Novata, a public benefit corporation and technology platform that provides private markets stakeholders with intuitive and effective Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data management solutions, today announced the formation of the Novata ESG Advisory Council (“Council”).

The Council comprises leading experts in ESG with broad-based experience in academia, research, public and private company stewardship, investment management, and impact-driven initiatives. The global Council will operate as an independent sounding board for Novata. It will advise Novata on the most effective way to help private companies and their owners navigate, operationalize, and extract value from ESG data.

Founding members of the Council include:

• Margot Brandenburg, Senior Program Officer, Mission Investments, Ford Foundation; and Co-Chair of Novata ESG Advisory Council
• Dame Elizabeth Corley, Chair of the Impact Investing Institute; former CEO of Allianz Global Investors, and Chair designate at Schroders plc
• Pete Dunbar, Head of Private Equity, UNPRI*
• Robert G. Eccles, Visiting Professor of Management Practice, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; Founding Chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB); Co-Founder of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IRRC); and Co-Chair of Novata ESG Advisory Council
• Linda Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration and Chair of the Leadership Initiative, Harvard Business School; Co-Founder of Paradox Strategies
• John W. McArthur, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution
• Ben Meng, Executive Sponsor of Sustainability, and Chairman of Asia Pacific, Franklin Templeton; Former CIO CalPERS, Deputy CIO at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE)
• Gonzalo Muñoz, President at TriCiclos; Partner at Manuia; CoFounder at SistemaB; United Nations High Level Climate Action Champion for COP25
• Allison Spector, Head of ESG, One Rock Capital Partners*

“The private markets can play a critical role in advancing a more inclusive and sustainable global economy, including reducing carbon emissions,” said Dr. Eccles, Visiting Professor of Management Practice, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; and Co-Chair of Novata ESG Advisory Council. “Visibility into the ESG performance of private companies is a precursor to this sector being able to execute the contribution it can and needs to make. Novata and its founding consortium is the collaborative model needed to build the most effective solution.”

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“Better measurement and management of ESG performance are central to creating a more inclusive capitalism – you can’t manage or improve what you aren’t currently measuring,” said Margot Brandenburg, senior program officer, Mission Investments, Ford Foundation; and Co-Chair of Novata ESG Advisory Council. “Novata brings a whole new set of insights and benchmarking tools to the private markets that will lead to meaningful progress in ESG reporting and I am looking forward to working with the team on that journey.”

“Driving progress in private markets ESG management requires a unique collaboration among stakeholders to deliver the most effective approach and solutions,” said Lorraine Spradley Wilson, Chief Impact Officer and Head of ESG at Novata. “We look forward to working closely with the Council to ensure our platform is informed by leading thinkers in the space.”

Backed by a consortium that includes the Ford Foundation, S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ: HLNE) and Omidyar Network, and with the support of more than a dozen private equity firms and pension funds, Novata is the leading ESG data management platform built specifically for the private markets. The Novata ESG Advisory Council underscores the company’s operating principles of collaboration, working across sectors, and partnering with key subject matter experts to empower private companies and their investors to address critical ESG challenges.

*Serving in an individual capacity.

Source: Novata