Hiromichi Mizuno

Hiromichi Mizuno served as Chief Investment Officer of Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) from 2015 to 2020. GPIF manages approximately $1.7 trillion — making it the world's largest pension fund — and its investment decisions have market-moving implications. Mizuno made GPIF one of the most significant ESG investors globally, allocating hundreds of billions to ESG indexes and engagement programs. His argument was that as a universal owner holding a significant fraction of all global equities, GPIF's returns depend on the health of the entire financial system and economy, making sustainability inherently a financial issue. He became one of the most influential voices globally on ESG integration in large institutional portfolios. He has since worked on Ownership Works, a nonprofit focused on employee equity sharing.