IJGlobal ESG Pioneer – Anna-Marie Slot
Ashurst global ESG partner Anna-Marie Slot is – according to the IJGlobal independent panel of judges – “a really impressive individual” and a “genuine leader in sustainable finance and the legal profession”.
As such, Anna-Marie – global ESG/sustainability partner and co-head of the firm’s strategic governance and advisory practice – is a worthy winner of the IJGlobal ESG Pioneer award having displayed “good innovation, including her podcast, giving a lead to Ashurst in the sector and widening reach and impact”.
Another judge added: “Anna-Marie has an impressive track-record in the ESG and sustainability space, influencing stakeholders and advocating for these principles. I note the diverse set of tools that were used to influence – podcast she launched with prominent speakers – participation in forums, etc. She has clearly transcended different types of jobs, organisations and industries to create a broad impact.”
One final judge said: “She seems to have done a lot given that – as a lawyer – your actual ability to introduce change is relatively limited.”
Anna-Marie Slot
Possibly one of the most significant elements of the Ashurst submission for Anna-Marie was a comment made by Kimberley Abbott, founder and chief executive of Vested Impact.
Kimberley said: “Through her leadership of the Ashurst FinTech Legal Labs, Anna-Marie has shown unwavering dedication to mentoring, advising, and supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs – including myself as a female founder – where her efforts and personal support has significantly contributed to the growth and success of my start-up, and I'm sure many start-ups in the Lab."
She continued: “Anna-Marie is one of the most knowledgeable and trusted legal professionals I have encountered in the ESG and sustainability space. Her exceptional ability to engage, collaborate, and connect cross-sector stakeholders has been instrumental in advancing ESG and sustainability within the legal industry, and beyond.
“Anna-Marie's continued mentoring and support of start-ups is leading the way in building the capacity of good legal practices and solutions in the FinTech start-up space, in particular surrounding ESG and sustainability, which I have no doubt will have an ongoing and long-term impact on the ESG and sustainability space in the legal sector and far beyond."
Anna-Marie marked herself out as a leader in the sustainability field, partnering with fellow business leaders (in the legal sector and beyond) to enable and inspire future-focused sustainable organisations.
She launched Ashurst's first podcast channel – ESG Matters – and participated in COP26, speaking on a panel broadcast from there by the Times Hub, and spoke on a panel on Climate Law and Governance Day in 2021 from COP26 and in 2022 from COP27, as well as blue zone participation in COP27.
Through these roles, her influence is seen in not only being approached for the positions, but through being consulted within the industry for horizon scanning and strategic priorities.
Anna-Marie also leads the firm's engagement with Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (of which Ashurst is an inaugural member) as well as a number of other industry alliances. Her leadership in this space is propelling Ashurst in a more sustainable direction and helping the firm be more accountable and conscious of its climate-related decisions.
The submission states: “Anna-Marie led the team advising Barclays, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan Securities and Merrill Lynch as initial purchasers with respect to the high yield green bond issuance by Greenko Power II Limited of $1 billion 4.3% senior notes due 2028.
“The net proceeds from the offering were used to subscribe for rupee-denominated debt issued by onshore Indian subsidiaries of Greenko Energy Holdings, which own 24 operational wind energy projects and 13 operational solar energy projects in India.
“A key deal because Greenko is at the forefront of sustainable finance in India, as it is one of the country's longest-standing green bond issuers. This was a market-leading and standout deal because it was one of the few debt capital markets deals to successfully complete in the wake of global disruption due to macroeconomic events.”
Anna-Marie was integral to the Association for Financial Markets in Europe's development of the first ever set of ESG guidelines for the European high yield market, heads the firm's partnership with the Climate Bond Initiative and led the charge in Ashurst being named as one of only 3 law firms in the International Capital Market Association Advisory Council of the Green Bond Principles and Social Bond Principles Executive Committee. That Ashurst has achieved these substantive roles in industry-wide, significant initiatives is testament to Anna-Marie's leadership in the sector.
Her influence is notable as she is viewed as a go-to lawyer and an authoritative, passionate advocate of climate change and sustainable finance, thereby relied on for commentary and views, with thoughts widely published, and authoring the inaugural edition of the Sustainable Finance Law Review 2023 publication.
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