She will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Liang Si, head of DCM & Syndicate, Global Markets, Asia-Pacific at BNP Paribas.

The bank said that the new regional post will drive expansion in sustainable DCM across all its “major clients segments” arguing that sustainable capital markets worldwide are growing "nowhere more so than in Asia-Pacific.”

Several European wealth managers have been building SRI capacity in APAC eyeing its growth prospects, among them Indosuez Wealth Management and UBS investment, as investors recognise the growing relationship between ESG and portfolio performance.

“With her experience in the sustainable finance space and involvement with ESG-related issues in the region, we are confident that Chaoni’s appointment will further cement our position", the Paris-based bank said.

Huang moves from leading sustainability efforts at Natixis. Prior to that, she worked in SRI roles for S&P Trucost, MSCI and the United Nations. She also has strong regional affiliations as vice president and secretary general of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association. As the appetite for ESG investing grows in Asia, so will competition for available talent in a region that is some way behind Europe in market development.

Bolstering its credentials in SRI, BNP Paribas said that it ranked third globally last year for green bonds issuances, according to figures from Dealogic, placing €6.3 billion (£5.6 billion) in green bonds worldwide. It also said that allocations into companies working in sectors that are directly contributing to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals reached €168 billion in 2018.