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Paula Luff
Director of Sustainability Research and Engagement, DSC Meridian Capital
Paula is the Director of Sustainability Research and Engagement at DSC Meridian Capital, where she is responsible for integrating sustainability within the investment process and leading DSC Meridian’s engagement with portfolio companies on sustainability matters. Prior to joining DSC, she served as Director of Sustainability and Impact for Inherent Group, an ESG-focused investment manager. Prior to joining Inherent Group, Paula was Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hess Corporation where she established and led the global social responsibility function for the company and integrated key ESG issues into operations and enterprise risk. She also led engagement efforts on a range of sustainability issues with host governments, NGOs, investors, and other external stakeholders. Prior to joining Hess, Paula was Senior Director of Strategic Health Partnerships for Pfizer Inc, where she set global access to medicines strategy and led the design and implementation of global health programs and policies for the company and its foundation. She also represented Pfizer on social impact and global health issues with investors, the media, public officials, bilateral and multi-lateral organizations, NGOs, and other external stakeholders. Paula holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and master’s degrees from New York University and The New School. Paula serves as a director of Malk Partners, a private professional services firm. She is co-chair of the Audit Committee of the Access to Nutrition Foundation. Paula is also a member of the University of Wisconsin International Division’s Advisory Board and is an Advisor to the Center for Sustainable Business at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Paula was a member of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Leaders Forum, served on the Executive Pay Principles Working Group, and is an active participant in Aspen’s ESG work. She also served on the Executive Council for Development and as a Senior Associate with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Kathryn McDonald
Co-Founder and Head of Investments and Sustainability, Radiant ESG Global Investors LLC
Kathryn is the co-founder of RadiantESG Global Investors, a female-owned, independent asset management firm focused on next generation ESG and impact investment opportunities for institutional and wealth management clients worldwide. She was previously the Head of Sustainable Investing at Rosenberg Equities, overseeing the integration of ESG information in Rosenberg’s investment process and leading the firm’s ESG and impact research effort. Earlier in her career at Rosenberg she held positions in portfolio management, applied research, and was the Head of Investments for Australia/NZ. Kathryn holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Willamette University, and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. She is also the founder of Aquanos Collective, a water research platform, a member of the Board of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA), a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, and a member of the Stewardship Council for the ACT Standard of Corporate Culture created by City Hive UK.
Steve Vargas
Global Head, Nasdaq ESG Advisory
Steve Vargas is the Co-Founder & Global Head of Nasdaq’s ESG Advisory practice and is responsible for the day-to-day management and strategic direction of the group. The practice consists of a global team that partners with public and private companies to implement and strengthen ESG programs built for a capital markets audience. ESG Advisory engagements range from advising senior management and boards on ESG topics, guiding companies through climate strategy development & decarbonization practices as well as designing capital engagement strategies with long-term investors. Steve has spent the last five years with Nasdaq advising hundreds of companies across different sectors, market caps and geographies on capital market & ESG topics. His current focus areas include climate technologies and services that enable decarbonization of the global economy. He holds a Masters in Sustainable Energy from Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) & the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). Prior to joining Nasdaq, Steve worked in financial data consulting with tenures at Thomson Reuters’ Global Business Consulting practice and at Bloomberg in their data analytics division. Steve holds the SASB FSA credential, certificates in ESG & Climate Investing from the CFA, and has completed coursework from the GRI.
Jamie Nulph, CFA
Executive Director, ESG & Climate, MSCI
Jamie Nulph, CFA, manages MSCI’s West Coast ESG & Climate Consultants Team and leads the Private Assets Segment. She works closely with the largest institutional investors in the U.S. in their efforts to integrate ESG into the investment process and meaningfully report on ESG & Climate-related risks. Jamie has over a decade of experience in ESG. Prior to MSCI, she worked in London with a UK-based ESG research firm, supporting European Institutional Investors on ESG integration and corporate engagement. Jamie leads MSCI’s Women’s Leadership Forum in the Americas and is a co-founder of Bay ESG, a group focused on building connections and facilitating knowledge sharing for responsible investment professionals across the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine.
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