Cornerstone Capital Inc. Names Michael Baldinger and Eric-Vincent Guichard to Its Board of Directors
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 07, 2014 -- Cornerstone Capital Inc., has appointed Michael Baldinger and Eric-Vincent Guichard to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Baldinger currently serves as CEO of RobecoSAM AG, a Zurich-based investment firm that pioneered and specializes in sustainable investing. Guichard is Founder and CEO of Homestrings, an online portal that offers a range of tools to connect investors with secure and profitable investment opportunities in Africa.
“This is an exciting time for our company. Michael brings extraordinary business expertise from running large enterprises and will add valuable perspective to our firm. Eric offers considerable talent as an entrepreneur and wealth builder and is a force for developing economic self-reliance in Africa,” said Erika Karp, CEO and Founder of Cornerstone Capital Group, in announcing the appointments. “I’m confident that we will derive enormous value from their stewardship.”
“We are thrilled to add these two extraordinary financial professionals to Cornerstone’s Board as we pursue a shared vision for the future of capitalism ... a future defined by inclusiveness, transparency, creativity and honor,” said Derek Yach, Chairman of the Board.
Michael Baldinger of RobecoSAM said: “I’m excited to be joining this Board and support Erika, Cornerstone Capital Group and its Board Members. My past and present roles shall contribute to helping bridge mainstream capital markets to the disciplines of sustainable investing and finance.”
“I am honored to be joining an illustrious group of thinkers on Cornerstone Capital’s Board, who are trying to reshape the financial industry and how we think about finance in this country and around the world,” added Guichard. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Cornerstone … a trailblazing company with many decades of leadership experience in financial services.”
Cornerstone Capital’s timely and motivating philosophy is to drive a positive societal impact by leveraging the various functions of the capital markets. In offering investment banking, strategic consulting, and shortly investment management services, Cornerstone works with both corporations and financial institutions, promoting new research in the field of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) analysis, and facilitating capital introductions for companies around the world engaged in sustainable business practices. In particular, Cornerstone strives to help finance small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) that are pursuing sustainable growth and development globally.
“Being mindful investors, without compromising our expectations for competitive financial returns, will offer tremendous opportunities for Cornerstone Capital as we develop new business and reach our growth targets. We’re eager to seize on the true potential for capitalism ahead,” added Karp.
In addition to Baldinger and Guichard, Cornerstone’s board of directors includes Chairman Derek Yach, SVP of Vitality Group; Erika Karp, Cornerstone CEO; Elizabeth Vazquez, President, CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International; Andrew MacLeod, former General Manager of Community, Communications and External Relations at Rio Tinto; Joanne Jacobson, an Entertainment and Media executive, who most recently served at Viacom Media Networks; Kathee Rebernak, Founder & CEO of Framework, LLC; Judith Albert, former Executive Director of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2 of the NRDC); Cheryl Smith, Chief Economist and Strategist at Trillium Asset Management and Matthew Swibel, Director of Sustainability Strategy at Lockheed Martin Corp.
For more information about Cornerstone Capital, please visit: cornerstonecapinc.com
About Michael Baldinger and Eric-Vincent Guichard:
Michael Baldinger is CEO and a member of RobecoSAM’s Executive Committee. Founded in 1995, RobecoSAM is an investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. It offers asset management, indices, engagement, voting, impact analysis, sustainability assessments, and benchmarking services. Together with the S&P Dow Jones Indices, RobecoSAM publishes the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Prior to joining RobecoSAM, Michael was Head of Distribution in the Americas for Credit Suisse’s asset management division in New York. Before Credit Suisse, he worked at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., where he was Managing Director of institutional equity sales. In that role, he was responsible for large institutional clients and for building up the brand name of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in Switzerland. Michael started his career at Credit Suisse First Boston in Zurich, where his last position was head of proprietary trading and floor trading of foreign equities. He lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Eric-Vincent Guichard is the Founder and CEO at Homestrings, an online portal that offers a range of tools to connect investors with secure and profitable investment opportunities in Africa. Eric is also Chairman and CEO of GRAVITAS Capital Advisors, Inc. an asset management firm that advises global and sovereign institutional assets. Prior to GRAVITAS Capital, Eric was portfolio manager at the World Bank (1990-1996), where he also served as technical adviser to sovereign and multilateral institutions worldwide. Eric is a graduate of the University of Dakar in Senegal; of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh; and of the Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA (World Bank Scholar and Harvard Fellowship award.) Eric lectures internationally and has published articles on global finance and risk management. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.
About Cornerstone Capital
Founded in August 2013, Cornerstone Capital Inc. is a New York-based financial services firm offering investment banking and strategic consulting and, in the near future, investment management capabilities. The mission of the firm is to bring the discipline of sustainable finance to the mainstream of the capital markets. With the systematic analysis of environmental, social and governance factors in the investment process, the Cornerstone Capital Group advises both investors and corporations on how to optimize their financial and business decision-making processes. Cornerstone’s Board of Directors, Global Advisory Council and Staff partner with organizations including the World Economic Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board , and the Principles for Responsible Investment to work towards collaboration and transparency in the global capital markets.
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Karen Benezra, Cornerstone Capital Group, http://www.cornerstonecapinc.com, +1 (212) 874-7400 Ext: 122, [email protected]
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