Chris Andrews

The $13 billion Australian based Credit Asset Manager La Trobe Financial joins a growing list of Asset Managers focusing on ESG and climate, announcing today that it has achieved a carbon neutral milestone following its independent carbon footprint assessment.

La Trobe Financial has worked closely with independent advisers Carbon Neutral to measure its assessment of emissions activities. The methodology used is in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol from the World Resources Institute, using additional data from the Commonwealth Government, international and domestic governments and academic resources. To achieve carbon neutrality, La Trobe Financial has offset its carbon footprint and has invested in projects that reduce or absorb greenhouse gas emissions equal to what they produced through the year. Carbon Neutral have advised that these projects have been recognised as high integrity Gold Standard projects.

Commenting on the firm’s carbon status, Chris Andrews, Deputy CEO & Chief Investment Officer at La Trobe Financial said “We are very proud of the approval of our carbon neutral footprint program. We recognise in today’s market that this is a key business metric. We have documented a formal Carbon Reduction Plan, so that we can meet future targets and go beyond simply offsetting our carbon emissions. In the current plan, we propose to implement multiple projects to ensure that we reach our business commitment to 100% carbon zero by 2030. A commitment that we have pledged in our group ESG Framework approved by our Board.

Caterina Nesci, Director of ESG & International Partnerships added “To have completed this critical assessment with Carbon Neutral during the past 6 months is a real achievement.

We now have our carbon footprint benchmark and intend to reduce our footprint every year moving forward. Doing this is clearly in the interest of the company and important for the future of the planet.

We will be activating a number of projects over coming months including reducing travel emissions, sustainable procurement practices, reducing waste and landfill, and aiming to become paperless just to name a few. This will involve every aspect of the business and all staff are truly committed to playing their part in this important work.

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Cheree began her career with the Australian Investments & Securities Commission (ASIC) where she worked for over 13 years in supervisory roles before joining La Trobe Financial in December of 2003.

She soon found her niche in leading the investor liaison team in the growing retail Mortgage Fund operations which services over 10,550 retail mum and dad investors. This retail arm of La Trobe Financial is now the largest fund of its type in Australia with over $810 million of retail investments.

La Trobe Financial has also promoted Ms Caterina Nesci to Executive Head of Communications. Caterina an equally experienced operator has over 10 years’ experience working in various roles with a number of international organisations in Australia, London and Hong Kong.

In June 2010, she returned to Melbourne after working in Asia as Marketing & Events Manager. Caterina has worked very hard and shown a real passion with her work which is infectious. La Trobe Financial’s President & CEO Greg O’Neill commented that “Caterina has made a significant contribution with the company’s brand positioning, marketing and events and we all believe we are yet to see some of her greatest work.”

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Hana Basic

La Trobe Financial deeply believes in investing in the future of our country and has recently decided to sponsor Ms Hana Basic, one of Australia’s elite junior athletic champions. Hana commenced her career in athletics in primary school after her PE Teacher suggested she join the local athletics club.

Hana is currently completing the first year of a Bachelor of Sports Science at Deakin University in Melbourne and most of her colleagues would not even know about her speed on the track. Marketing and Media Manager at La Trobe Financial Ms Caterina Nesci stated “We believe Hana is a promising athlete who has enormous upside potential over the coming years.”

One of Hana’s biggest idols is Olympic gold medallist Sally Pearson, who won gold in every major championship. In April of this year Hana smashed her own 100m personal best at the Australian Junior National Athletics Championships. She ran a personal best time of 11.64 seconds eclipsing Pearson’s mark of 11.70secs; she needed a time of 11.86 seconds to qualify.

Hana trains up to two times every day on the track, in the gym and in the pool between her University studies. “It’s all about being disciplined and dedicated so as to fit in training around study,” she says. Her best advice “keep working and training hard to achieve whatever you want to achieve, because results will eventually come.”

La Trobe Financial’s President & CEO, Greg O’Neill, says that when he first met Hana he knew right away she had the right attributes for success. She showed the determination, discipline and desire to succeed. The very same attributes that our current Company dAmbassador and 5 time Winter Olympian Jacqui Cooper continues to display today.

La Trobe Financial has a long history of helping Australians achieve both financial independence and giving back to the community. Through our La Trobe Foundation, launched back in 1978, we fund our Staff Community Service Program permitting all staff to volunteer up to two days a year (fully paid by La Trobe Financial) to work in the broader community and to have a positive impact on those around us by working in organisations such as Lifeline and Meals on Wheels. The second aspect of the La Trobe Foundation is that we provide ten School Scholarships each year for children or grandchildren of our 120,000 customers, and thirdly we sponsor elite athletes, focused on excellence such as Jacqui Cooper and Hana Basic.

The work of our La Trobe Foundation continues as part of our overall corporate initiative to recognise the demands placed on families and clients within modern society. We are very proud of the work undertaken and funded by the La Trobe Financial Foundation and the very real assistance it has provided to Lifeline and other volunteer organisations with our staff work days, the children of numerous borrowers and investors seeking excellence in education through annual School Scholarships, and through the sponsoring of rising young Australian sporting talent like Hana.

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