Dr James Gifford is Executive Director of the PRI and has been guiding the initiative since its inception in November 2003. He was also a member of the Global Reporting Initiative Working Group that developed the Environmental Sector Supplement for the finance sector. He holds a PhD from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney on the effectiveness of shareholder engagement in improving corporate environmental, social and corporate governance performance. He has a background in IT and environmental protection and has degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of Queensland, and a Master's of Environment Management from the University of New South Wales. He is a board member of the Melbourne-based Centre for Sustainability Leadership.