Orchard Street, the specialist commercial property investment manager, has recruited Kathryn Barber as head of responsibility and ESG.
The firm said Barber, who moves across from GPE, will be "integral to building on Orchard Street’s strong credentials as a responsible investor" and will help the business to deliver social and environmental impact on behalf of its inaugural impact fund, Orchard Street Social and Environmental Impact Partnership. She will also help to manage ESG across existing client portfolios.
Barber was sustainability lead in the portfolio and social impact team at GPE, where she co-delivered the company’s roadmap to net zero at portfolio level. She also assisted with establishing its social impact strategy and oversaw all mandatory and voluntary reporting obligations, including Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, Sustainability Data Report, GRESB and CDP.
She has also worked for Intu Properties, Prudential and Hammerson, amounting to 10 years of real estate experience. She replaces Lora Brill, who has left to pursue a new opportunity, according to Orchard Street, but will act as a consultant to the group.
Barney Rowe, partner at Orchard Street and portfolio manager for the impact fund, said: "Responsible and impactful investing is at the heart of what we do at Orchard Street, whether that’s through decarbonising existing buildings, investing in local communities or thinking about how we design or upgrade amenity-rich buildings to increase wellness and productivity.
"Kathryn’s entire career has been focused on driving the ESG agenda forward within the UK real estate industry, and her wealth of experience will be important to the growth of our Impact fund and the acceleration of our broader sustainability strategy."