The asset management arm of Northern Trust said the appointment comes in response to growing investor interest to socially responsible strategies.

Northern Trust Asset Management has appointed Emily Lawrence as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) senior product specialist.

Lawrence joins from MSCI in Boston, where she was head of screening and research operations. In that role, she led teams responsible for collecting and analyzing data for negative screening, impact screening and custom research products.

In the new Chicago-based role, Lawrence will support the development of Northern Trust’s ESG platform with a focus on growth opportunities in the wealth management and global family office channels.

“We see growing interest from investors in North America and globally for strategies that contribute to social goals while supporting financial objectives,” said Mamadou-Abou Sarr, global head of ESG Investing at Northern Trust Asset Management. 

“Emily’s experience in research and development of ESG investment products will be valuable to our clients as we continue to innovate across an array of asset class capabilities, working closely with other research teams and investment strategists at Northern Trust.”

The firm’s ESG team also includes Avantika Saisekar, a product specialist focused on institutional clients, and Julia Kochetygova, who leads ESG research from the London office.

Northern Trust Asset Management has around $55 billion in assets under management specifically related to its global range of ESG strategies.