US SIF CEO Lisa Woll to step down

Woll has been the face of one of the most prominent organizations supporting sustainable investing for 16 years.

US SIF CEO Lisa Woll is stepping down from the group early next year, the organization announced today.

Woll has helmed US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment for 16 years. Her last day in the role will be Jan. 31, 2023, after which she will remain with the group through April in an advisory capacity.

US SIF’s board has formed a search committee and hired a recruiter to help find a replacement, the group said.

Woll has been the face of one of the most prominent organizations supporting sustainable investing spanning a time in which ESG grew from being all but unknown to a household term that is now a political flashpoint. It went from being ignored by most of the big investment firms to becoming widely integrated into many of their strategies in some capacity. The group recently launched a campaign to counter anti-ESG narratives that have become talking points among conservatives.

US SIF’s members now represent about $5 trillion in assets under management or advisement, it stated. Members include investment managers, advisers, fund companies, asset owners, data providers, broker-dealers, nonprofits and others.

While at US SIF, Woll has helped the group expand its resources and political sway. Under her leadership it also launched a popular industry conference, published research and trends reports and established a sustainable investment designation along with the College for Financial Planning.

“She is a transformational leader and a fierce advocate who shared her passion, sense of humor, strategic thinking and organizational development skills with us for more than a decade and a half,” US SIF board chair Diederik Timmer said in the announcement. “Lisa has been central to all we have achieved, taking us through a period of incredible growth and change.”

Prior to her time at the organization, Woll was executive director of the International Women’s Media Foundation and held high-level positions at several children’s rights groups, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In US SIF’s notice, Woll did not elaborate on her plans after stepping down.

“I love this job and am so proud of the impact our field has generated, but I am ready for my next professional adventure,” she said in the announcement. “As Serena Williams said at the start of this year’s US Open, ‘I am not retiring, but evolving.’”

This story was originally published on ESG Clarity.