The EMPEA ESG Community is open to all individuals at EMPEA member firms who have an active interest in ESG in the emerging markets space. This Community provides a platform to share resources and advice for EMPEA members considering how to build and/or expand their ESG management strategy and offers practitioners and experts a forum to advance the development of ESG best practices through information exchange, research and the aggregation and development of innovative resources.
The Community typically meets twice a year with in-person meetings taking place in:
In addition to bi-annual meetings, ESG Community members can volunteer to participate in one or more of the Community’s three Working Groups which convene via conference call as needed:
Steering Committee
The EMPEA ESG Member Community Steering Committee consists of dedicated and experienced ESG practitioners in the emerging markets private capital space. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this peer-to-peer exchange, and all share the same commitment and passion for their profession.
ESG Member community Chair, Co-Founder and Chief Portfolio and Risk Officer
Mr. Assaad is a co-founder of Avanz Capital where he is Chief Portfolio and Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. He is a respected senior investment and finance professional with over 30 years of experience, including serving as CIO in
Governance Working Group Co-Head, Senior Manager – Responsible investing
Abir joined AfricInvest in 2009 and is in charge of Responsible Investing actively shaping the development of the Group’s ESG and Impact strategy at all stages of the investment process. Abir works alongside the investment teams and the portfolio companies
ESG Reporting & Transparency Working Group Co-Head, and Principal Environmental Specialist with IFC’s Environmental, Social and Governance Department
Atiyah Curmally is a Principal Environmental Specialist with IFC’s Environmental, Social and Governance Department. Her responsibilities include the development of IFC’s ESG strategy for public capital markets and support to senior management on global sustainability issues connected to financial markets
SDG Working Group Co-Head, Director, Environmental & Social Responsibility
Mark joined CDC in 2013 and is the Co-Director of Environment and Social team, where he has oversight of the fund’s and debt business lines. Before joining CDC he headed up WWFs international finance program (2007-2013) and prior to that
Governance Working Group Co-Head, Environmental & Social Officer
Walter van Helvoirt has been working for FMO's Private Equity department for 6+ years. The Private Equity team has invested in over 125 GPs and has a significant portfolio or direct (co-) investments, together some EUR$2b in committed capital. FMO's
ESG Reporting & Transparency Working Group Co-Head, Vice President and Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Alison Kieler is Vice President and Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters at Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), an African-focused private equity fund manager that has raised over $3.0 billion for investment on the continent. Ms. Kieler works closely
SDG Working Group Co-Head, Head of Responsible Investment
Shami leads Actis’ approach to responsible investment, working closely with investment colleagues and company management to assess and manage ESG issues, helping to build world-class businesses and to deliver societal benefits.
ESG Reporting & Transparency Working Group Co-Head, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Oriane is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Label R.
Label R. creates the world’s first ESG & ethical certification for fund managers and private equity funds. Our objective, enhancing their reputation to facilitate business & investments opportunities.
Gender Parity Working Group Co-Head, Managing Partner
Mr. Seymour has over 43 years of investment experience in international and emerging markets through 18 years at Bankers Trust living and working in Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Latin America; 13 years at Commonfund Capital managing international/emerging markets
The Governance Working group is developing a resource guide to assist LPs and fund managers in adopting new methods and tools to better incorporate governance in their investment processes and business practices. The resource guide will provide a broader definition of governance and a compendium of practices, procedures, guides, templates and examples to help users achieve best practices in the governance of funds and investee companies.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Working Group
Responding to the ESG Community’s interest in understanding how to approach the SDGs from an EM PE lens, the SDG Working Group developed the report “Private Equity’s Role in Delivering the SDGs: Current Approaches and Good Practice” and provided an overview of its content during a breakout session of the Global Private Equity Conference in May of 2018. The report is complemented by a compendium of SDG case studies provided by volunteers from the working group and broader ESG Community as well as a SDG resource database that has been populated by members of the working group.
Gender Parity Acceleration Working Group
The Gender Parity Acceleration Working Group was launched at the Global Private Equity Conference in May 2018 and is EMPEA’s first industry initiative aimed at addressing the gender gap in emerging markets private equity. The Working Group plans to leverage the knowledge and experience of the EMPEA membership and lead a collaborative effort to identify the next steps to achieve gender parity.
If you are interested in joining EMPEA’s ESG Member Community and any of its Working Groups, please contact Sabrina Katz at katzs@empea.net or Joyce Berman at bermanj@empea.net.
EMPEA represents the leading global investors in EM. I look forward to working alongside to drive much-needed capital for
financing entrepreneurs and businesses worldwide.
EMPEA plays an important and energetic role across the markets it represents, driving outreach and research initiatives, and promoting the role of private capital.
Brian Lim | Partner and Head of Asia and Emerging Markets, Pantheon Ventures
The developed markets have no equivalent to the role EMPEA is playing as a convener and source of trusted information in the emerging markets.
David Rubenstein | Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman, The Carlyle Group
I’m honored to join fellow industry pioneers in the leadership of an unparalleled network, filled with first movers, shaping the future of industries and communities.
Dr. Andrew Kuper | Founder and CEO, LeapFrog Investments
EMPEA's market and industry intelligence opens doors to new sources of capital. I look forward to the future success of EMPEA and its members.
Torbjorn Caesar | Senior Partner, Actis
While there are certainly challenges for the industry, the opportunities abound in our target markets and globally, making a global association like EMPEA more relevant than ever.
Drew Guff | Managing Director & Founding Partner, Siguler Guff & Company
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