PHOTO: Brodie Swartz, Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly, chief legal officer at pensions fund OMERS, has been announced as the organization’s first head of Europe, strategic relationships and chief sustainability officer.
The newly created role is based in London. In taking up the post, Kelly remains the organization’s most senior sustainability executive worldwide.
According to president and chief executive officer Blake Hutcheson, the appointment “reflects the continuing importance of Europe to OMERS and will further strengthen our relationships and presence in that region.”
“Michael is one of our most senior executives with deep knowledge of our organization and its global asset base, extensive leadership experience, a proven ability to build strategic partnerships, and a longstanding commitment to sustainability,” Hutcheson said in an OMERS press release.
Kelly has worked with OMERS for over two decades. He commenced with the organization as a lawyer on the infrastructure team handling mergers and acquisitions before taking on the CLO post in 2014, according to LinkedIn.
He has led OMERS’ approach to sustainable investing and ESG since 2019, starting with the advent of the ESG movement. In a 2024 discussion with CL Talk, Kelly explained that his legal background aided him in developing governance structures and policies around OMERS’ approach to sustainability issues like climate change.
He also chaired the company’s sustainable investing committee, which covers investing groups across OMERS including infrastructure, real estate, private equity, and capital markets as well as risk, finance, legal, and communications. The committee has developed a climate action plan that included a goal to achieve net zero by 2050.
According to Kelly, OMERS examines factors like carbon pricing, government policies, and evolving technologies when eyeing investments in sectors like fossil fuels. He noted in 2024 that generally, Europe “tends to be more proactive on issues like climate compared to North America or Asia.”
In addition, he has sat on the boards of the Investor Leadership Network and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. He was among the names in the 16th edition of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers.
Brodie Swartz elevated to executive vice president and general counsel
OMERS also promoted Brodie Swartz to executive vice president and general counsel. Swartz was previously senior vice president, associate general counsel and corporate secretary.
He has worked with OMERS for 15 years in the OMERS Ventures, the former OMERS Growth Equity, OMERS Infrastructure, and OMERS Corporate teams. Hutcheson described Swartz as someone who “has demonstrated strong leadership, sound judgment, deep legal expertise and a commitment to partnership across OMERS.”
Chief operating officer Bob Aziz will oversee the company’s legal and compliance functions.
The new appointments take effect on January 1, 2027.