OCTOBER 3, 2025
An update on our ESG scores
In their latest publication, Templeton Global Macro highlights recent changes for developed and emerging markets in its ESG Index, including an increasing number of countries with positive momentum.
Stewardship and Sustainability Council
Our approach to sustainable investing has evolved from a primarily risk-based lens to a much broader and deeper perspective, recognizing that stewardship and sustainability encompass the need to identify opportunities and risk, and to consider both impacts and outcomes of all our investment decisions.
Our investment teams have autonomous sustainable investment approaches with dedicated personnel that best suits each asset class, region, and specialism. To fully leverage the wealth of expertise across our investment teams, we established a firm-wide Stewardship and Sustainability Council, which provides a forum for dialogue and sharing of best practices around sustainable investing.
Led by co-chairs David Sheasby (Martin Currie) and David Zahn (Franklin Templeton Fixed Income), the council provides an opportunity for members to join working groups that tackle common sustainability challenges and priorities together.
Anne Simpson
Anne Simpson is global head of sustainability for Franklin Templeton, responsible for driving the company’s strategic direction on stewardship, sustainability, and ESG investment strategy. She is a visiting fellow at Oxford University and teaches at University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business as a lecturer in sustainable and impact finance. She has co-authored several books in the field, most recently The Financial Ecosystem: The Role of Finance in Achieving Sustainability, with Satyajit Bose and Dong Guo of Columbia University.
David Zahn
David Zahn is the co-chair of Franklin Templeton’s Stewardship and Sustainability Council and head of sustainable investing and European fixed income for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income. He leads the management of UK and European fixed income strategies including sustainable, green, and social bond strategies.
David Sheasby
David Sheasby has co-chaired Franklin Templeton's Stewardship & Sustainability Council since 2021 and has headed the Stewardship, Sustainability and Impact team at Martin Currie since 2014. He joined Martin Currie in 2004 as a global portfolio manager and currently leads initiatives around ESG integration, active ownership, and best practices.
Asset Class Representatives
- Fixed Income
- Equity
- Alternatives
- Multi-Asset
Fixed Income
Reina Berlien
Head of ESG
Brandywine Global
United States
Industry since 2007
Vivian Guo
Co-Head of Global Macro ESG
Templeton Global Macro®
United States
Industry since 2015
Bonnie M. Wongtrakool
Global Head of ESG Investments and Portfolio Manager
Western Asset
United States
Industry since 1994
Equity
Mary Jane McQuillen
Portfolio Manager, Head of ESG Investment
Clearbridge Investments
United States
Industry since 1996
Timothy M. Rankin, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Franklin Mutual Series
United States
Industry since 1992
Serena Perin Vinton, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Franklin Equity Group
United States
Industry since 1991
Donald R. Graham, CFA
Director of ESG
Templeton Global Equity Group
United States
Industry since 1999
Andrew Ness
Portfolio Manager
Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity
United Kingdom
Industry since 1994
Jackie VanderBrug
Head of Sustainability Strategy
Putnam Investments
United States
Industry since 2009
Gunjan Banati
Chief Risk Officer
Royce Investment Partners
United States
Industry since 2000
Alternatives
Amanda Mari
Head of ESG
Benefit Street Partners
United States
Industry since 2004
Lillian Knight, CFA
Head of Investment Management
K2 Advisors
United States
Industry since 1991
Karen Mahrous
Head of ESG
Clarion Partners
United States
Industry since 2013
John Levy, CFA
Director of Impact
Franklin Real Asset Advisors
United States
Industry since 2005
Taylor T. Robinson
Partner
Lexington Partners
United States
Industry since 2008
Multi-Asset
Lisette Cooper, PhD
Vice Chair
Fiduciary Trust International
United States
Industry since 1982
Suzanne Livingston
VP/Stewardship Lead/Portfolio Manager
Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions
United Kingdom
Industry since 2006
Investment Sustainability Solutions Team
Our Investment Sustainability Solutions Team is a multi-disciplined group of sustainable investment professionals with expertise in stewardship and engagement, sustainability data, global regulatory requirements, and investment categorization. The team supports a broad range of Franklin Templeton's stewardship and sustainable investing initiatives. This involves liaison with individual investment teams, the Stewardship & Sustainability Council and its working groups, the firm's Sustainable Investment Governance Committee, the firm's Public Policy Committee, as well as the firm’s corporate social responsibility team.
Some examples of the team's initiatives, projects, and leadership roles:
The team's data professionals support our investment teams with a sustainability data hub, helping to source and integrate data from a wide variety of vendors. The team also supports the council's effort to drive best data integration practices across our investment teams. In addition, they are working to develop primary research and analytical tools on thematic topics such as net zero, biodiversity, and water scarcity. Our investment teams can use this research to support informed decision-making, engagement, or even simply for education and training purposes.
Our approach prioritizes active ownership through engagement and voting as the primary tool for driving change. Decision-making authority for voting and engagement lies within each investment team’s responsibilities. Our stewardship professionals support our investment teams in engagement, execution of proxy votes, and policy advocacy. They provide thematic expertise on corporate governance and sustainability, alongside voting research. They also partner with investment teams to engage directly with issuers and indirectly as part of trade associations and investor networks.
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Important Information
This material is intended to be of general interest only and should not be construed as individual investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. It does not constitute legal or tax advice. The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as at publication date and may change without notice. Franklin Templeton has certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals or capabilities; however, not all strategies are managed to “ESG” oriented objectives. Integrating ESG considerations into the investment process is not a guarantee that better performance will be achieved. All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and Franklin Templeton has not independently verified, validated or audited such data. Franklin Templeton accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss arising from use of this information and reliance upon the comments, opinions and analyses in the material is at the sole discretion of the user.