14
Nov
PE leader insights: private capital’s commitment towards change
Although most GPs are now actively conscious of the need for increased diversity in the industry, there remains much discussion and debate in terms of how to best implement changes effectively, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where conversations and progress surrounding DEI tends to be slower and more fragmented. Global LPs are increasingly questioning managers on their DEI policies within the firm and at the portfolio company level, however, slowly but surely changes are coming to the forefront. Our panel of regional and global GP leaders will share their respective firm’s initiatives, views on the industry and provide actionable insights.
- How has the conversation of diversity, equity and inclusion developed in the past 12 months globally and locally? Why should these issues be taken as seriously as climate change?
- Within Asia, which countries are taking more concrete steps towards inclusion and diversity and what are best practice firms can share?
- For GPs that have just started to think more about DEI, what are concrete action points/first steps to take?
- How can managers hold their portfolio companies accountable, and which sectors already see wider diversity and more representation?
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SpeakersAngus Choi Partner ERM
Lydia Hao Managing Director HARBOURVEST PARTNERS
Diana Dawson Managing Director TPG
Amy Fong Managing Director FOUNTAINVEST PARTNERS ASIA
Sarah Pang Vice President, Head of ESG & Sustainability AFFINITY EQUITY PARTNERS
Jessica Espinoza CEO 2X Collaborative
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Angus Choi is a Partner at ERM with over 16 years of experience as Sustainability Financing professional. Angus is currently leading the Transaction Services in ERM China and Hong Kong on ESG advisory services and due diligence for financial clients, including private equity (PEs), equator principle financial institutions (EPFIs), and bilateral and multilateral development banks. Angus has advised on over 100 PE transactions for client in recent years, include: Advent, ADM, ADV, AIC, Angelo-Gordon, Blackstone, Bain Capital, Bridgepoint, Capital Group Private Equity, CAF, Carlyle, CDC, CVC, Cenova, Climate Fund Managers, DCP, Forebright, Gaorong, Goldman Sachs, GIP, KKR, Macquarie, Navis, Nexus Point, NewQuest, Proterra, Olympus, OTPP, TPG and many more. Engagements comprise due diligence support, incorporating sustainability improvements to 100-day plans, support on Responsible Investment /ESG management systems/policy development, and delivering resource efficiency and value enhancement within portfolio companies. Angus received a MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment, Auditing and Management System from University of East Anglia, UK and a BSc in University of Hong Kong.
Lydia Hao joined HarbourVest’s primary partnership team in 2021 as a Managing Director based in Hong Kong and focuses on Asia-Pacific investments.
She was previously a Principal in Neuberger Berman’s private equity team, where she led the firm’s primary funds, co-investments, and secondary investments in the Greater China region. Prior to joining Neuberger Berman in 2017, Lydia spent seven years at CPP Investment Board in Hong Kong as one of the founding members of the Private Equity Asia team, building its direct investment portfolio across the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, she was based in New York where she worked at Apax Partners focused on US private equity buyouts in the consumer and TMT sectors, and worked at UBS Investment Bank in the Mergers and Acquisitions group advising clients across various industries.
Lydia received a Bachelor of Science (summa cum laude) in Hotel Administration, from Cornell University. She speaks fluent Mandarin.
Diana Dawson is a Managing Director at TPG based in Singapore and she oversees Human Resources for the 6 offices in Asia Pacific. Prior to joining TPG, Diana worked at Blackstone, where she served as the Head of Human Resources for South Asia & Australia and she also spent 13 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, 11 of which as Head of Human Resources. Diana earned a BA in Economics from Royal Holloway College, University of London and trained as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Amy is Managing Director as well as the Chair of ESG Committee at FountainVest Partners (Asia) Limited. FountainVest Partners was founded in 2007 and is a leading Asian private equity fund with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Prior to joining FountainVest in late 2019, Amy worked for 4 years as the CEO of Save the Children Hong Kong.
Before Save the Children, Amy spent nearly two decades in financial services with institutions including JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, and Merrill Lynch, working in the US and Asia, having worked as an investment banker, head of strategy, COO and Head of Regulatory Change Management. Amy is a Board Member of Langdi Pharmaceutical and serves on the ESG Committee of Amer Sports, and the Board of Rädda Barnen Service AB, a Swedish social enterprise focusing on Child Rights in business. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and has an MBA from Columbia University and she was also a Certified Public Accountant qualified in the District of Columbia, USA. Amy is a Hong Kong native and has a 21-year old daughter and a 16-year old son. She is a spiritual practitioner and teaches meditation as a volunteer on a regular basis.
Sarah is the Head of ESG and Sustainability at Affinity Equity Partners. She is responsible for ESG integration, training, and disclosures and helps the firm manage its sustainability and climate related risks and opportunities. She is passionate about ESG as a value creation lever and actively engages with portfolio companies to develop initiatives that will help them create long term sustainable value. As a member of the SVCA ESG committee, she believes that knowledge sharing, and partnerships will help accelerate sustainability solutions that build a better world for the next generation.
Prior to her role at Affinity Equity Partners, she was a founding member of Temasek Holdings’ sustainability team. She started her career as a lawyer, and after 10 years took hold of an opportunity to transition into sustainability. She graduated from Bristol University with an LLB and Bachelor of Business at Nanyang Technological University. Outside work, she enjoys spending time with loved ones and a variety of hobbies including road cycling, skiing, food, travel, reading.
Jessica Espinoza is CEO of the 2X Collaborative, a global industry for gender lens investing convening the entire spectrum of capital providers. She is also Chair of the 2X Challenge that has raised more than US$ 11 billion of gender lens investments since its launch at the G7 Summit in 2018. Jessica has a track record in originating, structuring and executing debt, mezzanine and equity deals in emerging and frontier markets with a strong focus on inclusive innovation. The latest innovation she is spearheading with 2X colleagues is 2X Ignite, a bold facility to unlock capital for gender-smart business at scale by backing female-led fund managers.
Jessica serves on the Board of Directors of AlphaMundi Foundation and previously of the Mexican financial institution Mega as well as the Advisory Board of several private equity funds. As a mentor for Endeavor, she supports high impact companies as they scale up. Jessica is the Founder of XOCO, an inclusive edtech venture and a fellow at Columbia eLab. Jessica was selected for the Leaders Europe 2022 program of the Obama Foundation and awarded the Digital Female Leadership Award of Global Digital Women 2019.
Prior to her current role, Jessica was Vice President for Private Equity & Venture Capital Investments at DEG/KfW. She was also a Member of the Management Board at ProCredit Bank Nicaragua responsible for the Business Clients Division and managed the Africa Regional Office of MicroFinance Transparency.
Jessica holds a double degree in International Business Management from ESB Business School and Dublin City University. She is a PhD candidate at University of Siegen, researching the transformative potential of gender lens investing under the supervision of Prof. Friederike Dr. Welter.