Brunel CIO to sit on GFI National Wealth Fund Taskforce to deliver independent recommendations to Shadow Chancellor

David Vickers, Chief Investment Officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, has accepted an invitation to join the Taskforce Advisory Council for the development of a new National Wealth Fund.

Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, CEO of the Green Finance Institute (GFI) has been appointed as the Taskforce’s Chair. The GFI will provide the secretariat while Brookfield will act as specialist adviser.

All members of the taskforce are non-partisan and act in an independent advisory capacity.

“Brunel believes strongly in seeking to influence both the broader industry and policymakers,” said David Vickers. “GFI is an important partner for us and we are delighted to help them make independent policy recommendations to improve the UK’s approach to Net Zero.”

The establishment of the Taskforce was requested by the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves. The Taskforce will ultimately deliver its recommended blueprint on implementation of a National Wealth Fund to the Labour Party, but the advice itself will be independent.

Although the Taskforce has been commissioned by Labour, there is a cross-party consensus that better mechanisms are need to encourage increased private investment in building the UK’s Net Zero economy.

Brunel’s approach to public policy

Brunel is committed to supporting policymakers, regulators and industry bodies in the development and promotion of policy and guidance. We regularly engage to help shape policy and its implementation, in line with our Climate Change Policy – and the Green Finance Institute is specifically named in the policy (p.8). You can find examples of our policy advocacy on our website and in our annual RI & Stewardship Outcomes Reports. We are not party-political and only engage on policy on an independent basis.

About the Green Finance Institute

The GFI is an independent financial institution that tests, demonstrates, and scales the financial solutions needed to accelerate the transition to a Net Zero and nature-positive economy. It partners with financial organisations, corporates, NGOs, policymakers, academics and civil society experts to create and scale innovative solutions that deliver practical outcomes for communities and economies.