Barclays appoints Marie Freier as Managing Director, Global Head of ESG Research
Barclays today announces the appointment of Marie Freier as Managing Director, Global Head of ESG Research. Based in London, Ms Freier will lead the integration of ESG into Barclays fundamental research products, driving collaboration across regions and asset classes.
Under her leadership, Barclays’ dedicated ESG subject matter experts will work alongside credit and equity analysts to assess how ESG attributes impact financial risks and valuations across sectors and companies, ultimately driving security pricing.
Marie Freier joins from Sanford Bernstein, where she served for six years as Head of European Product Management and, most recently, as both co-Head of European Sales and Global Head of ESG.
Jeff Meli, Head of Research at Barclays, said:
“We are thrilled to have someone with Marie’s calibre and experience joining Research and leading such a strategically important part of the business. Her appointment underscores our commitment to expanding and differentiating our ESG offering for clients.”
Barclays’ Fundamental ESG Research complements the other two pillars of Barclays ESG Research: Sustainable & Thematic Investing and Quantitative Portfolio Strategy. In October 2020, Barclays successfully closed a £400m ‘Green Bond’ issue – the second bond it has issued with a specific intention to support climate-related products and initiatives. The 2020 Green Bond, which matures in 2026, attracted strong institutional investor interest with orders amounting to more than £2bn (an oversubscription of five times). It will offer a yield of 1.70%.
The funds raised will be allocated towards the financing and/or re-financing of mortgages on energy efficient residential properties in England and Wales originated within the last three years.