Apex ESG and MJ Hudson merge to form data and reporting partnership

New firm headed by Emma Bickerstaffe

MJ Hudson's Emma Bickerstaffe

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Michael Nelson

Apex ESG and MJ Hudson have merged to form Holtara; a partnership aiming to bring a level of robustness to ESG data and reporting to help clients set meaningful targets and identify improvement pathways.

As a subsidiary to Apex Group, the Holtara team said they wish to move “beyond the ESG ‘tick-box approach’ and help clients implement real change.

The team will be headed by Holtara managing director and the group’s head of ESG product, Emma Bickerstaffe (pictured), reporting to Chris Mulhern, chief product and technology officer at Apex Group.

See also: – Green Dream with MJ Hudson’s Bickerstaffe: Start preparing to disclose Scope 3 emissions now

Commenting on the launch, Bickerstaffe said: “Recent years have seen greater political and shareholder scrutiny of ESG claims, resulting in the urgent need for accurate data, transparent reporting and meaningful sustainability commitments.  Therefore, we have launched Holtara to ensure ESG can stand up to this scrutiny.

“We recognise the importance of combining platform and people services to not only simplify and streamline ESG reporting, but also to ensure expertise is on hand to help clients focus on the most material topics, verify collected data and prioritise initiatives to improve performance year on year.

“The outcomes of COP28 only serve to further reinforce the need for every business to be part of the change, and our priority is to help private market managers and their investors recognise and embrace their role in building a sustainable economy.”

The formation of the Holtara brand is the latest phase of the group’s strategy to lead the industry in ESG solutions and brings together an expert team from Apex Group and MJ Hudson, following the acquisition in 2023, with over 3,400 investment managers and companies in over 50 countries already signed up.

Alongside their ESG reporting capabilities, Holtara also offers an ESG advisory service spanning topics including carbon and climate, impact, DEI and supply chain. This is designed to support the company’s ambition to be a sustainability partner throughout the investment life cycle, from policy and regulatory compliance, due diligence, assessment and reporting to exit planning.

“This is an important milestone in our ESG journey as a Group, and through bringing together the existing Apex ESG offering alongside the additional expertise brought in through the MJ Hudson acquisition, we can deliver a powerful offering driven by a combination of people and platform,” added Peter Hughes, founder and CEO of Apex Group.

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