ECGI Announces New Chair, Director, and Executive Fellow
BRUSSELS, 28 August 2026 – ECGI today announced changes to its Board of Directors and its Executive Fellow programme at its Annual General Meeting held in Brussels. Christopher Saul has been appointed Chair of the ECGI Board, Jessica Ground joins as a new director, and Henrik Vassallo has been appointed ECGI's Executive Fellow. Herman Daems and Guy Jubb both step down from the Board after years of dedicated service to the Institute.
New Chair: Christopher Saul
Christopher Saul, an independent board advisor and former Senior Partner at Slaughter and May, has been appointed Chair of the ECGI Board, succeeding Herman Daems. Saul joined the ECGI Board in 2025 and brings extensive experience advising boards on governance and leadership.
"It is a privilege to take on the role of Chair at such an important moment for ECGI, as the Institute continues to broaden its engagement with the practitioner and policymaker community. I wish to thank Herman for his excellent leadership over the past five years, and I look forward to building on the foundations he has laid,” said Christopher Saul.
Herman Daems, who has chaired the ECGI Board since 2021, steps down after guiding the Institute through a period of significant growth, including the launch of the ECGI Patrons Council and the broadening of ECGI's academic network.
"It has been an honour to serve as Chair of ECGI. I am proud of what we have achieved together, and I leave the Institute in excellent hands with Chris and the rest of the Board,” said Herman Daems.
New director: Jessica Ground
ECGI also welcomes Jessica Ground to its Board of Directors. Ground is Partner and Global Head of ESG at Capital Group, where she leads a 45-person global team and holds a number of fund board directorships, including chairing the Irish ETF fund board. She spent over two decades at Schroders, latterly as Global Head of ESG, and brings deep governance credentials as Deputy Chair for Governance at the UK Takeover Panel, a member of the IASB Investor Advisory Group, and former Chair of the Investment Association's Stewardship Committee.
Guy Jubb steps down
Guy Jubb, a chartered accountant and former Global Head of Governance and Stewardship at Standard Life Investments, also steps down from the Board after nine years of service, including as former Interim Chair of the ECGI Board (2018 - 2021) and former Chair and long-standing member of ECGI's Governance, Nominations and Remuneration Committee. The Board thanks him for his sustained contribution to ECGI's governance and his role in shaping the Institute's board practices.
New Executive Fellow: Henrik Vassallo
ECGI has appointed Henrik Vassallo as its Executive Fellow, succeeding Tom Gosling, who stepped down earlier this year when his term concluded. Vassallo, who represents Investor AB (part of the Wallenberg Group), has played an instrumental role in developing the ECGI Patrons Council since its inception, helping to identify high-calibre Patron Members and speakers for Council events. As Executive Fellow, he will continue as a Co-Convener of the Council, focusing on the development of the Patrons Council and ECGI's relationships with its Patron Members.
ECGI also thanks Tom Gosling, its inaugural Executive Fellow, for his contribution over the past three years, notably through the ECGI Conversation Series, which brought the work of ECGI's Research Members to a wider audience.
Speaking about the changes, ECGI Executive Director, Marco Becht said,
“Herman and Guy have shaped ECGI in ways this Institute will carry forward for years to come. Herman's steady stewardship saw us through a period of real transformation, including the consolidation of ECGI’s finances, the launch of the Responsible Capitalism initiative and the ECGI Patrons Council, while Guy's rigour and instinct for good governance made ECGI a stronger, more disciplined organisation while also adding decades of investor stewardship experience. We are enormously grateful to them both. At the same time, I'm delighted to welcome Chris, Jessica and Henrik to their new roles. Chris brings exactly the experience and leadership qualities ECGI needs for its next chapter, Jessica adds a global asset-management perspective which is essential on the Board, and Henrik has already shown, through his dedicated work building the Patrons Council, what he will bring as Executive Fellow - following in the impressive shoes of our inaugural Executive Fellow, Tom Gosling, before him. With these changes, ECGI is in a strong position to continue to fulfil its mission."
Ends.
Contact:
Elaine McPartlan, ECGI General Manager, elaine.mcpartlan@ecgi.org
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About ECGI
ECGI is a global research network and international scientific non-profit association providing a forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators and practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance and stewardship issues. Its 392 appointed research members publish their work on corporate governance in the ECGI Working Paper Series, a trusted source of global research used by practitioners and academics worldwide.
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