner for Actuarial, Accounting, and Economic Affairs.

He has held leadership roles in key regulatory and governance forums, including Chair of the Brazilian Committee for Regulation and Supervision of Capital Markets, Chair of the National Commission of Actuaries, and member of the Investors Group of IFIAR (International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators). Fabio also served as Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Brazil.

A civil engineer by training, he holds a Master’s in Finance from Coppead, a PhD in Economics from the Catholic University of Brasília, and is a frequent lecturer on corporate governance, sustainability, and investment strategy for institutional investors.

Ashraf Gamal El Din is a Fellow and Certified Governance Expert from the Chartered Governance Institute, UK (ICSA). He was a jury member of the Arabia CSR Award. Prior to joining Hawkamah, Dr. Ashraf was the Executive Chairman of Egypt Post. Before that, he was the Deputy Executive Director of the Egyptian Banking Institute, the training arm of the Central Bank of Egypt. He was also the founder and Project Manager of the Egyptian Corporate Responsibility Center working on promoting the concepts and application of CSR in Egypt. Furthermore, he was the Executive Director of the Egyptian Institute of Directors (EIoD), the Institute of Corporate Governance in Egypt and the Arab Region Dr. Ashraf served as a board member and head of the Audit Committee in a number of listed, non-listed, State Owned and family owned companies, such as Egyptian Resorts Company, Sahl Hashish, Egypt Reinsurance, Misr Life Insurance, Suez Canal for Technology, Thebes International, and Misr Qena Cement. He also served a member of the General Assembly of the Holding Company for Transportation. Dr. Ashraf served as an advisor to the Minister of Investment 2004-2010 in the areas of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, privatization and restructuring.

Furthermore, Dr. Ashraf is a Professor of Management, Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University. He holds a PhD degree from Manchester University, UK, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Carleton University, Canada. He further holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cairo University with highest honors.

Deborah joined AustralianSuper in July 2023 to lead the Fund’s work on ESG integration and investment stewardship in public and private markets across Europe. She has 25 years of global experience in engaging with board directors, senior executives, regulators and investors. Prior to joining AustralianSuper, Deborah ran her own strategic advisory business, helping clients across the investment chain on ESG integration, investment stewardship and diversity. She chaired the Vote Reporting Group for the UK Financial Conduct Authority and served on the Advisory Panel for the UK Financial Reporting Council. Previously, Deborah was an ESG Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments and Head of Sustainable Ownership at Railpen, having started her career in responsible investment at the UK’s Co-operative Insurance Society. She initially worked in corporate tax at EY and read Mathematics & English at the University of Manchester. 

Deborah is the Founder of The 100% Club, a networking alliance dedicated to gender equality established in 2011. In November 2022, she released research to demonstrate the power of a gender based network, which was endorsed by the UK’s FTSE Women Leaders Review. Deborah is a 30% Club Ambassador, a Fellow of the UK Chartered Governance Institute and previously chaired the ICGN Nomination Committee. She is the lead author of two reports: The Ethics of Diversity (2020) and Say on Pay: Six Years On – Lessons from the UK Experience (2009). In December 2023, Deborah received a Fellowship from CFA UK for her outstanding contribution to the investment profession. She has been recognised for her work on diversity and was named as one of the UK’s top 50 trailblazers in gender equity by We Are The City in March 2023.

Seiji is a senior stewardship Officer at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management with strong global experience based in Tokyo, NYC, London, Luxemburg as a global equities portfolio manager. He has built ESG capabilities at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, and now at its subsidiary AUM of over USD750 billion after the reorganization in October 2018. Currently, Seiji is responsible for stewardship oversight of global institutional investment assets such as public funds, private Pension funds. Also he is actively involved in various global engagement projects, being a steering committee member at CA100+, Committee member of PRI IPDD (The Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation) a member of investor group 30% club Japan.

Robert joined the Old Mutual Investment Group Responsible Investment team in October 2014. He is responsible for proxy voting and engagement, representing Old Mutual Investment Group on various industry bodies and championing responsible investment for the Old Mutual group.

Robert’s legal and corporate governance background enables him to bring his knowledge of law and negotiation skills to the fore in promoting clients’ interests.

Prior to joining the Responsible Investment team, he was a legal advisor at Old Mutual Investment Group for seven years.

Robert has 17 years of work experience in the legal profession and asset management industry.

Cassandra Lichnock is the first female chief executive officer of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System.

As CEO, Lichnock builds and executes strategy, delivers on operational excellence, and maintains a strong relationship with the Teachers’ Retirement Board. She leads organizational efforts to modernize CalSTRS systems and processes, build on the pension fund’s commitments to sustainability, and focus on evolving CalSTRS’ culture.

Lichnock joined CalSTRS in 2008 as the human resources executive officer and served as chief operating officer from March 2013 until her 2021 appointment as CEO, Lichnock has also held a variety of key positions throughout her career with the State of California.

A native of California, Lichnock holds a bachelor of arts in management from Golden Gate University, San Francisco; an executive certificate in technology operations and value chain management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and certificates in human resource management from Golden Gate University and labor management relations from the University of California, Davis.

Luz Rodriguez has over twelve years of experience in corporate governance and investment stewardship, where she has been a strong advocate for shareholder rights and regulatory reforms that foster trust in global capital markets.

At Colorado PERA, Luz Rodriguez leads the corporate governance and proxy voting activities. She also contributes to the development and implementation of the investment stewardship program for the $61 billion Association. The Investment Stewardship Division ensures compliance with PERA’s proxy voting guidelines; monitors company engagement activity; and provides reports to the Investment Committee of the PERA Board of Trustees.

Luz also serves as a member of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Board, where her responsibilities include oversight and strategic planning for the organization. In addition, she serves on the ICGN Audit and Risk Committee, Financial Capital Committee, and Policy Oversight Committee.

Prior to joining the Investment Stewardship Division, Luz was the Director of the Legal Services and Corporate Governance Division at PERA. She was responsible for overseeing PERA’s administrative review process, implementing securities litigation policy, coordinating internal and external counsel, managing proxy voting, engaging with companies and partnerships in which Colorado PERA invests, and reporting to the Shareholder Responsibility Committee of the PERA Board of Trustees.

After graduating with a degree in accounting from the University of Colorado in 2003, Luz worked in investment accounting and was responsible for the pension payroll for Colorado PERA, which is the 23rd largest pension plan in the United States, serving nearly 700,000 current and retired Colorado public servants.

As Head of the ESG Research and Engagement Team, Priti works to promote sustainable investments within the firm and throughout the industry. Her Team aligns the firm’s ESG approach to inform internal and external stakeholders on ESG issues across mandates, including producing ESG research, leading the firm’s active ownership efforts, and advancing ESG integration. She has extensive experience in ESG research, having worked at a major global finance company as part of the ESG research, ratings and investment solutions team. She began her career in sustainability at a United Nations agency in Geneva, Switzerland, and gained work experience within the Indian chambers of commerce. Priti holds a B. Comm. with Honours from the University of Delhi, an M.A. in sociology from the University of Warwick and a Ph.D in Accounting and Finance with a focus on ESG Integration from Kingston Business School. She is also a member of Responsible Investment Association’s (RIA) Leadership Council and Climate Engagement Canada’s (CEC) Industry Leadership Advisory Panel. 

Jenn is responsible for the firm’s approach to sustainability across corporate operations and client service areas, including investment management, advisory and personal investment platform services and retirement solutions. He is deputy chair of the firm’s Sustainable Investing Operating Committee and a member of its Enterprise Senior Leadership Team.

Externally, he is a Board Governor of the International Corporate Governance Network, a member of the Advisory Board of the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation and a member of the Advisory Council to the IFRS Foundation.

Jenn joined Fidelity International in 2007 from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he was a corporate finance lawyer advising on capital market and M&A transactions. He holds an LLB Law degree from the University of Durham.