Dentons appoints Lovells' to lead global ESG efforts

Dentons appoints Lovells' to lead global ESG efforts

Aragon St. Charles was tasked to help a new Tokyo-based company to become an industry leader and innovator

As the company's first global environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy leader, Dentons has hired Hogan Lovells' global sustainability head.

As the Asia Pacific region's operations lead, Argon St-Charles worked for six years in Hogan Lovells' Tokyo office as a global sustainability leader and operations leader.

As co-chair of the Tokyo office's responsible business committee, he was responsible for leading a number of ESG efforts within Japan, including those focused on community investment and diversity and inclusion.

Stephen Shergold, an environment and societal partner based in London who chairs Dentons' global ESG steering committee, will be St-Charles' direct collaborator in his new role at Dentons. He will design the firm's global ESG strategy and delivers ESG-related products and services to clients at Dentons.

According to the company, St-Charles' particular expertise in APAC is essential for gaining an understanding of the ESG challenges and opportunities in the region.

Managing director Joe Andrew of Dentons said that St. Charles' method for addressing ESG issues will allow the firm to differentiate itself from other law firms that incorporate sustainable development into their marketing departments and/or pro bono activities.

Aragon's impressive resume and extensive experience in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) area will help Dentons distinguish itself as an ESG leader and innovator worldwide.

"Our business strategy involves investing in the environment, social and governance. I am eager to work with him so that Dentons can change how it thinks about ESG so that we can drive expressive change in the legal profession and business community," he commented.

St-Charles served as an attorney recruitment manager at Morrison and Foerster in Tokyo prior to joining Hogan Lovells in 2016. Over the past decade, he has worked in positions of increasing responsibility across several professional service firms in Japan.

St-Charles said he is excited to use his experience in designing and implementing key sustainability programs at Dentons to help make sustainability part of the organization's core functions and positively impact Dentons' clients' sustainability goals.

Managing partner Susan Bright of Hogan Lovells' global diversity and inclusion division wished him well in his new role.

Over the years, Argon has been a valued colleague who has contributed to the firm in various ways. Our best wishes to Argon for his future career," she mentioned.

Upon the departure of St-Charles, Hogan Lovells' global sustainability efforts will be coordinated by Bright, along with Marion Palmer, a senior adviser for sustainability strategy and policy. Upon St-Charles's departure, the company will seek a new sustainability head to replace him.

Since the ESG trend has become increasingly important to their clients in 2021, several other international firms have stepped up their ESG efforts. Sarah Fortt and Betty Huber, who had previously operated the ESG practices at Davis Polk and Vinson & Elkins, joined Latham & Watkins as partners in January 2022 and Debevoise & Plimpton added ESG specialist Ulysses Smith to its team as a senior advisor in November 2021.

US firm Greenspoon Marder announced in October 2021 that it was creating an affiliate focused on environmental, social and governance issues to offer advice to public companies and investment firms.