Matt Lawton, who manages the T. Rowe Price Global Impact Credit Strategy and the Global Impact Short Duration Bond Strategy, has been appointed as the head of impact fixed income at the Baltimore-headquartered asset manager.
This newly created role was established to ensure cohesive leadership and direction in T. Rowe Price’s impact fixed income investment capabilities and strengthen its strategic engagement with clients, according to a statement by the firm.
Lawton (pictured) will continue managing both the Global Impact Credit Strategy and the Global Impact Short Duration Bond Strategy, and will also oversee the impact fixed income separate account business.
Lawton began his investment career in 2005 and he joined T. Rowe Price in 2011 and has developed extensive expertise in impact investing and portfolio management. He reports to Samy Maddi, the head of emerging markets in Baltimore.
Maddi commented: “[Lawton] will be working in close collaboration with Willem Visser, sector portfolio manager for emerging markets and impact fixed income, and more broadly with our responsible investing, impact equity, and fixed income research teams.”
In December 2021, T. Rowe Price expanded its impact range and launched its first impact credit strategy, the Global Impact Credit Strategy. In March 2024, the Global Impact Short Duration Bond Strategy was introduced.
These strategies seek both benchmark outperformance and measurable impact, according to T. Rowe Price. In addition, the asset manager and IFC, a member of the World Bank, announced plans to create a global blue bond strategy to increase access to finance for blue projects in emerging markets.
