On June 9th, MP released ESG in Private Equity SM – 2015, its fourth flagship report. The report, subtitled “ESG Becoming Core to GP Investment Process,” sought to provide deeper insight on the state of ESG in private equity. Through primary responses from more than 70 private equity general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs), MP pushed beyond established answers and placed ESG into broader trends in private equity today.
The report was released to significant praise from industry professionals and private equity journalists. Coverage of the study has been included in Private Funds Management (subscribers), Dow Jones Private Equity News (subscribers), Corporate Eco Forum’s Weekly Briefing, International Securities Services Magazine, and the UN PRI Signatory Implementation Support Monthly Newsletter.
In Private Funds Management, author Nick Donato explored the report from the limited partners’ perspective, titling his article “What investors really want on ESG.” In the piece he quoted MP Senior Associate and lead author Ryan Miller on the growing importance of more frequent and non-traditional channels for LPs to “check-up” on GPs commitments.
Jennifer Bollen, of Dow Jones Private Equity News, addressed the GP audience with her sub-header “Private houses on the fundraising trail take note: Make sure you have a proper environmental and social governance policy in place or some investors won’t make a commitment,” astutely summarizing MP’s findings on the integration of ESG into the “go/no-go” conversation of fund manager selection.