Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2022 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Antares Capital’s Devasena Vallabhaneni.
How did you further your firm’s ESG goals?
Primary accomplishments include formalizing and expanding our ESG policy, launching the requirement to include ESG scorecards into approval memos, and becoming a United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment signatory.
I serve on the ESG Working Group that is charged with continuously developing and evaluating Antares’ stance on ESG issues by overseeing and monitoring its ESG policy and related procedures, addressing issues as they arise and approving new initiatives.
What I have learned through my contributions is that there is no standardized approach to incorporating ESG into the private debt markets. Antares is guided by the principles of the UN’s PRI to ensure that ESG factors are highlighted, understood and monitored through our investment portfolio as we believe that borrowers with low ESG risks are more likely to endure and create sustainable value over the long-term.
Tell us more about you.
As a woman of color in finance, I not only believe that it is important to participate in DEI work but also be mindful of how you show up to work every day to progress DEI initiatives. I value over a dozen mentee relationships that I have developed with both men and women inside and outside of the firm.
Within these relationships I shine a light on the value of being accepted in the workplace authentically but also on the level of support that I accept to enable my professional success through my family, caregivers and peers.
