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Speakers
David Russell
Chair at Transition Pathway Initiative – TPI
David Russell is the Chair of the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which assesses companies’ preparedness for the transition to a low carbon future, supporting the efforts of investors in addressing climate change. Prior to this, David was the Head of Responsible Investment (RI) at the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the largest UK pension fund, where he worked from 2001 to 2023. He had responsibility for all aspects of RI strategy development and implementation across all asset classes. This included development of policy and strategy, stewardship, and integration across both public and private asset classes and from an asset owner and an asset manager perspective. He also led on the scheme’s formal ESG related reporting, including the UN PRI, the UK Stewardship Code and TCFD reporting. David is a former Board member of the UN PRI, was involved in the governance of the IIGCC from its inception, and until June 2023 was on the Board of the International Centre for Pensions Management. More broadly, David is a board member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), a member of the FTSE Russell Sustainable Investment Advisory Committee, and whilst at USS was also a member of the PLSA Sustainability Committee and the UK Investment Associations’ Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee. Prior to joining USS, David worked as an Environmental Manager for a UK retail company and was for five years a university lecturer in Environmental Management. He has a master’s degree in Environmental Impact Assessment.
Why we selected David Russell?
David Russell brings deep expertise in how the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) equips companies with tools to assess transition readiness and how index strategies can embed this data to support climate goals. He champions stakeholder collaboration to influence corporate behaviour and highlights the systemic role passive investors play in driving change. His insights on integrating transition alignment into index methodologies and strengthening investment governance makes him a compelling voice for climate‑aligned finance.