Zimbabwe-born Milburn leaves Corporate Citizenship to join Singapore bank DBS

By Robin Hicks

Thomas Milburn, the Asia Pacific director of Corporate Citizenship (CC), has left the sustainability consultancy after a decade of service to join Singapore bank DBS.

Milburn joins the bank as senior vice president, chief sustainability office as Southeast Asia’s largest finance group builds out its sustainability function.

He will report to Helge Muenkel, who was appointed chief sustainability officer of DBS at the start of last year. Milburn starts in his new role on Monday (31 July).

The Zimbabwean comes on board just under a year after the bank unveiled new interim targets to decarbonise its lending portfolio. DBS has committed to be a net-zero bank by 2050 and reduce its coal exposure to zero by 2039.

His role will involve the operationalisation of the company’s net zero pledge and coordinating sustainability programmes across the group as well as improving its sustainability reporting processes as the firm responds to shifting requirements for disclosure.

Milburn said he was joining a bank that is “leading the sustainable finance charge” in Asia.

“After fourteen years advising and supporting companies to integrate ESG [environmental, social and governance issues] from the outside in, I am looking forward to the challenge of driving change from the inside out,” he said.

Succeeding Milburn in running CC in Southeast Asia is Jane Gan, who joined the company more than three years ago.

Milburn joined CC in 2013 as a consultant for the London office and moved to Singapore and a role as senior consultant in 2016. He was promoted to Southeast Asia director in 2019 and named Asia Pacific director in January 2022, less than a year after CC was acquired by engineering and consulting firm SLR.

He started his career working at an early ESG rating called the Corporate Responsibility Index, run by Business in the Community, a non-profit that advises companies on purpose and responsible business strategy in the United Kingdom.

Milburn holds a Master of Science degree in corporate governance and business ethics.