Asset services provider Apex Group has announced a collaboration with BlackRock’s eFront to provide its ESG data consulting services to investors in private markets.
The partnership will provide GPs, General Partners, as private equity investors are often called, with a combination of Apex services and eFront’s technology to feed ESG data into eFront’s ESG Outreach solution. This platform was launched in 2021 and designed to help private market investors simplify and create standards for ESG reporting through a universal framework for data collection.
“We are excited to be collaborating with eFront to bring holistic, end-to-end ESG data collection and analysis capabilities to the private markets,” said Peter Hughes, Apex’s founder and CEO. “With Apex Group’s consulting services, GPs will have additional resources at their disposal to help meet their ESG reporting needs from collection through to reporting.”
Lowering barriers
Melissa Ferraz, head of eFront Insight, said the agreement will lower the barriers that exist in private markets ESG reporting. “We have seen strong adoption of ESG Outreach, and the collaboration with Apex Group will only further accelerate our shared goal to streamline and standardize ESG data for private markets.”
Apex’s proprietary ESG platform was launched in 2019 to provide technology, guidance and resources for private markets participants to quantify and improve their ESG performance. Its platform is supported by a team of ESG analysts to guide companies, independently verify their data, and advise on ESG performance improvements to mitigate risks and identify opportunities.