PGIM Real Estate has further strengthened its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing, with the addition of Julie Townsend as ESG lead for Europe and Asia Pacific, based in London and effective immediately. PGIM Real Estate is the real estate investment and financing business of PGIM, the US$1.5 trillion global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU).
Joining PGIM Real Estate's global ESG team, Townsend will oversee the ESG strategy and implementation across the European and Asia Pacific regions and is tasked with building upon the firm's ambitious sustainability goals and targets. Townsend will report to Christina Hill, Global Head of ESG and Head of Americas Asset Management.
Since signing the UN Principles for Responsible Investment in 2009 and joining the Global ESG Benchmark for Real Assets (GRESB) in 2013, PGIM Real Estate has continued to integrate ESG throughout its investment and asset management processes. In 2021, PGIM Real Estate committed to reducing the operational carbon emissions of its global portfolio of managed properties to net zero by 2050.
Townsend joins PGIM Real Estate after spending fifteen years at CBRE, latterly as head of environmental consultancy. Townsend will work closely with PGIM Real Estate's local investment teams to implement and manage corporate and asset level ESG strategy as well as leading ESG reporting and assessments.
Christina Hill comments: "At PGIM Real Estate, we understand doing the right thing for our people, the environment and our communities leads to better results for all our stakeholders. Given our global scale and footprint, we have immense potential to make a positive impact, and we are committed to helping address many of today's ESG challenges.
"We are fortunate to have been able to attract a skilled and experienced ESG leader such as Julie, who will be a pivotal member of our growing team as we continue to accelerate our sustainability efforts in the years ahead."
Julie Townsend, ESG lead for Europe and Asia Pacific at PGIM Real Estate, added: "With a history dating back more than half a century, PGIM Real Estate is one of the most renowned brands in the global property industry. I am extremely pleased to join a group of such scale and experience and am looking forward to helping make a difference as we continue to build upon the already strong ESG foundations.
