Allens has bolstered its climate change and ESG practice, appointing globally recognised climate risk expert Sarah Barker as a partner in Melbourne.

Barker brings more than 25 years’ experience advising boards, companies and investors on governance, disclosure and liability risks tied to climate and sustainability. She joined the firm on 1 July, bringing four members of her team with her.

She joins from climate change investment & advisory firm Pollination, where she was Managing Director, having previously spent over a decade at MinterEllison, including as Partner and Head of Climate & Sustainability Risk Governance.

Barker’s got deep expertise across corporate governance, directors’ duties, financial reporting, and misleading disclosure and greenwashing risk. She works closely with boards and executive teams across banking and financial services, superannuation, mining and resources, and infrastructure and development.

The timing is apt. With mandatory climate-related financial disclosures and regulators ramping up enforcement, boards are under growing pressure to get their governance and reporting right.

Jillian Button, Partner and Head of Climate Change, said “She is widely recognised as a market leading practitioner, and her appointment reflects our continued investment in the capabilities our clients need as governance and disclosure frameworks continue to evolve.”

“Critically, she complements our existing ESG capability and strengthens our ability to deliver integrated advice clients in complex governance, transactional and contentious matters,” Jillian added.

Source: Allens