M&G Appoints Marian D’Auria as Chief Sustainability Officer

• Marian D’Auria will become Chief Sustainability Officer, succeeding Kathy Ryan and leading M&G’s sustainability strategy.
• Brings experience across risk, industrial sectors, investment consulting and global sustainability roles, most recently at GFG Alliance.
• Appointment shapes M&G’s next phase of sustainability leadership as regulation, stewardship expectations and investor scrutiny intensify.

M&G plc has appointed Marian D’Auria as its new Chief Sustainability Officer, bringing a blend of risk oversight, financial services and industrial sector experience to one of the UK’s most closely watched asset owners. D’Auria will lead the further development and integration of sustainability strategy across the business, reporting into Group Director of Corporate Affairs Louise Shield.

The appointment follows the departure of Kathy Ryan, who served as the firm’s first CSO after joining in 2023. Ryan’s mandate laid the foundation for sustainability alignment inside the organisation, establishing frameworks that connected investment decisions, stewardship outlook and corporate operations. With her exit earlier this year, the shift to a successor with deep risk and governance credentials is viewed as a strategic next step for the global savings and investment company.

A Leader Drawn From Risk, Industry and Finance

D’Auria joins M&G after serving as Global Head of Risk and Sustainability at GFG Alliance, where she oversaw sustainability priorities across global industrial assets and investment activities. Her prior roles include Managing Director at Redington and Director at Deloitte, leading the firm’s Trustee Advisory team in London. The breadth of this background positions her to navigate regulatory realignment, transition finance debates and evolving stewardship expectations.

M&G stated that she will begin in the New Year. In an internal announcement the firm added, “We are delighted to announce that Marian D’Auria will be joining M&G to become our new Chief Sustainability Officer.” The message highlighted her sector-spanning experience and confirmed that she will collaborate across the business to refine and embed M&G’s sustainability strategy.

D’Auria’s mandate places risk-aware ESG integration at the core of decision-making. At a time when climate transition pathways, nature impact disclosures, and social governance expectations are tightening, firms with large cross-asset exposures are facing closer scrutiny on how sustainability factors guide capital allocation.

A Transition From Foundation Building To Execution

M&G created the CSO role only recently, signalling the pace at which responsible investment has become central to value creation. Ryan, who set up the firm’s initial sustainability framework, introduced governance routes that elevated climate and ESG within group strategy. Her exit creates room for a new leadership approach expected to expand on those foundations and respond to evolving market conditions.

Industry observers note that the firm’s next phase is likely to emphasise implementation at scale across investment teams, data integration, and measurable real economy outcomes. The appointment of D’Auria suggests a future with heightened focus on risk-informed sustainability oversight that ties regulatory compliance, fiduciary duty and competitive positioning together.

Implications For Investors And Global Stewardship

For asset managers operating across public and private markets, the ability to align fiduciary objectives with net zero pathways, biodiversity considerations and social risk is now central to market competitiveness. M&G’s move speaks to an industry where sustainability leadership is shifting from commitment rhetoric to demonstrable execution capability.

D’Auria’s experience working with industrial portfolios gives her familiarity with decarbonisation realities, asset-level transition barriers and capital expenditure timelines. This may prove pivotal as investors lean more heavily on asset owners and managers to demonstrate credible stewardship, scenario planning and exposure transparency.

The firm added in its announcement that she “will work with colleagues to further develop and integrate our sustainability strategy into our business.” The emphasis on integration reflects a growing industry expectation that sustainability is no longer a parallel function but a core determinant of long term performance, resilience, and client trust.

The Global Context

M&G’s leadership shift lands amid tightening regulatory frameworks across multiple markets, from the UK’s transition plan requirements to global disclosure convergence. Asset owners are expected to not only adapt but demonstrate consistency, verification and measurable outcomes. A CSO with strong risk governance grounding may help accelerate that translation.

D’Auria’s arrival positions M&G for a phase defined less by policy exploration and more by execution: integrating sustainability into capital allocation, enhancing stewardship influence and ensuring the business is prepared for the next wave of ESG rulemaking.

Leadership at the CSO level has become a material signal for markets, shaping how institutions set transition priorities and respond to stakeholder scrutiny. As M&G steps into this new chapter, execution capacity and leadership coherence will shape how the firm is judged by the global investment community.

Her appointment brings the business into a new cycle where sustainability outcomes are expected to move from framework design to measurable financial relevance. For industry leaders tracking the evolution of climate finance, stewardship practice and ESG accountability, M&G’s strategic direction will be one to watch.

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