ESG at 17Capital
ESG is an important area of focus for 17Capital as we seek to be the leading source of strategic finance for the private equity industry. We are committed to playing our part in achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.
Our ESG journey
Epic Partnership
Epic is a global non-profit changing the lives of disadvantaged youths around the world.
17Capital’s long term partnership with Epic includes our sharing pledge, providing pro bono office space and sponsors of their events.
17Capital also completed a mentoring programme with ThinkForward, one of EPICs portfolio initiatives, here is a short film of their final session:
17Capital was the first private equity firm in the US & UK to sign the Epic Sharing Pledge by pledging to give 1% of the carried interest on its €1.2bn Fund 4 to Epic.
17Capital has again pledged to give a percentage of the carried interest on its $2.9bn Fund 5 to Epic.
17Capital collaborations with Epic
ThinkForward
Epic introduced 17Capital to ThinkForward and in 2021 we completed a mentoring programme with young people from a school based in the UK. The six month programme involved 15 mentors from 17Capital partnering with young people to help them develop a range of job skills.
Sports dans la ville
17Capital has partnered with SDLV on a number of initiatives, most recently 3 of our team volunteered with them, mentoring young people weekly over the year to help them improve their language skills and prepare them for the workplace.
More about Epic
Epic is a global nonprofit startup which amplifies people’s potential to make a difference through giving.
Founded in 2014 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Alexandre Mars, Epic finds, funds and scales high-impact social organizations through a curated portfolio, and promotes innovative giving solutions for individuals and companies.
Epic offers several painless, systematic and optional ways for companies to place social impact at the heart of their economic model.
- Payroll Giving
- Strategic Giving
- Transactional Giving
- Sharing Pledge
Signatories
UN PRI signatory
17Capital is a UN PRI signatory and has committed to implementing the six Principles for Responsible Investment set out by the UNPRI (the “Principles”) and will contribute to developing a more sustainable global financial system.
In signing up to the Principles, 17Capital publicly commits to
- Contribute to the overall effort to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment
- Contribute positively to wider society through Epic and other initiatives
We believe this will improve our ability to meet 17Capital’s commitments to our beneficiaries and better align 17Capital’s investment activities with the broader interests of society.
The Principles for Responsible Investment were developed by an international group of institutional investors reflecting the increasing relevance of environmental, social and corporate governance issues to investment practices. The process was convened by the United Nations Secretary-General.
We encourage other investors to also adopt the Principles:
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.
A member of initiative climat international
17Capital is a member of the initiative climat international (iCI) a practitioner-led community of private market firms and investors that seek to better understand and manage the risks associated with climate change.
ILPA Diversity in Action signatory
17Capital is a signatory to the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) Diversity in Action initiative.
The Diversity in Action initiative brings together LP’s and GP’s who publicly acknowledge their commitment and to take concrete steps to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) both in the workplace and the industry more broadly.
The initiative focuses on a foundational set of DEI actions spanning talent management, investment management and industry engagement.
By becoming a signatory, 17Capital publicly demonstrates its support and signals that we:
- Believe in the importance of DEI to the future success and sustainability of the private equity industry
- Agree that only by sharing information about specific actions taken will we encourage the mainstream implementation of DEI best practices and be able to measure our progress over time.
- On a best-efforts basis, will voluntarily provide up to date information on specific actions being undertaken
Access Alternatives
We have become one of the first private equity firms to sponsor the Access Alternatives programme. Access Alternatives works with State schools across the UK, because they have become aware that privately educated candidates often have better access to career advice, are more likely to have friends or relatives who work in finance and may have developed the skills required to network effectively.
Recent ESG firm news
-
Read nowJun 30 202317Capital launches their 2022 ESG Report
17Capital is excited to share their 2022 ESG report, which details our commitment to ESG and the progress made in 2022 embedding sustainability across our firm. ESG is an important area of focus for us as we seek to be the leading source of strategic finance for the private equity industry. We are committed to playing our part in achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. 17Capital’s ESG approach is centred on three pillars: Investments: we foster responsible investment and leverage our position within the private equity ecosystem to engage on ESG topics. Operations: we seek to improve our environmental performance while creating a diverse and inclusive firm. Collaboration: we collaborate and engage in partnerships to maximise our impact and advocate for sustainable growth for all. Visit the ESG Report page to find out more.
-
Read nowJan 24 2023
Working with Access Alternatives, Student mentoring programme
We are pleased to be one of the first private equity firms to sponsor the Access Alternatives programme. This initiative has been created to attract female and diverse candidates who have been educated at state schools across the UK and have the intellect, motivation, and curiosity for a career in Private Equity. To find out more about Access Alternatives visit their website: Access Alternatives
-
Read nowJun 21 2022Claire Hedley appointed as ESG Director
17Capital, the global go-to source of strategic financing for investors in private equity, announces the appointment of Claire Hedley as ESG Director. She will report to Augustin Duhamel, Managing Partner and Co-founder at 17Capital. Claire has joined the firm from Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”), where most recently she led the ESG Client Strategy Group in London. She was responsible for driving GSAM’s client-facing and commercial ESG efforts across the EMEA region. Claire joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as an Analyst. She spent many years working in both London and New York in its Alternative Investments & Manager Selection (AIMS) Group which provides clients with diversified and customised portfolio solutions as well as advisory services. She has a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Leeds. Augustin Duhamel, Managing Partner, said: “Claire’s appointment marks an important milestone for 17Capital as we continue to grow and offer NAV financing to the private equity industry. ESG is now central to our firm and Claire’s extensive experience and expertise will allow us to further incorporate ESG across our investments and client solutions.” Claire Hedley commented: “I am delighted to be joining 17Capital, which has established itself as a market leader in providing strategic financing for the private equity industry and has continued to demonstrate impressive growth with the recent close of its credit fund. I look forward to working closely with my 17Capital colleagues to continue evolving our ESG approach to ensure that ESG remains a top priority for the firm, its investors, and clients.”
ESG committee members
The committee
The ESG Committee is here to:
- Define and implement the ESG policy and principles
- Monitor ESG and review ESG reporting
- Support 17Capital and our team in “making ESG happen”
- Listen to ideas and input on how 17Capital can continue to make a meaningful impact across the ESG agenda
ESG Policy
Read hereOrganisations we contribute to
Wider partnerships
17Capital has a number of partnerships to support our wider communities with a focus on supporting young people, some of the organisations we contribute to are:
Industry-wide initiatives
We are members of the following industry bodies:
