
Proving the value of ESG in private equity
The longest-running private equity forum focused on bringing together fund managers, institutional investors, and expert advisors to discuss ESG issues across alternative asset classes will return in November, co-hosted with PRI. Whilst ESG has grown due to increased demands from institutional investors, GPs are increasingly seeing how its implementation can add tangible value to their investments.
The event will provide extensive opportunities to network. Connect with your peers through one-to-one meetings, group discussions, build relationships and compare best practices.
Register to be a part of the must-attend event for alternative asset professionals with an interest in ESG and responsible investment.
Co-hosted with
Explore the virtual experience
Essential market insight
Hear from representatives from Triton Partners, Stepstone Group, Nest Pensions and many more addressing ESG within alternative assets. All content will be recorded and available on-demand.
Global audience for new opportunities
Going virtual means removing the restrictions of international travel. Save time, money and connect with a truly global audience. Bringing new faces, different perspectives and increasing your opportunities to connect.
6 months access to the community
Continue conversations with other attendees and access the discussion forums 5 months after the event. The platform will be open 4 weeks before the event so you can set up your meetings ahead of time and 5 months after to continue making connections.
Event partner in The Sunday Times
Responsible Investment Special
2020 Keynote speech: A climate scientist's perspective
Dr. Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Director, Cambridge Zero at University of Cambridge
Climate strategy has been a key topic at the PEI Responsible Investment Forum for a number of year’s now, but 2020 was the year that the debate moved forward significantly.
The theme of forum was how private equity can react to the climate emergency with a number of sessions dedicated to climate including our keynote speaker.
Connect with responsible investment and ESG professionals
Featured speakers in 2020

Testimonials from attendees
Anna Follér, Sustainability Manager
AP6
As an investor in private equity only, the PEI Responsible Investment Forum is our number one go to event for learning, sharing and networking around ESG.
Clara Camara, Legal Counsel
Crest Capital Partners
As a first-time attendee, it was very useful to understand the urgency of being more demanding with ourselves and with portfolio companies. It was great to lear…
Rick Walters, Director, Infrastructure
GRESB
This conference boldly showed where ESG and investing is heading. The streams on asset classes were particularly illuminating. Thank you.
Clara Camara, Legal Counsel
Crest Capital Partners
As a first-time attendee, it was very useful to understand the urgency of being more demanding with ourselves and with portfolio companies. It was great to learn from the best in market.
One click access to responsible investment expertise from the safety of your workspace
Essential market insight
Hear from industry leaders including; Triton Partners, Stepstone Group, Nest and many more on how they are addressing ESG within alternative assets. All content will be recorded and available on-demand.
Global audience for new opportunities
Going virtual means removing the restrictions of international travel. Save time, money and connect with a truly global audience. Bringing new faces, different perspectives and increasing your opportunities to connect.
6 months access to the community
Continue conversations with other attendees and access the discussion forums 5 months after the event. The platform will be open 4 weeks before the event to allow you to arrange meetings during the event and 5 months after to allow you continue making connections.
Hear from leading investors and managers
Discover how your peers are responding to the impact of the pandemic and discover investor’s priorities for the next year.
Access 16 hours of interactive content from 80 speakers across the two days. Watch keynote interviews, panel discussions, debates and much more.
With the online platform you can:
- Create your own daily agenda so you don’t miss a meeting or a key session
- Take part in the sessions through speaker Q&A and live polling
- Watch any sessions you missed at a later date. All sessions will be available on-demand for 5 months
Catch up with old colleagues and make new connections
Connect with your peers through video meetings, forum discussions and private messaging.
The Forum’s virtual experience provides you with 6 months access to the platform and the operating partner community.
Through the platform you can:
- Filter and search the delegate list to find the people you want to meet
- Arrange video meetings with other attendees for a private meeting to business opportunities and get deals done
- Take part in forum discussions with other attendees with similar interests to get answers to your most pressing questions and share ideas on key topics
Explore the sponsor exhibition
Explore the virtual exhibition hall and chat with sponsors to discover solutions to your business concerns.
Through the platform you can:
- Visit the virtual exhibition booth to discover the range of solutions available to help you better serve your customers
- Interact with the exhibitors you can request more information with the click of a button or arrange a meeting to discuss the products and services in more detail
Connect with responsible investment professionals
Connect with investors and fund managers focused on ESG through video meetings, forum discussions and private messaging. Search the attendee list, start a conversation and arrange meetings with responsible investment and ESG professionals.
Find the people you want to meet
Want to catch up with an old colleague or make a new contact with a specific focus?
Search and filter the delegate list and create a shortlist of the people you most want to meet. Message them to chat and arrange online video meetings throughout the event.
Arrange 1-2-1 video meetings
Share strategies and discuss the state of the industry with your peers in private meetings. During the event you can have video meetings with other attendees. Simply search the delegate list for the people you want to meet, arrange a time and send them a meeting invite. You can invite up to five people to any one meeting.
Identify other attendees with the same interests
Whatever your area of interest the forum discussions allow you to take part in conversations on the issues that matter most to you or start your own topic.
You will be able to see who else is joining the conversation and message them privately if you want to continue the discussion.
6 months access to the community
You will have 6 months of access to the platform. Login 4 weeks before the event to build your agenda and arrange meetings with the people you want to meet during the event.
The messaging and forums, as well as access to recordings of all sessions will be available 5 months after the event.
View the 2020 agenda
For more information on the agenda in 2021 please contact Charles Gould at charles.g@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 20 7566 5444.
Agenda
Day 1 - Tuesday 10th
Virtual event platform tutorial
Before the start of the event, watch the brief overview of the Pathable platform to ensure you are comfortable with its use.
The EU's Sustainable Finance Agenda
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the Taxonomy Regulation
This interactive webinar and discussion will assume some prior knowledge of the SFDR and will focus on the difficult outstanding issues and immediate priorities for those implementing them in their firms. There will be the opportunity to ask the speakers questions throughout the presentation.
Recent and forthcoming UK regulations that will affect ESG professionals
This roundtable panel discussion will cover a number of topics focused on ESG professionals in private capital firms, including, but not limited to, issues relating to climate change, legal issues arising in supply chain due diligence, workforce-related issues, and the role of the portfolio company board. The panel will also address whether your portfolio companies need a “purpose”. The panel will respond to questions from the audience during the session.
How ESG data science transforms investment strategy
Workshop
Artificial intelligence increasingly drives developments in capital markets. This session outlines how machine learning combined with human analysis can be used to meet investors’ needs and provide the daily, robust insights into your portfolio companies that are essential for advanced due diligence processes. Dr. Heiko Bailer will explain how advanced machine learning algorithms can be trained on labelled datasets from big data to extract meaningful information related to your portfolio companies, how this output can be further curated by human analysts, and classified according to ESG standards. In the second half, he will turn to practical examples and tools: you will look at real ESG violations by using the RepRisk ESG Risk Platform, learn how these were classified and tagged, e.g. as “fraud” or “tax evasion,” and how these tags developed over time and across headquarters and regions. The workshop will conclude with how such risk-focused ESG analysis can be integrated into your investment processes and strategies to enable customized solutions.
Agenda
Day 2 - Wednesday 11th
Start the day with speed networking
Participate in 3 randomly generated meetings to get your conference started. Please be prepared to switch on your camera and make connections
Chair's Introduction & PRI Update
Keynote speech: A climate scientists’ perspective on where we are at

Stretch break
Nearing the point of no return: Can the urgency of covid-19 speed up the global response to climate change?
- How are funds implementing the recommendations from the FSB Taskforce?
- Finding climate related opportunities and managing risks in your portfolio
- To what extent is COP 25 and climate risk mapping relevant to mid-market PE funds? Are LP expectations realistic?
- What can be learnt from the past few months to avoid ignoring the climate emergency?
Stretch Break
ERM Survey Findings - Eyes on the prize: Unlocking the ESG premium in private markets

Stretch Break
What do investors want from fund managers on climate?
Panel Session
- To what extent are climate issues impacting strategic asset allocation?
- Are investors looking into ESG at specific portfolio companies? And considering systemic risks across markets and asset classes?
- How do LPs ensure clarity when data is not readily available?
Moderator: Doug Bryden, Partner, Head of Risk & Operational Regulatory, Travers Smith


Meg Brown
Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development Client Services and Business Development, Impax Asset Management
Read bio



Meet the Speakers


Meg Brown
Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development Client Services and Business Development, Impax Asset Management
Read bio



Data & ESG: How to drive meaningful data in private markets
Panel Session
- Working towards standardisation of reporting
- What can PE learn from public companies on utilising data?
- Making data useful and relevant to performance
Moderator: Peter Dunbar, Private Equity Senior Specialist, PRI





Stretch Break
How and why are more private equity funds launching impact strategies?
Panel Session
- Defining what we mean by impact
- Is there a trade-off between impact and returns?
- How can PE Firms build something around impact that makes sense?
- To what extent is the impact team separate from the rest of the fund?
Moderator: Jeffrey Altman, Senior Advisor, Finadvice





Virtual Networking
Applying the SDGs at the fund manager level
- Making the investment case for SDGs
- How have firms used SDGs to improve performance of portfolio companies?
- Why SDGs are relevant to institutional investors
- Examples of successful SDG engagement in private equity
Moderator: Silva Dezelan, Director Sustainability, Private Equity, Robeco
IFC Impact Investment Update

How to drive private markets towards impact investment
- What impact strategies are best positioned for success?
- What are the obstacles? Are there enough commercial projects to put money to work?
- To what extent is the investor base different in expectations to traditional investors in PE funds?
Moderator, Juana Hatfield, Consulting Director, ERM
Stretch Break
The role of private equity in the COVID-19 crisis
- ESG challenges that COVID-19 brings to PE-backed companies and businesses more generally
- Examples of stakeholder management and positive investment trends
- Learnings from the past few months for PE moving forward
Moderator: Natasha Buckley, Vice-President & Head of ESG, HarbourVest Partners




Stretch Break
Portfolio wide case study: Integrating an ESG strategy across an entire portfolio
- Identifying opportunities across a portfolio of investments
- Leverage portfolio company boards to implement ESG initiatives
- Encouraging management teams to learn from each other
Alan Kao, Principal, Ramboll
in conversation with
Carmela Mondino, Senior Operating Associate, ESG & Sustainability, Partners Group
Stretch Break
Making yourself heard in the boardroom
- How to sell green improvements to the investment team
- Making ESG a part of businesses long term growth plans
- Case studies highlighting tangible savings from ESG improvements

Christopher Springham
VP - Communications and Sustainability, LM Wind Power GE Renewable Energy Business
Read bioCreating alpha with ESG
- How can ESG create value for specific investments?
- What principles should investors follow to capture this value?
- What does good ESG management look like?

Close of Day
Agenda
Day 3 - Thursday 12th
Speed networking and welcome back to day two
Fireside chat: Sustainable investing from an investor perspective with a focus on climate
- Comparing the approach of listed vs. unlisted investors: What can they learn from each other
- What demands are investors making on climate to the funds they invest in?
- Analysing asset owners ESG investment practices
- Consideration of upcoming regulations and European initiatives
Emmanuel Parmentier, Partner, INDEFI
in conversation with:
Stephen Barrie, Deputy Director of Ethics and Engagement, Church of England Pension Fund
Stretch Break
Should ESG & impact be measured at the portfolio level?
- How to set strategic goals and expectations
- What metrics should investors use?
- Managing impact performance
Moderator: Joanna Tirbakh, Project Manager, INDEFI
AP6 Case Study: How ESG is incorporated across all investment decisions
- To what extent is ESG impacting the funds AP6 invest into?
- How closely does the ESG professional work with the investment team?
- Best practice on ESG from fund managers
Anna Follér, Sustainability Manager, AP6
in conversation with
Ellinor Schrewelius, Investment Director, AP6
Stretch Break
Optimising private equity portfolios for ESG
- Regulatory readiness and overcoming the data availability issue:
- A step by step framework to gain a strategic advantage with your carbon data
- Learn how to collect, measure and analyse carbon data across your complete portfolio
- Case study: Carbon footprinting in action
Speed networking
Private Equity & Responsible Capitalism: Is PE doing enough?
- The role of PE in building back better post covid-19
- Is the pay level for managers appropriate relative to value added?
- To what extent should ESG managers concern themselves with capital structures and level of debt?
- Are success metrics in private equity compatible with ESG?
Moderator: Delilah Rothenberg, Executive Director, The Predistribution Initiative
Stretch Break
Practical perspectives on addressing diversity within your organisations
- Making the business case for diversity
- Asking difficult questions during due diligence
- Moving beyond gender diversity, what are participants doing?
- Case studies of successful implementation
Virtual Networking Break
ESG Due Diligence Scenario Session: Deal or No Deal
The session will highlight the increased role of ESG in due diligence. A fund manager and an advisor will discuss a hypothetical investment opportunity with ESG issues. They will ask the questions they would ask in a real investment situation with specific infrastructure assets and reflect on the ESG risk of the investment. The audience will then be given the opportunity to quiz the presenters on their decisions and decide whether they would themselves invest in an audience poll.
Moderated by: Anders Klinkby, Managing Partner, Klinkby Enge
Stretch Break
Why ESG is finally growing in importance in private debt
- Exerting influence on ESG issues as a debt investor
- The role of ESG in assessing risk pre-deal
- Case studies of successful ESG implementation in a credit portfolio
Stretch break
Making the business case for ESG in real estate
- Aligning sustainability and investment strategies across the portfolio
- ESG performance improvements: from risk reduction to value creation
- How can real estate have a positive impact and avoid displacement of marginalised people
Moderator: Roxana Isaiu, Director – ESG & Real Estate, GRESB
Stretch Break
Why ESG in infrastructure is here to stay and how managers can act across their portfolio
Networking Session
In these interactive roundtables you will be placed in a zoom-style call to discuss the relevant topic with other industry members. The sessions will be hosted by a virtual workshop leader and one-two speakers, they will help kick off the discussion and then it will turn into a more free-flowing discussion with other participants
- Addressing some of the unique challenges involved with ESG in infrastructure
- Investing in climate resilient infrastructure
- To what extent is infrastructure being incorporated within due diligence?
- How can ESG be used as part of wider value creation strategy
Facilitator : Simon Whistler, Senior Specialist, UNPRI





Close of Conference
Speakers in 2020
For more information on speaking opportunities in 2021 please contact Charles Gould at charles.g@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 20 7566 5444.

Jeffrey Altman
Senior Advisor, Finadvice

Graeme Ardus
Head of ESG, Triton Partners

James Arnell
Partner, Charterhouse Capital Partners

Dr Heiko Bailer
Head of ESG Quantitative Investments, RepRisk

Stephen Barrie
Deputy Director of Ethics and Engagement, Church of England Pensions Board

Michael Bonte-Friedheim
Founding Partner & Group CEO, NextEnergy Capital

Candice Brenet
Managing Director, Head of Sustainability and Digital Transformation, Ardian

Meg Brown
Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development Client Services and Business Development, Impax Asset Management

Douglas Bryden
Partner, Head of Risk & Operational Regulatory, Travers Smith

Natasha Buckley
Vice-President & Head of ESG, HarbourVest Partners

Sam Carson
Director of Sustainability, Carbon Intelligence

Sabine Chalopin
Power and Renewables ESG & Impact Director, Denham Capital

Tim Clare
Director, Anthesis and advisor to Landmark Information Group

Sonal Dalal
Director-Civil Society and NGO Outreach, SASB

Alvar de Wolff
Head of ESG & Responsible Investing, Bregal Investments

Alexander Dexne
CFO, alstria office

Silva Deželan
ESG Director, Stafford Capital Partners

Peter Dickson
Partner, Glennmont Partners

Peter Dunbar
Private Equity Senior Specialist, PRI

Chandra Eastwell
Associate Director - Sustainability, MIRA

Felix Edge Partingdon
Senior Analyst, Carbon Intelligence

Anna Follér
AP6

Sabrina Fox
Executive Advisor, European Leveraged Finance Association

Philippa Gill
Director - Europe, Evora

Cornelia Gomez
ESG Director, PAI Partners

Rhiann Gray
Head of Commercial Asset Management and ESG, Private Equity / Infrastructure – Director, Impax Asset Management

Neil Gregory
Chief Thought Leadership Officer, IFC

Christian Gückel
Chief Risk Officer, SEDCO

Alison Hampton
Founder, Alma Verde Advisors

Juana Hatfield
Consulting Director, ERM

David Helgerson
Managing Director, Hamilton Lane

Maya Hennerkes
Sector Lead Financial Intermediaries, EBRD

James Hilburn
Director of Financial Services, Carbon Intelligence

Helen Hopkins
Responsible Investor Advisor, USS Investment Management

Alison Humphrey
Director ESG, TPG

Pia Irell
Impact Partner, Trill Impact

Roxana Isaiu
Director - Real Estate, GRESB

Alan Kao
Principal, Ramboll

Siân Keall
Partner, Travers Smith

Ebel Kemeling
Managing Director, MJ Hudson Spring

Anders Klinkby
Managing Partner, Klinkby Enge

Paula Langton
Partner, Campbell Lutyens

Elin Ljung
Director of Communication and Sustainability, Nordic Capital

Caroline Löfgren
Head of Responsible Investment, Hg

Maggie Loo
Partner - Client & Strategy Development, Bridges Fund Management

Antoine Mallard
Co-Founder & CEO, Ai.VEN Partners

Kristina Matthews
Managing Director, Brightwood Capital Advisors

Carmela Mondino
Senior Operating Associate, ESG & Sustainability, Partners Group

Monika Nachyla
Partner, Abris Capital Partners

Shami Nissan
Head of Responsible Investment, Actis

Cristian Norambuena
Senior Investment Officer, Office of New York City Comptroller

Viviana Occhionorelli
ESG Director, Astorg Partners

Lisa Ondrula
Partner and Co-Head Operations Management Group, The Jordan Company

Eimear Palmer
Responsible Investing Officer, ICG

Emmanuel Parmentier
Partner, INDEFI

Jeff Pentland
Managing Director, Northleaf Capital Partners

Andrew Prodromos
Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Insight Partners

Fiona Reynolds
CEO, PRI Association

Camilla Richards
Head of Investor Relations, Atomico

Danny Riding
Senior Associate, Travers Smith

Delilah Rothenberg
Executive Director, The Predistribution Initiative

Ellinor Schrewelius
Investment Director, AP6

Dr Dennis Schuler
Senior Quantitative Analyst, RepRisk

Alastair Scott
Senior Partner, ERM

Dr Emily Shuckburgh
Director, Cambridge Zero at University of Cambridge

Diandra Soobiah
Head of Responsible Investment, Nest Corporation

Christopher Springham
VP - Communications and Sustainability, LM Wind Power GE Renewable Energy Business

Shane Swords
Managing Director and Head of Investor Relations, NextEnergy Capital

Suzanne Tavill
Partner & Global Head of Responsible Investing, StepStone Group

Joanna Tirbakh
Project Manager, INDEFI

Nino Tronchetti Provera
Founder and Managing Partner, Ambienta

Maaike van der Schoot
Responsible Investment Officer, AlpInvest Partners

Emma Watson
Senior Consultant, Carbon Intelligence

Simon Whistler
Senior Specialist, UNPRI

Angela Willetts
Managing Director - Co-Chair of Responsible Investment Committee, Capital Dynamics

Sarah Winne
Managing Consultant, Climate Change Resilience, Ramboll

Simon Witney
Senior Consultant, Travers Smith

Adam Wyman
Partner, Travers Smith

Dr Serge Younes
Senior Vice President - Head of Sustainability, Investindustrial
Sponsorship opportunities
Explore the virtual exhibition hall and chat with sponsors to discover solutions to your business concerns and find ways to improve the service for your customers.
Through the platform you can:
- Visit the virtual exhibition booth to discover the range of solutions available to help you better serve your customers
- Interact with the exhibitors you can request more information with the click of a button or arrange a meeting to discuss the products and services in more detail
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities please fill in the enquiry form or contact Christopher Wagland, chris.w@peimedia.com +44 (0) 0207 566 5475.
Sponsors in 2020
Pre-Event Resources
Frequently asked questions
We understand that the world of virtual events is a new one, so we have put together a series of FAQs to make things clearer.
If you have a question that isn’t covered below please contact us at customerservices@peimedia.com and a member of our team will get back to you.
What time zone is the event held in?
What if I have a question or any problems during the event?
-
- Members of our team will be available for the duration of the event to answer any of your questions and help in any way we can.
-
- To get in touch with us:
- Go to the menu bar within the platform, select ‘People’, filter by ‘PEI Media’ and select a member of staff on the Event Operations Team. Then send a message by clicking their profile and they will respond as soon as possible.
- If you are having problems accessing the platform, email eventsteam@peimedia.com
What equipment do I need?
How do I access the platform?
How will I know how to use the platform?
Do I need to sit in front of my laptop all day or all night?
I have watched enough webinars over the past 6 months, why would I want to watch more?
- Ask questions of panel speakers during the session
- Spend time face-to-face via video conference with speakers to ask questions after the session
- Join roundtables to discuss the topics that matter to you with like-minded peers
- Focused networking breaks where you can discuss the strategies and opportunities you are
interested in - Pop in to sponsor booths to connect via video and discuss their offerings or a presentation that they have given
What if I forget that a session I want to attend is on?
You can build your own personal agenda within the platform and opt-in to receive notifications when sessions are about to begin.