Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2021 PE Innovators in ESG, including, Access Holdings.

Access Holdings is using education from expert opinions to drive its ESG strategy. The firm has a three-pronged approach that focuses on education, engagement, and alignment to apply ESG best practices.

Sean McGrath, Senior Associate, Access Holdings

The Baltimore-based firm, which was founded in 2013 and has $1.5 billion in AUM, concentrates on change in a focused and purposeful manner. Access has established standard impact metrics that will be applied across its entire portfolio, with each company responsible for reporting its progress. The results are regularly reviewed at board and management meetings.

The firm has implemented a self-education process and interviewed ESG experts such as Fiona Reynolds, head of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), and Pavan Suhkdev, founder of Gist Impact, which helps investors and companies make informed ESG decisions.

“One of our core values is continuous improvement, and we recognized that ESG is continuously changing. We are committed to continually educating ourselves, our partners, and our investors in the ever-evolving landscape of ESG,” said Katie Leshinsky and Sean McGrath who have developed and lead Access’ ESG program.

In addition, Access has developed a dedicated ESG Task Force to act as liaisons between each of its portfolio companies, fostering relationships among the executive teams, deploying the tools and best practices developed by the ESG Committee, and facilitating idea sharing to evolve and improve its ESG program.