Morningstar Sustainalytics has strengthened its leadership bench with the appointment of Jodie Tapscott as Head of Climate and Nature Solutions. The role places her at the center of the company’s expanding strategy to equip investors with deeper insights into climate risk, nature loss and the transition pathways shaping portfolios globally. The appointment arrives at a moment when investors face intensifying expectations to align capital with climate resilience, biodiversity protection and evolving regulatory frameworks.

A Leader Returning to Familiar Ground

Tapscott’s move to Sustainalytics marks a return to a company where she previously helped expand its footprint across Asia Pacific. In her earlier tenure, she oversaw client relations and ESG research for the region, advising asset owners and asset managers as responsible investment moved from the margins to the mainstream. Her work included supporting institutional investors in building ESG frameworks, navigating stewardship expectations and integrating sustainability signals into financial decision making. Most recently, she spent nearly five years at an investment management firm, serving as Director of Responsible Investing Strategy and Portfolio Solutions. There, she helped develop sustainability and impact-oriented investment capabilities across a range of public and private market strategies. Her background reflects a combination of technical ESG expertise, product development experience, and on-the-ground insights into how investors deploy climate and nature data in real portfolios.

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Anchoring a Growing Portfolio of Climate and Nature Analytics

In her new role, Tapscott will lead the advancement of Sustainalytics’ climate and nature offerings, including research, datasets, analytical models and reporting tools that help the financial sector quantify risks and opportunities linked to environmental change. Her remit covers a broad landscape, from carbon emission pathways and low-carbon transition ratings to physical climate risk modelling and nature-related datasets tied to deforestation, water stress and ecosystem degradation. Sustainalytics has been steadily expanding its climate and nature portfolio in recent years. Existing tools already support investors evaluating alignment with net zero, modelling exposure to extreme weather events, or assessing company-level dependencies on natural systems. These datasets are also embedded across the firm’s regulatory and stewardship products and power a growing suite of index solutions aimed at net zero alignment and biodiversity impact. Tapscott’s appointment signals Sustainalytics’ intention to integrate climate mitigation, climate adaptation and nature resilience into a single, coherent investment analytics framework. The company expects this integration to become increasingly important as investors navigate global efforts such as the TNFD framework, ISSB climate disclosures and emerging biodiversity reporting requirements.

Framing Climate and Nature as Core Investment Risks

Commenting on her return, Tapscott said that she is joining the organisation at a pivotal moment. She noted that accelerating challenges such as deforestation, declining freshwater availability and ocean degradation are reshaping the global investment landscape, and that investors need tools that capture both financial and ecological realities. Her focus will be on driving innovation at the intersection of these trends, helping clients understand not only transition risks but also nature-related impacts and dependencies that influence long-term value. Her comments echo broader shifts across the financial sector, where climate and nature have begun to merge into a single risk category influencing asset pricing, capital allocation and corporate strategy. Investors are increasingly expected to scrutinise biodiversity footprints, supply chain impacts and ecological thresholds, and to integrate these considerations into portfolio construction and engagement.

Strategic Leadership for the Next Phase of Sustainalytics’ Growth

Based in London, Tapscott will report directly to David Pagliaro, Chief Strategy and Product Officer and incoming President of Morningstar Sustainalytics. Pagliaro highlighted her global sustainability experience and deep understanding of climate and nature analytics as significant assets for the company’s next phase of product expansion. Pagliaro said that the market is entering one of its most consequential periods, as investors seek clarity amid rapidly shifting sustainability regulations and rising expectations for nature-positive investing. He added that Tapscott’s combination of industry expertise and leadership experience will be instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic roadmap.

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A Strengthened Platform for a Changing Market

Sustainalytics’ decision to create a dedicated leadership role overseeing both climate and nature reflects a broader transformation within sustainable finance. Investors are moving away from viewing climate change solely through a carbon lens and increasingly focusing on interconnected environmental risks that influence supply chains, financial stability and long-term economic resilience. With Tapscott at the helm, the firm is poised to deepen its role as a provider of advanced insights that connect climate science, biodiversity data and financial materiality. Her appointment underscores the company’s view that understanding environmental systems is not optional for investors but essential to navigating a rapidly changing world.

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