The client, their challenge
Our client is a prominent, growth-focused UK private equity firm, active in a range of sectors. Catering to investors with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations, the firm integrates ESG considerations into its investment process and aims to meet stakeholders’ growing demands for ESG disclosures.
The firm’s challenge was finding a provider capable of assisting with the preparation and submission of ESG due diligence questionnaires (DDQs) and industry reports (e.g. EDCI, PRI), all within tight reporting deadlines. They needed an experienced and reliable partner who could streamline this process and help ensure compliance across all required channels.
Our solution
We worked closely with the client to develop a robust process for obtaining ESG data, preparing responses to investor DDQs and industry reports, conducting internal reviews, securing approvals and, ultimately, submitting reports to relevant stakeholders. Our engagement was divided into two phases: onboarding and ongoing reporting.
During the onboarding phase, the client’s ESG reporting was managed by a dedicated team of IQ-EQ consultants. We gathered background information on data sources, confirmed the timeframe of availability of data, and reviewed previous ESG DDQs and reports for consistency. In some instances, we identified issues in previous submissions and provided recommendations for improvement.
We collaborated with the client to agree reporting timeframes, the format for information requests, and who the necessary approvers were. These details were documented in a service level agreement (SLA), ensuring clear expectations for all involved parties.
In the ongoing reporting phase, as per the SLA, our team proactively reached out to the client ahead of each reporting request. We shared the list of information needed and confirmed the expected submission date. Once the necessary data was received, we prepared the reports, reviewed them internally and sent them to the client for approval.
Once approved, the reports were either submitted by the client directly or sent on their behalf using the appropriate submission portals. Proofs of submission were provided to ensure full transparency.
The results
Through systematic support and sufficient back-up capacity, we were able to streamline the reporting process for the client, ensuring that all ESG DDQs and industry reports were submitted on time and in full compliance with relevant regulations. Our collaboration helped the firm mitigate the risk of non-compliance and meet all reporting deadlines successfully.
