Gloucester-based investment and asset management firm, Blackfinch Group, has appointed an ESG manager, as a sign of its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Steve John will be working with both internal and external stakeholders to support the further development of the group's ESG framework, internal processes and strategy.

Steve brings 20 years of experience in ESG, sustainability, community relations strategy development and communications.

After starting his career in social investment, he moved into the corporate sector to drive organisational change and encourage responsible business practices. Steve has worked in-house for international steel and energy companies, based out of Europe and the Middle East. He has managed sustainability and community projects around the world, including in the Indian Himalayas and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Steve has a master's degree in ecology and environmental management. He is a Fellow at the Institute of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability and is a former chairperson of the World Steel Association's Sustainability Expert Group.

Richard Cook, CEO and founder at Blackfinch, said: "Over the past 12 months, Blackfinch has undertaken a comprehensive integration of ESG principles and sustainability considerations across all our business areas (asset management, ventures, AIM portfolios, energy and property). Steve's appointment as ESG manager is the crucial next step in our ESG evolution.

"We are determined that our ESG strategy remains fluid and that our approach stays relevant. Steve has the experience and the insight to help take us further in this exciting and essential undertaking."

Steve said: "I am enormously excited by Blackfinch's ambitions in this area. ESG is still relatively new, and often misunderstood within the financial services sector, but the potential to deliver solutions to global challenges is very real. I have spent some time at the coalface, and I'm aiming to bring that fresh and real-world perspective to Blackfinch so we can continue to make a positive impact."