NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The ESG Integrated Disclosure Project, an industry initiative bringing together leading lenders in the private credit and syndicated loan markets to improve transparency and accountability, announced today several strategic initiatives in response to increased uptake and growth of the ESG IDP during a period of heightened activity in the loan markets.
Executive Committee Expansion
Effective January 1, 2025, the ESG IDP has expanded its executive leadership team from two to four members. In connection with this expansion:
- Michael Kashani, Head of Sustainable Credit & Platforms at Apollo Global Management and current Chair of the ESG IDP Executive Committee, has been appointed to the newly created position of Chair Emeritus.
- Jeff Cohen, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Oak Hill Advisors and current Vice Chair of the ESG IDP Executive Committee, has been appointed Chair for the 2025-2027 term.
- Brittany Agostino, a Principal and ESG Lead for U.S. Credit at Ares Management, and Jeannie Cho, a Director on KKR’s Credit team focused on sustainability, have been appointed Vice-Chairs.
The expanded executive leadership team reflects the need for increased collaboration and alignment across leading market participants as the ESG IDP seeks to broaden its adoption among managers and borrowers.
The Alternative Credit Council, the LSTA and PRI will continue to comprise ESG IDP’s Secretariat, which governs the project alongside its Executive Committee.
Template Updates
The ESG IDP has updated its standardized reporting template (the “Template”) to incorporate additional ESG metrics that further align the question set and analytical framework with the ESG Data Convergence Initiative (“EDCI”), the General Partner-Limited Partner initiative aimed at standardizing and collecting ESG data in private equity.
Developed by leading alternative asset managers and key industry partners across the leverage loan markets, the Template is a tool to assist private companies in meeting their ESG reporting disclosure requirements through the collection of qualitative and quantitative data on ESG factors that are most material to lenders. Importantly, the ESG IDP is intended to improve the consistency of disclosures across asset managers, enhancing Limited Partners’ ability to identify industry-specific ESG risks in their credit portfolios and compare data across managers more easily.
In connection with these updates, the ESG IDP has partnered with Holtara, a leading provider of responsible investing advisory and technology services, to develop a macro-enabled and non-macro enabled version of the Template. This initiative responds to requests by market participants for greater accessibility, and the Secretariat is confident that these versions will further facilitate adoption of the Template by credit parties. Market participants may access the updated ESG IDP Template at www.esgidp.org. Firms will also find a helpful summary of the most recent changes made to the Template in an explanatory FAQ section of the website.
Incoming ESG IDP Chair Jeff Cohen commented: “On behalf of OHA, I’m looking forward to continuing to encourage adoption of IDP in alternative credit markets to promote disclosure of decision useful information in-line with globally recognized frameworks and standards.”
About ESG IDP
The ESG Integrated Disclosure Project (ESG IDP) is an industry initiative bringing together leading lenders in the private credit and syndicated loan markets to improve transparency and accountability.
Our goal is to promote greater harmonization and consistency of disclosure of key ESG indicators by borrowers in private credit and syndicated loan transactions.
The ESG IDP was formed by the Alternative Credit Council (ACC), the private credit affiliate of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), and the PRI in co-operation with a group of leading alternative asset managers and credit investors.
About Holtara
Holtara’s mission is to impact businesses today, for a sustainable tomorrow through its ESG advisory and technology services. Powered by a blend of people and platform, Holtara offers the unique combination of reporting software, data-driven insights, supported by a passionate team with deep expertise throughout the investment lifecycle. With a team of 150+ ESG, climate, regulatory, sustainability and impact specialists - supported by a wider group of circa 13,000 people and $3 trillion in assets serviced Holtara is the unique ESG services arm of the global Apex Group. Holtara empowers private market investors, managers and companies to create a legacy they can be proud of, by both achieving their financial goals while also making a positive impact on the world around them.
