EFFAS Commission on ESG (CESG) New Members. Wlecome Lena Schwarzer, Teresa Royo, and Sofia Santos
07 July 2025 | Frankfurt am Main
EFFAS is pleased to announce the appointment of three distinguished professionals to its Commission on Environmental, Social, and Governance (CESG). The new members, Lena Schwarzer, Sofia Santos, and Teresa Royo, bring a wealth of expertise and diversity of experience that will further strengthen the commission’s mission to shape ESG thought leadership and policy development across Europe.
Lena Schwarzer
Lena Schwarzer has been a key account manager in institutional sales at DWS since 2018, supporting German corporate clients in managing their pension assets. She also coordinates ESG initiatives within the institutional sales department. Lena holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Finance from Maastricht University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus on finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
She is certified as a Certified Environmental, Social and Governance Analyst (CESGA) by EFFAS and as a Certified Sustainable Investing Professional (SIP) by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and DVFA.
“I am very delighted to be elected as a new member of the EFFAS Commission on ESG. Within this role, I am looking forward to strengthen the cooperation on ESG issues and support policy development in Europe, especially in these challenging times for sustainable finance,” said Schwarzer.
Teresa Royo
Teresa Royo is a Governance, Risks, and Compliance Partner at KPMG in Madrid, specializing in ESG services and reporting for public companies. Before joining KPMG in 2011, she spent six years at Ecodes and the UK-based agency EIRIS, working on ESG research for institutional investors and sustainability indices such as FTSE4Good and the Carbon Disclosure Project.
She has served on the Stakeholder Council of the Global Reporting Initiative and is currently a trainer in the EFFAS ESG Training Programme and for GRI reporting guidelines. Teresa also serves on the ESG Information for Financial Analysis Commission at the Spanish Institute of Financial Analysts (IEAF).
Sofia Santos
An economist and internationally recognized specialist in climate and sustainable finance, Sofia Santos is the CEO of SystemicSphere and an advisor to various international development institutions including the UN Green Climate Fund, the World Bank, and the French Development Agency. With 28 years of experience across banking, public sector, and NGOs, she has played a pivotal role in advancing sustainable finance, including advising the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and Climate Action.
She is a co-founder and co-coordinator of the Executive Course on Sustainable Finance at ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management and teaches at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco.
“Being part of the EFFAS CESG presents a valuable opportunity to promote the significance of positive change in the economy and among organizations. ESG issues must be recognized as key drivers of success in a thriving society—especially as we face pressing questions about competitiveness and the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change,” said Santos.
About the CESG
The EFFAS Commission on ESG advances ESG practices by focusing on taxonomy, disclosure regulations, and valuation trends, hosting key events like the CESG Conference, CESGA Congress, and driving initiatives like the Gasperini Awards as well as CESGA program development.
About EFFAS
EFFAS is a Not-for-profit organisation set up in 1962 with 14 national member associations in Europe, representing more than 18,000 Financial analysts, Asset managers, pension fund managers, corporate finance specialists, risk managers, treasurers among many other professional profiles from the investment profession. EFFAS is a certification body for finance with over 27,000 certificate holders worldwide.
For further information, please contact:
Álvaro Wagener Díez | Marketing & Communications Manager
E-mail: a.wagener@effas.com Phone Number: +49 69 98959519