Boston, March 28, 2024 – For the second consecutive year, Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century Funds°, was named to Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, joining a corps of noteworthy women in government, technology, banking and financial powerhouses.
Leslie has been a vocal and active leader, promoting environmentally and sustainable investing for the past 10 years at the helm of Green Century. She and others have taken various paths into leadership roles on Barron’s fifth annual list.
From money managers to risk officers, she joins financial leaders at the National Economic Council, U.S. Commerce Department, Nvidia, and other senior leadership positions in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. Samuelrich is one of a few women honored on the list to work in the responsible investing field. The list of women, all based in the U.S., is chosen by a panel of Barron’s writers and editors, and is based on external and internal nominations, according to Barron’s.
“I am truly honored to be chosen again to join these influential and groundbreaking women in finance,” she said. “At Green Century, we help individuals genuinely align their investments with their values by keeping their money out of environmentally harmful industries such as fossil fuels, tobacco, and factory farming. We also flex our power as shareholders and successfully get companies to cut carbon footprints, plastic pollution, and protect nature. We work with about 100 companies each year to bring about change and hold them accountable.”
After majoring in economics at Boston College, Samuelrich gained more than 25 years of experience in corporate engagement and environmental and public health advocacy. Her comments have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, Barron’s, Morningstar, the New York Times, and many other outlets. She was named to InsideClimate News‘ inaugural list of Climate Action 30 in 2022 and completed two terms on the Board of Directors of the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF).
Samuelrich A Leader in Green Investing
She has attracted attention for her ability to take strong positions and educate the public and financial advisors about greenwashing, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria, divestment, engagement, and other practices. “We’re proud of our leadership in fossil fuel free investing, driving a cutting-edge shareholder engagement program, and exposing greenwashing in the field,” she said.
The Green Century Funds have experienced a183 percent growth under her decade-long leadership and her efforts help align people’s investments with their values.
The Green Century Funds are one of the pioneers of fossil fuel free mutual funds with about $1.2 billion in managed assets. Green Century Capital Management is the investment advisor to the Green Century Funds and is owned by nine Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), nonprofits that advocate for environmental and public health issues. This unique ownership structure means that every dollar Green Century earns managing its Funds can support those nonprofit organizations and their critical work to protect the environment and public health policies.
An investment strategy that incorporates environmental, social and governance criteria may result in lower or higher returns than an investment strategy that does not include such criteria.
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