ESG Counseling & Strategies

Challenge: Corporate executives and managers need to understand the powerful impacts of investors and stakeholders embracing ESG and Sustainability approaches and frameworks that shape global capital markets and influence corporation reputations and “license to operate.”

Counseling & Advisory Services for ESG and Corporate Responsibility

Starting the Sustainability Journey: G&A Institute team members and affiliated counselors have many years’ experience in the issues that are key components of the ESG Framework (and approaches) used by financial analysts, asset owners and professional money managers. These are the “E” (environmental and energy issues) “S” (for social and/or societal issues) and “G” (traditional and emerging corporate governance issues). We help corporate leadership understand and master the winning strategies for responding to ESG market players.

Combined, the ESG Framework approach now provides investors with a comprehensive profile of the long-term sustainability for a publicly-owned corporation that may be in portfolio or is being considered for the portfolio. Of course, the first consideration is always the financial viability of the corporate issuer; the ESG analysis considers both quantitative and qualitative factors. Mainstream investors have considered the ESG considerations to be non-financial and intangibles – but for a growing number of investors, ESG Frameworks are very tangible with reflections of the quality of leadership – and also helps to identify the companies that are lagging behind in financial results.

Corporate executives who do recognize the importance of ESG and Sustainability to the capital markets participants and players -- and for a growing number of their stakeholders -- are responding with effective Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability strategies, initiatives, programs, and strategic partnerships with influential third-parties. These are generally characterized as Corporate Responsibility (CR) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.

G&A team members understand the whole of ESG and Sustainability factors to external parties. We have experience on all sides of the ESG equation – through our work with corporations, financial services organizations, the public sector, and the social sector (not-for-profits and advocacy organizations) that is value-added for corporate managers in their sustainability journey.

We help corporate executives and managers better understand the important drivers that shape investors’ views of ESG and Sustainability, investor and stakeholder expectations, the strategies adopted by corporate leaders in sustainability and responsibility, and the outcomes of their programs. We closely monitor and analyze the leaders and laggards (and some losers) in this space.

Bottom line: Stratagems – the work of generals. We provide advice on Strategies – and Tactical Support for the corporate generals creating Sustainable cultures, assuring effective governance, instituting responsibility initiatives and focused on embedding Sustainability into the DNA and culture of their organizations. We help clients develop winning sustainability and responsibility programs and initiatives, and help instill sustainability in the DNA of the client organization.

Call or email us to discuss in confidence the specific ways that we can assist your organization in its sustainability journey.

Note: “ESG” and “Sustainability” are somewhat interchangeable among capital market participants. “Corporate Responsibility” (and the older “Corporate Social Responsibility”) is the generally-accepted term for investors and stakeholders. The investors’ approach is agreed to be “Sustainable and Responsible Investment,” or “SRI.”) The trade association US SIF – the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (formerly Social Investment Forum) in its most recent survey found that $1 of $8 in the US equity markets is in some type of “SRI” investment – US$3 trillion in total.