Mirova, the sustainable finance arm of French investment manager Natixis, has promoted Zineb Bennani to CEO of its US business and global head of business development.
Bennani (pictured), who starts her new role in May, is currently chief operating and development officer at Mirova. She will spearhead Mirova’s next growth phase in the US out of Boston, overseeing a team of more than 25 people that manages $8.4bn in assets.
“10 years after its creation, Mirova is pursuing its mission to help transform the economy into a more sustainable and inclusive model,” said Philippe Zaouati, CEO of Mirova.
“Zineb has been a key person in the development of Mirova since its inception. I am fully confident that she will be able to deploy an ambitious roadmap and support our strategic development at an international level and our ambition to become a global leader in impact investing.”
Last year, Mirova bought SunFunder, a private debt management company that finances renewable energy projects in Africa and Asia to boost its presence in emerging markets. Now it is targeting the US market to increase its assets under management for its global equities strategy, expansion of impact investing and the development of its private assets offering.
Bennani has previously worked as deputy chief investment officer, head of governance, research and engagement and an equity portfolio manager during her nearly 17 years at both Mirova and Natixis Investment Managers.
Bennani said: “I am particularly pleased to be joining the Mirova US team, which I already know very well. Our ambitions are strong in this market, which is essential for deploying global strategies but also key for the development of our private assets platform.”
Mirova’s current interim CEO, Ritesh Shah, will become global head of corporate development. Both Bennani and Shah will continue to report to Mirova’s deputy CEO, Guillaume Abel.
