Fitch Ratings has appointed Marina Petroleka as global head of ESG research for its sustainable finance group. Based in London, Petroleka will lead Fitch's global team of ESG research analysts.

The team's main focus is on thematic and cross-sector ESG research using both internal and external datasets, complementing the entity and sector level ESG research and analysis produced globally by Fitch's credit rating analysts.

Petroleka will report to Andrew Steel, managing director and global group head of sustainable finance.

Petroleka previously held the role of global head of industry research at Fitch Solutions, leading a global team of industry analysts and led major research projects on industry megatrends, sustainability trends and industry investment attractiveness models.

She joined the Fitch Ratings Credit Policy Group in 2020 with a focus on cross-sector, thematic credit research, ensuring comprehensive analysis and awareness on major credit risks across asset classes.