Leadership
We are an experienced team from diverse disciplines, committed to collaboration that drives progress in creating sustainable value.
Linda-Eling Lee
Founding Director and Head of the Institute
Linda-Eling Lee is the Institute’s founding director and a leader in the field of sustainable finance.
Linda currently serves on the Advisory Council of the IFRS Foundation, is a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 7th Assessment Report (IPCC AR7) and is a fellow of the Finance Leaders Fellowship of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She was named one of the Top 100 Women in Finance by Barron’s in 2019 and 2021, and was voted No. 1 for an Individual Making the Most Positive Overall Contribution to Sustainable Investment / Corporate Governance in 2018 and 2019 by Extel/IRRI.
Linda has published research in both management and investment practitioner journals, as well as in top academic peer-reviewed journals. She is a frequent media commentator on climate and sustainability investing in outlets including the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNBC.
Daniel Cremin
Operating Officer
Daniel oversees the Institute’s operations and partnerships. Previously, he was part of MSCI’s Sustainability and Climate Product team managing relationships with industry alliances and associations. Earlier in his career at MSCI, he led the company’s sustainability marketing strategy.
Prior to joining MSCI, Daniel worked at Climate Change Capital, a sustainable asset management and advisory firm. He has also held roles at Microsoft, QinetiQ, and the UK government.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology and Sociology from the University of Surrey
Rumi Mahmood
Research Director - EMEA & APAC
Rumi leads the Institute’s research into capital markets and applied finance and also drives collaborations with policymakers and academia. He was previously Head of Fund Research for MSCI Sustainability & Climate Research.
He joined MSCI from J.P. Morgan, where he was Head of Fund Research for Personal Investing, and managed active and passive portfolios. He also worked at BNY Mellon in structuring funds, and at UNICEF, where he researched the impact of clean water infrastructure on social mobility. He began his career at Shell, focusing on carbon capture and storage in the North Sea.
Rumi holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Manchester.
Umar Ashfaq
Research Director - Americas
Umar directs the Institute’s research into the role of capital in driving the climate transition. He was previously a lead transportation- and logistics-industry analyst with MSCI Sustainability & Climate. He joined MSCI from 118 Capital, where he focused on buy-side equity research and investment due diligence in the health care and education industries. He previously headed Teach for Pakistan and was a global fellow with the Acumen Fund.
He received a master’s in environmental science and policy from Columbia University and has a bachelor’s in mathematics from Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Brian Browdie
Content Director
Brian leads the Institute’s content development. He joined MSCI after working as a journalist and editor for a variety of outlets, including Quartz and American Banker. Brian has run content strategy for a mix of companies and held legislative and public affairs posts at the Federal Communications Commission.
He has a master’s in journalism from Columbia University, a law degree from Cornell, and a bachelor’s in English from Washington and Jefferson College.
Caitlin Williams
Marketing Director
Caitlin oversees the development and implementation of the global marketing strategy for the MSCI Institute. Prior to her current role, she served as Head of EMEA Sustainability and Climate Marketing at MSCI.
She joined MSCI from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) where she was responsible for Fixed Income product marketing, before moving to run their marketing automation strategy.
Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Leeds.
Lauren Yeung
Research Analyst
Lauren supports the Institute’s work across research, project management, and strategic initiatives.
She first joined MSCI as an intern at the Institute, where she worked on projects related to sustainable finance and investment funds. Her work included quantitative research, data mapping, visualization, and identifying emerging trends in sustainable investing.
Lauren holds an undergraduate degree in Geography and a master’s degree in Data Science from Durham University, where her research focused on using computer vision to detect energy transition minerals in Greenland.
Institute research fellows
The Institute is supported by analysts and experts from MSCI. Our current research fellows are:
Academic partnerships: Xinxin Wang
AI & Climate: Turbold Baatarchuluu
AI & Governance: Harlan Tufford
APAC Climate Risk and Scholars Program: Ser Jin Tan
APAC Climate Risk: Siyao He
Banking Sector: Guilherme de Melo Silva
Climate Engagement: Madeleine Helms
Climate Resilience: Katie Towey
Climate Risk and Scenarios: James T. Edwards and Russ Bowdrey
Insurance Sector: Pam Palena
Private Markets: Patrick Warren
Scholars Program (carbon markets): Felix Hart and Laura Buenaventura
Sustainability Integration: Liz Houston
Sustainability Standards: Kenji Watanabe
Transition Finance: Tanguy Séné and Seokhee Moon