Climate Asset Management appoints Amy Merrill Steen as Senior Legal Counsel

Amy Merrill, former UNFCCC negotiations lead for 'Article 6' of the Paris Agreement, returns to the private sector.

06 January 2022, London: Climate Asset Management, the partnership between HSBC Asset Management and Pollination, today announces the appointment of Amy Merrill as Senior Legal Counsel.  Ms Merrill will bring a breadth and depth of unparalleled legal experience.  Climate Asset Management aims to provide nature-based solutions for institutional investors and corporations as they address their climate change obligations and Net Zero commitments.

Ms Merrill will be working closely with Martin Berg, the newly appointed Chief Investment Officer of the Nature Based Carbon Strategy, and the experienced carbon team at Climate Asset Management.  The Nature Based Carbon Strategy aims to unlock a supply of high impact and high integrity carbon credits to support corporates and investors with their Net Zero targets.

Ms Merrill has most recently been a senior lawyer at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCCC”), advising on economic instruments, the transparency regime, compliance processes and on general counsel matters.  For the past decade and most notably at the recent COP26 in Glasgow, Ms Merrill led the UNFCCC secretariat’s support to successful conclusion of negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.  She was also the legal adviser to the Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board and served as the Secretary to the Paris Implementation and Compliance Committee and the Kyoto Protocol Compliance Committee.

Before joining the UNFCCC in 2011, Ms Merrill was the Senior Associate of the climate change and climate finance practice at Linklaters LLP in London, UK, where she advised international banks and multinational corporates on climate finance and carbon finance legal structures.

Reflecting on her appointment, Ms Merrill said:  “I am excited to be returning to the private sector, after ten years at UNFCCC, by joining Climate Asset Management.  I have been very impressed by the calibre of the senior team at Climate Asset Management and believe my experience at UNFCCC will be of value to our clients and partners as we pursue our ambition to become the leading global investment manager in Natural Capital and nature-based carbon credits.”

Christof Kutscher, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Asset Management added:  “I am delighted to welcome Amy, who has been doing such distinguished work on behalf of UNFCCC and the entire global investment community.  Amy’s experience and role in shaping the regulatory framework for international cooperation in respect of Nationally Determined Contributions and mitigation including carbon offsetting will help to establish Natural Capital as an asset class.  Our clients will benefit from best in class know how. She will be indispensable to our team, clients and partners as we provide the nature-based solutions to meet their carbon commitments.”

Climate Asset Management and its Global Leadership Role

Climate Asset Management had a significant leadership presence at the recent COP26 in Glasgow, making several key announcements including helping mobilise more than $10bn of private capital investment in nature through the expanding Natural Capital Investment Alliance of which it is a founder member; and its partnership with Global EverGreening Alliance to deliver a landmark $150 million nature-based carbon programme in Africa.

ENDS

About Climate Asset Management 

Climate Asset Management was formed in 2020 as a joint venture of HSBC Asset Management and Pollination, with the ambition to grow the world’s largest asset management company dedicated to natural capital.

It aims to provide investment solutions that are good for nature, people, and our planet.  Its investment strategies seek to work across landscapes to build resilience whilst generating returns.

Through its Natural Capital Strategy, Climate Asset Management aims to deliver attractive, long-term returns and create impact at scale by protecting and restoring vital biodiversity.

Through its Nature-Based Carbon Strategy, it aims to unlock the supply of high impact carbon credits for corporates and investors seeking to achieve net zero.

Climate Asset Management aims to raise $1.6 billion with these two strategies.

climateassetmanagement.com