Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acting chair and commissioner Allison Herren Lee has joined climate accounting company Persefoni’s sustainability advisory board.
Her role will be to advise Persefoni’s board and executive team on best-in-class climate disclosure standards and likely regulatory shifts, and on the integration of sustainability reporting into corporate and investment management.
Lee’s appointment follows two other former SEC appointments at Persefoni: Emily Pierce joined the firm’s regulatory department in December last year, and Kristina Wyatt in March 2022.
“Allison is a global leader in addressing climate risk as financial risk within the public markets; I can think of no one better to advise Persefoni and our clients/partners through upcoming climate disclosure regulation,” said Kentaro Kawamori, CEO of Persefoni.
“The insight and relationships she has formed during her time at the SEC will be vital as we continue to guide our clients on their journey to compliance. We are excited to welcome her on board.”
During her time as acting chair, Lee brought ESG issues to the forefront of the agency’s agenda, and specifically worked to meet investors’ demand for material climate disclosures. She launched a program during her tenure that included extensive public outreach and a request for public comment related to climate-related disclosures, which laid the foundation for the subsequent climate disclosure proposal pending before the SEC.
She also created an ESG taskforce in the commission’s division of enforcement, and launched an investor education program related to ESG investment risks.
Prior to her role as acting chair and commissioner, Lee spent over a decade at the SEC, including as counsel to commissioner Kara Stein and as senior counsel in the division of enforcement’s complex financial instruments unit.
“Allison has been a driving force in providing investors in the US markets with the information they need about companies’ climate-related risks. Before it was popular to speak about climate change as a financial risk, Allison was speaking out and working to bring investors the information they have long been asking for” remarked Persefoni deputy general counsel and chief sustainability officer Wyatt.
Commenting on her new role, Lee said: “I am incredibly fortunate to be joining Persefoni’s sustainability advisory board to advance climate disclosure and promote greater transparency and accountability in this space. Sustainability continues to be a complex topic for many businesses, particularly around regulation, and I hope that my skills and experience at the SEC will help further Persefoni’s goal of providing timely solutions to businesses across the globe.”
