Peter Dunbar’s Post

Five Takeaways from Private Equity International Responsible Investment Forum: New York Full Scope Insights spent two days at PEI Responsible Investment Forum: New York. I didn’t know what to expect, considering all the doom and gloom surrounding ESG these days. What I experienced was far from what the media would lead you to believe. Almost every major Private Equity shop, and trillions of AUM were in attendance. They talked about the ESG challenges they face, but most were focused on the value creation opportunities that can be unlocked through active ownership and sustainable business practices. Here’s what I heard: 1- Two geographic markets, two different conversations As one GP noted, in the US conversations with LP’s and portfolio companies are very focused on DEI (both positively and negatively) whereas the conversations in Europe are focused on climate and regulations (with favorable political sentiment for both). 2- Strategic integration matters B2B companies that integrate commercial sustainability strategies on average net higher than expected returns and companies that take a more compliance-oriented approach netted expected returns. Conversely, those that did nothing on the sustainability side, suffered upon exit. However, one GP cautioned that companies must focus on financial health before ESG value creation. Timing is everything when it comes to approaching management teams about ESG and sustainability related value creation opportunities.   3- Know your audience In certain situations, terms like responsible business/sustainability instead of ESG open doors, especially when linked to value creation opportunities. Every company cares about operational efficiency, new market channels and treating their employees well. You can talk ESG without ever mentioning ESG.   4- Accountability is key Sustainability-related KPI’s that are material to a company’s financial performance drive sustainable business practices. Linking these KPI’s to compensation focuses management teams on the issues that will increase returns. Value is created when linked to performance.   5- Data drives insight, insight drives value Data for the sake of data is an effort in futility. If you don’t use that data for insight, you won’t unlock the full value creation opportunities of your investments. Additionally, fund managers are moving away from proxy’s & estimates and towards real company data (especially for GHG emissions) in anticipation of assurance. Did you attend the event? What did I miss that you’d like to share? #privatemarkets #RIFNewYork #ESG #responsibleinvestment #sustainableinvestment

We were pleased to be in attendance at the PEI Responsible Investment Forum this week in New York. Check out our key takeaways from FSI Partner Lee Ballin 1- Two geographic markets, two different conversations 2- Strategic integration matters 3- Know your audience 4- Accountability is key 5- Data drives insight, insight drives value

Discovering a solid investment strategy en route to greater sustainability can be challenging. However, investors can fall back on a package of specialist services for their investment decision-making. For example, investors looking to lower the CO2 footprint of their portfolio can access advice on solutions that advance the net-zero transition and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more in this week's Talking Heads: https://lnkd.in/gYwbgCzk

Download now | We are pleased to publish our 2023 Responsible Investment Report, now in its third consecutive year and more comprehensive than ever before. We have expanded our insights and provide detailed perspectives on the latest trends in responsible investing and, more broadly, sustainability. David Levinson, our Head of Responsible Investment, believes that a sustainable future is attainable and has ensured that our Responsible Investment Report features compelling insights from our specialist contributors, and case studies from our asset manager partners on the key ESG-related engagements they have undertaken on behalf of our assets. Download the report: https://ow.ly/4oiU50RXOlT #NedgroupInvestments #ResponsibleInvesting #Sustainability #InvestmentInsights #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #AssetManagement #ESGInvesting

The Understanding Sustainable Investment Approaches panel was amazing. I learned so much, and I'm excited to dig deeper into this topic. Many thanks to Maya Beyhan, Michelle Friedman, Emily Weng, Maria Ichizawa and Dolph Habeck for sharing their insights. #sustainability #sustainablefinance #ESG #capitalmarkets #assetmanagement #energytransition

Responsible Investment Forum: West The Responsible Investment Forum: West, takes place on September 4-5 in an all-new venue and location, the Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Palo Alto. Join 200+ institutional investors, fund managers, expert advisors, and highly recognized thought leaders, for a unique opportunity to discuss developing sustainable investment opportunities that can enhance returns. Key themes include: ·        Investor allocations and perspectives on sustainability considerations ·        The role of AI in ESG ·        Clean tech ·        Building a coherent plan for biodiversity ·        What the Scope 3 emissions California law means for the rest of the US Learn more in the comments section below. Kitty Watson PEI Consulting Group, Inc. 🔄

The Sustainable Investment Report 2024 is now available to readers, sponsored by Green Angel Ventures Featuring distinguishing noise from trends in sustainable investment, and much more #SustainableInvestment https://lnkd.in/gKznBQKW

Join #CRE investment analysts and sustainability professionals on Aug. 7 to gain insight into how investors perceive REITs’ reporting of financially material environmental and social information. Sign up for this one-hour webinar and discover ways to effectively report key metrics that resonate with key stakeholders: https://lnkd.in/e2PvK5Z4

True Corporation’s Head of Investor Relations Naureen Quayum explains how new generations of investors will power up sustainable investing. ESG is becoming more important in Asia as there is a new generation of socially and environmentally conscious investors. Compared to CSR, ESG is a more rigorous framework to hold organizations accountable with solid environmental, social and governance principles. One such framework is the S&P 500’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which analyzes companies across 1,000 data points in the ESG dimensions. . For six years in a row, True Corporation has ranked first in the telecommunications services industry, earning it a spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. With True Corporation’s stock price up over 100% since January 1, Naureen seems to be building investors' trust at a record pace. . Find out more https://lnkd.in/gXNGWRj9

Life Sciences ESG Knowledge Project releases its 2025 benchmark questionnaire for investors. With 23 Life Science investors participating, the Knowledge Project aims to coordinate approaches on ESG within the European Life Science investment community. The Knowledge Project has released its 2025 questionnaire for investors to use and is now freely available to download on our website: https://brnw.ch/21wOPNl 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐒𝐆 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 The questionnaire was first built in 2023 to cover the material ESG matters for the Life Science investment industry, aligning to existing industry questionnaires and other disclosure guiding standards, such as the Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The 2025 Questionnaire has been updated to consider the latest developments in ESG for the industry, and reviewed to ensure it is fit for purpose for both portfolio companies and investors. 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 The Knowledge Project remains open to new participants joining as fee-paying members, which enables access to benchmarking data, contribution to questionnaire development as well as other knowledge sharing and industry events. If you are interested in joining the project, discussing how we can support investors on ESG and Impact or in exploring a similar collaboration for your industry, please contact Jason Feldman or Tom van Mierlo. #ESG #venturecapital #investors #socialresponsibility #impacthouse #grantthorntonnetherlands