Deborah joined AustralianSuper in July 2023 to lead the Fund’s work on ESG integration and investment stewardship in public and private markets across Europe. She has 25 years of global experience in engaging with board directors, senior executives, regulators and investors. Prior to joining AustralianSuper, Deborah ran her own strategic advisory business, helping clients across the investment chain on ESG integration, investment stewardship and diversity. She chaired the Vote Reporting Group for the UK Financial Conduct Authority and served on the Advisory Panel for the UK Financial Reporting Council. Previously, Deborah was an ESG Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments and Head of Sustainable Ownership at Railpen, having started her career in responsible investment at the UK’s Co-operative Insurance Society. She initially worked in corporate tax at EY and read Mathematics & English at the University of Manchester. 

Deborah is the Founder of The 100% Club, a networking alliance dedicated to gender equality established in 2011. In November 2022, she released research to demonstrate the power of a gender based network, which was endorsed by the UK’s FTSE Women Leaders Review. Deborah is a 30% Club Ambassador, a Fellow of the UK Chartered Governance Institute and previously chaired the ICGN Nomination Committee. She is the lead author of two reports: The Ethics of Diversity (2020) and Say on Pay: Six Years On – Lessons from the UK Experience (2009). In December 2023, Deborah received a Fellowship from CFA UK for her outstanding contribution to the investment profession. She has been recognised for her work on diversity and was named as one of the UK’s top 50 trailblazers in gender equity by We Are The City in March 2023.

Deborah Gilshan

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Deborah Gilshan

Will Farrell

Federated Hermes
Assistant Manager, EOS
London

Will co-leads the climate change theme at EOS, the stewardship arm of Federated Hermes Limited, where his coverage includes companies in Europe and Australia, primarily financial services, energy, chemicals, and materials. Prior to joining EOS, Will worked in the energy and infrastructure investment banking team at Macquarie Capital, where he specialised in renewable energy. Before that, Will held a number of roles across the UK climate policy space, including as a parliamentary researcher for Rt. Hon. Chris Skidmore MP on climate and energy issues, and as a climate and economic policy analyst at a diplomatic institute. He was appointed as a voluntary adviser to Rt. Hon. Alok Sharma MP, President of COP26, on preparations for COP26 after co-founding a Westminster climate policy group in 2019, which engaged MPs and Members of the House of Lords to advocate for more ambition on climate action in public policy. Will has a Bachelor’s degree (1st Class Honours) in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.