Pru Bennett

Pru Bennett

Pru Bennett is a Partner of Brunswick Group assisting Australian and Asian corporate clients on issues such relating to corporate governance, ESG strategies and stakeholder management and communications. Pru is a Senior Advisor to Sydney based Morrow Sodali

Pru is chairman of the National Foundation For Australia China Relations, a director of Global Compact Network Australia and the International Integrated Reporting Council Board, a member of the Council for the Asian Corporate Governance Association,  Advisory Council for Hong Kong based investment management firm, Oasis Capital and the Deakin University Integrated Reporting Advisory Board.

Until January 2019, Pru Bennett was a Managing Director at BlackRock and Head of BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship Team for the APAC Region based in Hong Kong. In that role, Pru led a team that responsible for engagement and proxy voting activities concerning the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients.

Pru is an active participant in the public debate on corporate governance, stewardship, and responsible investment and as such regularly speaks and writes on the importance of these issues for company performance and investment decisions. In 2018 Pru received the Asia Industry Leadership Award from 100 Women in Finance. In 2013, Pru was named as one of Australia’s top 10 Women of Influence in Corporate Governance.

Pru is a member of a number of industry and regulatory bodies including Public Shareholder Group of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Corporate Governance Advisory Committee, a council member of the Asian Corporate Governance Association, director of the International Integrated Reporting Council and a member of the Deakin University Integrated Reporting Centre Advisory Board.

Pru is a champion of diversity and inclusion of all kinds. She is a member of steering groups for the Australian and Hong Kong chapters of the 30% club, a market initiative to increase the number of women on boards and in senior management. Pru has published several papers on board diversity.

Before taking on her BlackRock role in August 2010 Pru was head of Corporate Governance at institutional advisor Regnan Governance and Research until 2010. From 1998 to 2009 Pru was a director of Australian proxy advisor Corporate Governance International, which was acquired by Glass Lewis & Co in 2006 and is now known as CGI Glass Lewis. Before working in the area of corporate governance, Pru was Investor Relations Manager for Qantas Airways Limited.

Pru has a BCom from the University of New South Wales, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and a graduate and member of the AICD.