Erik Breen

Managing Director

Erik has led the Integrated Reporting Framework Board since 2016, after being a Council Member of the IIRC from 2013-2016, and has the ambition to (re) connect the power of (institutional) capital with the beneficiaries’ non-financial values through a realistic business-driven approach. He has 24 years’ experience in asset management, especially in integrating finance and sustainability. He has been at the forefront of global developments in corporate governance, responsible investment, stewardship and sustainability and impact investing. He has international experience as board member in developing and challenging strategy, in promoting effective risk oversight and in fostering open board cultures. He founded Infinsus, which is dedicated to integrating finance and sustainability, where he is currently Managing Director.

Erik started his career at Robeco in 1996 and held various positions as Fund Manager at the investment department. Erik initiated and founded Robeco’s voting and engagement activities in 2004, was directly involved in the acquisition of SAM. He was the architect behind Robeco’s Responsible Investment strategy, and provided strategic advice to a breadth of Robeco’s institutional clients on deploying and embedding responsible investing.

Erik joined Triodos Investment Management in 2014 as Manager SRI. Erik developed a more integrated investment strategy for Triodos IM’s equities and bond funds, resulting in insourcing asset management. Erik has built a solid and experienced team of portfolio managers and analysts, implemented the technical infrastructure and embedded legal requirements into the new department’s processes. More integrated investment analysis and engagement enabled more positive impact through investing in listed equities and bonds. Erik founded and chaired Triodos IM’s Investment Policy Committee. Under Erik’s leadership the assets under management in the SRI funds almost tripled.

Erik is an experienced board member, both nationally and internationally. He is a former Governor of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) in 2011 and became Chair of the Board of Governors in 2014 until reaching the statutory maximum board tenure of six year in 2017. He was Treasurer and a member of the Executive Board of Eumedion from 2011-2017.

Erik holds a Master of Econometrics from the University of Groningen, earned an EFFAS CFA and has been registered with the Dutch Securities Institute from 2001. Erik has given several guest lectures at Nyenrode University and previously at Erasmus University and RSM. He contributed to various books and articles and is a member of the Nyenrode Corporate Governance Institute. Erik was acknowledged in 2011 as recipient of the Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Award, Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management.