EQT Future is proud to announce the appointment of three high-caliber business executives with strong impact expertise to its Mission Board. The purpose of EQT Future’s Mission Board is to provide external objectivity to the fund’s strategic direction and set the bar high for its commitment to drive positive impact. The Mission Board will be a close sparring partner to EQT Future’s Investment Advisory Team and will challenge and support them throughout the fund’s investment processes

The individuals joining the Mission Board are Ho Ching, recently retired CEO of Temasek; Naina Lal Kidwai, former Country Head of HSBC India; and Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara International. Hedda Pahlson-Moller, Co-founder and CEO of TIIME.org has been appointed Impact Director and will be responsible for coordination of the Mission Board and the development of the EQT Future fund’s impact objectives.

The new members, each of whom bring a wealth of experience from heading global corporations and NGOs, are joined by the Mission Board’s previously announced co-chairs Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, UN Sustainability Ambassador, and co-founder of IMAGINE, and Jacob Wallenberg, Chairperson of Investor AB and vice Chairperson of ABB and Ericsson.

EQT Future was launched in October 2021 with the ambition to elevate EQT’s platform-wide commitment to making a positive impact. The fund’s impact-driven strategy is built on three decades of future-proofing companies and it applies EQT’s active ownership model to accelerate sustainable transformation of companies while creating attractive risk adjusted returns.

New appointments

• Ho Ching, board member. Ho is the former CEO of Temasek and is regarded highly for having transformed Temasek from a Singapore-focused firm into a leading global investment organization. In 2007, TIME Magazine named Ho as one of the “100 most influential men and women who shaped the world”, and Forbes ranked her third on its annual list of the world’s most powerful women. Ho is the the designated Chairperson of Temasek Trust, a philanthropic asset manager, and she also supports numerous community service and charitable organizations within education, healthcare and the welfare and development of children. Ho is a Singaporean native.

• Naina Lal Kidwai, board member. Naina is the former Country Head of HSBC India, Executive Director on the board of HSBC Asia Pacific, and Head of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley India. She served as Non-Executive Director of Nestlé’s board for 12 years until 2018. In 2015, she founded the NGO India Sanitation Coalition, which focuses on behavioral change to promote clean habits, starting with educating school children about safe sanitation and hygiene practices. Naina is also a board member and member of the Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee of Holcim. She was the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School and today she serves as a Global Advisor to the university. Naina is an Indian native.

• Svein Tore Holsether, board member. Svein Tore is the President and CEO of Yara International, the world’s leading fertilizer company and a provider of environmental solutions. He was in 2021 elected as the President of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO). Svein Tore is a passionate promoter of the SDGs and is a Board member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and former Chairperson of the Food & Nature program for WBCSD. He is a member of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders at the World Economic Forum, and also serves as the Chair of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA). Svein Tore serves as commissioner or board member in multiple international SDG-related organizations and working groups, including being a co-founder of Generation Africa. Svein Tore is a Norwegian native.

• Hedda Pahlson-Moller, Impact Director. Hedda is the Co-founder and CEO of TIIME.org, an advocacy, advisory and education provider focused on impact investing, sustainability and diversity. Hedda serves as an advisor within sustainable development and sustainable finance to the Government of Luxembourg. She is also an adjunct Professor of Impact Economy and Social Entrepreneurship at Sacred Heart University, and serves as an independent Board Director to family offices, private and public equity funds that steer their capital to positive impact. Hedda is a Swedish-Canadian, and resident in Luxembourg.

Paul Polman, Co-chair of the EQT Future Mission Board, said, “We are at a crossroads where the cost of inaction will be higher than the cost of action, and companies must ask themselves which path they will take. To me, EQT has clearly chosen its route. By placing impact at the focal point of all investment decisions, EQT Future is leveraging the power of private equity to support businesses that can accelerate transformational change for the benefit of the environment and society at large. As co-chair of EQT Future’s Mission Board, I am very excited to be joined by our new members who all share this mindset and are committed to help solve societal challenges.”

Anders Misund, Partner and Head of EQT Future, said, “We are honoured to welcome such seasoned executives to join EQT Future’s Mission Board. Their collective experience from leading multinational corporations and ESG-oriented NGOs is highly complementary and will empower the EQT Future fund in making more conscious and impactful investment decisions.”

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 73.4 billion in assets under management across 28 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

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