Eoin Murray has joined Rebalance Earth, a boutique asset manager focused on financing nature as business-critical infrastructure, as its chief investment officer.
Murray joins the firm after a decade at Federated Hermes. During his 30-year career, he has supported the launch of one of the first biodiversity equity strategies in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum and initiated the UK Nature Investment Fund backed by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Currently pursuing a PhD in nature and investment, Murray shares Rebalance Earth’s vision to connect finance and Nature to help create a world worth living in, the firm said.
In addition to his work at Federated Hermes, Murray has been involved in pioneering projects, including the SEED Biocomplexity Index and more broadly championing nature finance. His role at Rebalance Earth will focus on designing, developing and delivering investment opportunities that link nature restoration with business resilience.
At Rebalance Earth, Murray will lead an investment team charged with bringing together several different aspects of nature restoration, including river catchment (ranging from peatland restoration in upland moors, through the creation of wetlands and tree-lined riparian buffer zones, to estuarine salt march restoration and near-shore ecosystem improvements).
Rebalance Earth noted that with investing in natural capital gaining traction, Murray’s appointment comes as the pensions industry and other long-term asset holders seek innovative strategies to address climate adaptation, climate mitigation and the protection and restoration of nature.
The firm added that it has a plan to mobilise £10bn to restore nature at a landscape and seascape level in the UK.
According to the asset manager, the UK’s estimated £100bn nature deficit over the next decade presents a significant investment opportunity and it advocates for long-term asset owners to allocate just 2% of their assets to nature restoration, targeting key challenges such as flooding, drought, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon capture.
Last month, West Yorkshire Pension Fund made £5m investment in the firm, becoming a significant minority owner, having taken a 25% stake in the firm.
Robert Gardner, chief executive officer and co-founder of Rebalance Earth, said: “We are thrilled to have Eoin join our team at such a pivotal time.”
He added that Murray’s expertise will bolster the firm’s efforts to establish Nature as business-critical infrastructure to help companies, communities and cities become more resilient to the impact of climate change and nature loss.
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