Episode 13: Olga Hancock of The Church Commissioners for England - Sustainability and Progress

Fiftyfaces Focus - Inspiring People in the Law

Olga Hancock is Deputy Head of Responsible Investment at The Church Commissioners for England. She also holds a position of chair of the policy committee at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, and is co chair of the Indonesia workstream of the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation. She previously worked as a solicitor and started her career in Australia.
Our conversation covers her early interest in environmental science and issues even during her study of law, and some of the sustainability issues explored on field trips that fascinated her early on.
Her move then into sustainable investing seemed a natural one, and we talk through how her legal skills primed her for a role in this vast and complex area. We dig into the key issues at the forefront of her mind now - which includes environmental issues in emerging markets, new disclosure requirements and the net zero impetus among UK institutions. We also discuss Olga's work with the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation, which has particularly resonance for her in light of time spent in South East Asia earlier in her education.
We finish with reflections, on some strong role models in her life, as well as key life lessons garnered from time in Norway - an awareness of the importance of deriving joy from work.
There is more information on the Investors Policy Dialogue on Deforestation (IPDD) here: https://www.tropicalforestalliance.org/en/collective-action-agenda/finance/investors-policy-dialogue-on-deforestation-ipdd-initiative/ and on UKSIF (UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association) here: https://uksif.org and on their Net Zero work here: https://uksif.org/netzero/
This series is brought to you with the kind support of Eversheds Sutherland. As a global top 10 law firm, Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services to a global client base. With more than 3,000 lawyers, Eversheds Sutherland operates in over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
The firm recognises that having diverse talent across its business brings many benefits. It is committed to accessing a wide range of views, perspectives and thinking in all of its teams and in this way is building a culture of inclusion, where each person feels able to be their true self at work and reach their full potential.

Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to the firm’s purpose of “helping our clients, our people and our communities to thrive”, and ‘Inclusive’ is one of its five values.