Movers and Shakers: Meg Brown, Director, Sustainable Investment, Citi

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Meg Brown, Director of Climate Change and Sustainable Investment Research at Citi, one of the first things she learned when beginning her career was the importance of speaking up. “When I was quite new, I didn’t know that if you don’t ask you don’t get. But if you do ask, you get quite a lot.”

Based in London, Brown leads Citi’s global climate change research and its European ESG product. She continued, “The best advice I’ve ever been given is to always have a view. If you have a view, if you contribute, people want you on their team, regardless of your gender.”

She said the advice has become even more meaningful as she’s advanced in her career. “No one is going to hand things to you on a plate. If you have a voice, if you contribute to the business, you can negotiate.”

Career in SRI

Brown studied zoology as an undergraduate, and after earning a master’s degree in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics, Brown worked in environmental consulting. She then took a role at UK Sustainable Investment and Finance (UKSIF) as an analyst. “I think that gave me a good understanding of the SRI industry,” she said. “Then, in 2005, I joined Citi as one of the founding members of the SRI team.”

Brown said some of the work she is most proud of is Citi’s annual climate change research conference. We’ve gotten fantastic buy-in from our colleagues globally. Companies are always extremely engaged in sharing how they are benefiting or at risk from climate change. It’s a community of investors sharing understanding and getting to know each other.”

This year’s conference will be held in New York, Brown added.

She continued, “The majority of my work is in carbon financing, but my other area of interest is poverty reduction. It’s been really exciting to explain to and learn along with my clients about how to support economic development.”

Women in Socially Responsible Investing

Brown says she feels women have many opportunities in her field. “SRI as an industry is reasonably attractive to women. I have a much larger percentage of female clients than many of my other colleagues. I’m often in meetings where the majority is female – I don’t know if a man would find that intimidating.”

But there are challenges, she said, particularly when identifying role models. “In finance, I’ve found it’s much harder to get to know senior women.”

She continued, “There’s a huge turnover of women in the industry in general and it’s hard to find someone to look up to and be mentored by, particularly working in research, where we are walled off from the rest of the firm.”

“There are now a few female managing directors in my department, which is encouraging,” she added.

Brown said she is proud of the work Citi is doing to support the advancement of women globally. “In March, we celebrated the economic, political, and social achievements of women around the world. In Europe, we marked International Women’s Day by hosting 38 events in 33 cities across 28 countries.”

“Our employee network, Citi Women, hosted a client discussion and networking event in London on the subject of ‘Navigating a Complex Global Environment, where our keynote speaker, Lord Davies of Abersoch, discussed female board representation.”

She added, “ Over 70 senior female clients attended the event.”

Brown said women’s events are a good way to connect with clients. “I’m more outward looking than inward looking on this,” she said.

In Her Personal Time

Outside work, Brown said she is focused on spending time with her family. “I have a husband, two kids, and a dog,” she said. “And an acre of garden to keep under control!”