IWBI Announces New Governance Council Appointments

NEW YORK, November 9, 2020 /3BL Media/  – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced today the appointment of Davina Rooney, chief executive officer of the Green Building Council of Australia and Mona Naqvi, senior director of ESG at S&P Dow Jones Indices to the IWBI Governance Council. Comprised of key global thought leaders, public health professionals and business executives, the Governance Council helps uphold the integrity of IWBI’s certification frameworks and accelerates the broader movement driving their adoption.

“We’re deeply honored to have individuals with such extraordinary expertise that correlates to what’s next for the WELL movement,” said Rick Fedrizzi, executive chairman of IWBI. “The outstanding roster of our Governance Council represents WELL’s strong grounding in scientific evidence, its relevance across industries and sectors and its commitment to the health and well-being of people.”

Recognizing that human health is inextricably linked to the health of our planet, Rooney brings extensive expertise in the green building space to the council. GBCA was fundamental to the early adoption of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) in Australia, now the country with the greatest market saturation globally. Rooney is widely recognized as a global sustainability leader and has championed the local implementation of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) and transformation of Australia's residential building stock during her time as general manager of sustainability at Stockland - one of Australia's largest diversified property development companies.

“I am honoured to join the IWBI Governance Council and excited to see the impact that the recently launched WELL v2 will have in the market,” said Rooney.  “Our remit couldn’t be any more important or urgent than it is right now, as we come together to help in the fight against COVID-19 and work to ensure our buildings focus on better health outcomes for people.”

Naqvi’s experience in leading strategy for developing ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)  indices for the North American market will be critical as IWBI works to bridge the gap between a holistic understanding of public health and its significance to the market, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact has underscored the relationship between population health and the economy. Health data is now being recognized as a pivotal piece of ESG reporting, and it will only play an increasingly important role in how companies and shareholders assess where to invest in the years to come.

“It's an honor to join the Council and be involved with this esteemed group, and to do so at such a critical moment when public health is squarely a priority for us all," said Naqvi. "I've been so impressed with how IWBI has been leading throughout this crisis, embracing collaboration and bringing together diverse stakeholders, to ensure solutions are shared and widespread across the globe. This collaborative ethos is making all the difference. Particularly now, more than ever, as we strive to integrate human health in the built environment, company business models, and investment frameworks that will shape the future of financial performance.”

Naqvi and Rooney join global members of the IWBI Governance Council, including:

●      Amit Bouri, co-Founder and CEO, Global Impact Investing Network

●      Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States

●      Rachel Gutter, president & CEO, IWBI

●      Stephen Huddart, president & CEO, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

●      Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., PIK Professor of Health Equity and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania and former president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

●      Avinash Rajagopal, Editor- in-Chief, Metropolis

●      Nancy Roman, president and CEO, Partnership for a Healthier America

●      Raymond Yau, general manager, Technical Services & Sustainable Development, Swire Properties

Formally constituted in February 2020, the Governance Council most recently convened to vote on the graduation of WELL v2 out of pilot stage, which launched publicly in September.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. It focuses exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness. WELL v2 is the most recent version of its popular WELL Building Standard (WELL), and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types, focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and broader health and safety-related issues into the future. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. More information on WELL can be found here.

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