Yarra Capital Management has announced the appointment of Jessica Ren to the role of investment manager within its fixed income team.
In a statement on Wednesday, the fund manager confirmed that Ms Ren will work closely with co-head of Australian fixed income, Darren Langer, to support the management of Yarra Capital’s fixed income and cash portfolios, with a focus on macro, rates, and sector allocation matters.
Ms Ren joins the firm from Westpac, where she is currently a rates strategist responsible for delivering analysis on the global and domestic rates market. According to the big four bank, her specialties include fixed income products, the government and semi government sector, interest rate derivatives and relative value.
First joining Westpac through its financial markets and treasury team in 2020 as a graduate of the University of New South Wales, Ms Ren has gained additional experience across institutional sales, credit trading, and treasury operations.
Before this, she undertook a six-month internship with Fitch Ratings as an analyst.
Commenting on Ms Ren’s appointment, Mr Langer, said: “We are excited to welcome Jessica to the team as we continue to build out what is already one of Australia’s largest independent, active fixed income franchises.”
Enhancing Ms Ren’s work with Yarra Capital’s fixed income team, the fund manager also expanded its ESG capabilities in recent months with the appointment of Erin Kuo as its inaugural chief sustainability officer in October 2022.
In this role, Dr Kuo leads the firm’s corporate sustainability and works closely with its investment teams to support best practice ESG integration into investment processes.
Dion Hershan, executive chairman and head of Australian equities at Yarra Capital, reiterated the importance of its corporate sustainability function.
“There has never been greater focus on ESG and sustainability matters in financial markets, and Erin’s deep experience will significantly benefit the investment solutions and expertise we can offer to our clients,” he said.
