Helga Birgden

Global Head of Responsible Investment, Partner, Mercer and member of Marsh McLennan climate group

Helga Birgden is a Mercer Partner, and Mercer’s Global Chair on Sustainable Investment. She leads on sustainable investing and governance as a global executive and Board member focused on climate change resilience, managing investment risk, return and reputation for Boards, members and stakeholders.  

She has more than 20 years of experience advising client Boards/Committees on sustainable investment issues - environmental, governance and social. She has prepared advice for multilateral institutions such as the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, G20 and Development Banks. She co-authors reports on climate investing with the World Economic Forum (2022, 2021, 2020). Over the last decade Helga has been a leader in Mercer’s global climate change studies 2011, 2015 and 2019 Investing in a Time of Climate Change reports and 2020 Analytics for Climate Transition – ACT.  She is Deputy Chair of the Investor Group on Climate Change, representing ~$4 trillion of AUM and chaired Mercer’s FutureMakers Working Group consisting of ~30 global pension funds on climate investing.  

She has lived off the grid (solar and wind) for a decade.