Mergermarket Private Equity Forum New York 2023
Mergermarket's brand-new event for the North American private equity community!
The Plaza, New York
26
Apr
The future of ESG- trends, best practice and value creation
Globally, ESG continues to be an important topic for GPs, LPs, and dealmakers alike, and impact and sustainability funds have continued to gain traction in the US market. Concerns about greenwashing, however, are on the rise, with ESG becoming increasingly politicized in the US, and scrutiny in the industry is rising as the SEC looks to enhance climate and ESG disclosure standards. Our group of ESG experts will take stock of the market and discuss ESG investing from a value creation and risk mitigation perspective and offer their insights into the best opportunities available.
- ESG as a key driver of value- what are GPs and dealmakers doing to put ESG at the heart of their business strategies?
- From an investor perspective, are LPs expectations towards ESG shifting?
- What are some potential greenwashing risks and how can GPs avoid this?
- Next steps- how will ESG continue to drive investment strategies and deal activity as we move into 2023?
-
SpeakersMichael R. Littenberg Partner ROPES & GRAY
Evan Greenfield Managing Director of ESG, Private Equity NYC BCI
Michael Hill Managing Director, Head of Americas, Sustainable Energies & Head of New York CPP INVESTMENTSSanaz Raczynski Managing Director, Sustainability KOHLBERG & COMPANY
Rajith Sebastian Head of ESG and Sustainable Investing NEW YORK STATE INSURANCE FUND (NYSIF)
Aniket Shah Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Finance Strategy JEFFERIES
Confirm cancellation
Something went wrong.
An error occurred trying to play the stream. Please reload the page and try again.
CloseSign-up to join the ION Analytics Community to:
- Register for events
- Access market insights
- Download reports
Michael R. Littenberg has more than 30 years of experience representing U.S. and foreign public and private companies, investment banks, private equity funds and other managers in transactional matters, including securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions, and ongoing compliance. His clients range from large well-known institutions to growing companies across every major industry.
Michael’s transactional capital markets experience covers a wide range of products, including equity and equity-linked securities, investment grade and non-investment grade debt, and SPACs, BDCs and other permanent capital vehicles, through SEC registered, Regulation D, Rule 144A and Regulation S offerings (including registered direct offerings and PIPEs).
Michael’s M&A experience includes representing strategic and financial buyers and sellers, special committees and financial advisors in connection with U.S. and cross-border transactions involving public and private companies.
A significant part of Michael’s practice involves counselling U.S. public companies and foreign private issuers and their boards, board committees, special committees, executive officers and investors in connection with ongoing compliance under the U.S. securities laws, exchange requirements and governance matters.
Michael also advises a significant number of leading companies and managers on ESG, corporate social responsibility, business and human rights and supply chain compliance matters, and is widely viewed as one of the leading practitioners globally in this rapidly evolving area. See here for Michael’s separate bio relating to this portion of his practice.
Michael is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, has authored numerous articles, and is frequently quoted as an expert in the business and specialty press, on topics pertaining to his areas of focus. He has been included in numerous rankings and ratings, including Chambers Global, Legal 500, New York Super Lawyers and the New York Super Lawyers New York metro area top 100 list and Who’s Who in Securities Law.
Joining BCI in 2022 and based out of New York City, Evan leads the ESG program for the Private Equity asset class. BCI’s ESG strategy focuses on improving the sustainability and integrity of global capital markets, while creating favorable economic conditions and long-term value for our clients and the communities we invest in.
Prior to joining BCI, Evan was the Senior Managing Director & Global Head of ESG at S&P Global, where he led the implementation of their ESG Strategy, and oversaw M&A transactions and operations. Evan’s efforts at S&P Global significantly contributed to establishing S&P Global as a preeminent provider of ESG and climate solutions to corporates and capital market participants.
Prior to joining S&P Global, Evan contributed to the development of the ESG and Impact Investing Platform for Deutsche Bank’s Asset and Wealth Management vertical in the America’s and was responsible for the continuous oversight of the program. Evan brings over 20 years of Private Equity investing with focus on ESG, alternative markets, financial services, and M&A across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Evan graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Markets and completed his MBA at Harvard Business School.
BCI’s Private Equity program has grown to $24.8 billion in privately held companies and funds with long-term growth potential. The program includes a talented team of over 60 investment and operational professionals with specialized in-house asset management expertise, contributing to the growth of the total fund exposure, increasing direct and co-sponsor deals, and extending the portfolio global reach. BCI’s Private Equity program is a significant contributor to the corporation’s $211.1 billion in assets under management, making BCI one of the largest institutional investors in Canada.
Michael Hill is a Managing Director and the Americas Head of Sustainable Energies, focusing on direct private equity investments across the energy sector. Michael also serves as Head of New York office.
Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2016, Michael spent more than two decades in investment banking, most recently as Head of M&A and Corporate Finance for Nomura Securities. While there, he was a member of the Global Investment Banking Executive Committee and the America’s Operating and Capital Commitments Committees. Previously, Michael was Global Co-Head of Natural Resources at Deutsche Bank and held various positions at Morgan Stanley, where he started his career in 1989. He has worked in New York, London and Toronto.
Michael holds an HBA from Ivey Business School, where he is also a Board member, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
He is on the boards of Wolf Midstream, Cordelio Power and Encino Energy.
Sanaz Raczynski is a Managing Director and Kohlberg’s Head of Sustainability. She is an active participant on Kohlberg’s investment team, reporting to Kohlberg’s Chief Investment Officer. She sets the sustainability strategy and drives the implementation of ESG best practices at Kohlberg. Sanaz also acts as a sustainability strategist and a resource for Kohlberg portfolio companies. Sanaz is an active contributor to industry-wide initiatives designed to promote the adoption of ESG best practices within the private equity industry.
Prior to joining Kohlberg, Sanaz was a managing director and head of sustainability for Nuveen Real Assets and Private Markets.
Sanaz received a M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, an M.A. from New York University and a B.A. from University of California at Los Angeles
Rajith Sebastian is Head of ESG and Sustainable Investing at NYSIF where he is responsible for the sustainable investing team and strategy across NYSIF’s $20bn portfolio. He has over 20 years of experience in the finance and investment industry globally. Rajith also serves as Head of Impact Investments at the ESG Initiative of the Wharton School. He has previously worked in investment banking, private equity, and management consulting, and has a Bachelor of Business Science degree from the University of Cape Town, an MBA from the Wharton School, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Aniket Shah is a practitioner in the space of sustainable finance, whose career has bridged the public and private sectors.
Aniket Shah is Managing Director and Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability Research at Jefferies Group LLC. In this role, Aniket leads the integration of ESG and sustainability analysis within the global investment research department and engages with clients on this dynamic area of corporate and financial services.
He is also a Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, where he leads the organization's efforts on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment research in the public and private sectors. Aniket was previously the Head of Sustainability and ESG Research- Americas, at UBS.