James Gifford

• Executive Director
  United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)

James Gifford is the initiator and Executive Director of the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Initiative, which has over 1,000 investment institutions as signatories and approximately US$ 30 trillion in assets under management. With more than a decade-long involvement in sustainable finance, he was a member of the Global Reporting Initiative Working Group that developed the first environmental reporting framework for the finance sector and has written numerous articles on the topic. Gifford has a PhD on the effectiveness of shareholder engagement in improving corporate environmental, social and corporate governance performance, as well as degrees in Commerce and Law and a Master's in Environmental Management. Since 2006, he has been on the Board of the Melbourne-based Centre for Sustainability Leadership, which networks and develops Australia's next generation of young sustainability leaders.