Carine Smith Ihenacho is to leave Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) after nine years, the €1.8trn Norwegian sovereign wealth fund manager announced.
Smith Ihenacho will continue as chief governance and compliance officer until the end of 2026. NBIM said further details on her succession would follow in due course.
She joined NBIM in 2017 as global head of active ownership, where she built what the fund described as “one of the most effective and influential responsible investment functions in the global investor community”.
Smith Ihenacho was promoted to chief level and joined NBIM’s leadership group and investment committee in January 2018. In 2020, her responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of legal and tax, compliance and operational risk and control.
“The last nine years at NBIM have been some of the most rewarding of my professional life, and it has been a privilege to contribute to the mission of the fund,“ Smith Ihenacho said.
“We have built incredibly capable and dedicated teams, all well-placed to thrive in the future, and I have decided that this is the right time to explore new challenges and begin another chapter of my work life.”
NBIM chief executive officer Nicolai Tangen thanked Smith Ihenacho for her contribution to the fund.
“Carine will leave a lasting legacy at the fund. Under her leadership, we have built a world-leading active ownership function, and she has been a highly regarded member of the fund’s leadership. Carine’s pioneering work, strategic thinking and ability to communicate has been instrumental to the success of the fund,” Tangen said.
Smith Ihenacho’s departure comes after a nine-year tenure during which her remit expanded from active ownership to encompass several governance, compliance and risk functions.
An NBIM spokesperson declined to comment on Smith Ihenacho’s future plans.
