Petra Funds Group welcomes Hugh Simpson as Director of ESG in London office

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Petra Funds Group, one of the leading private funds administrators, announced yesterday that it had hired Hugh Simpson, formerly of KPMG, as Director of ESG for its London office. Hugh will be in charge of the company’s ESG managed services and advisory offerings for private market investment funds.

Petra’s Head of ESG, Charlie Chipchase, will work closely with Hugh to expand the company’s comprehensive ESG advisory services. Their focus will be on helping fund managers establish scalable and value driving ESG/sustainability strategies that are in step with investor and regulatory expectations.

Petra is a global fund administration provider to private equity and debt funds. The company offers comprehensive fund administration and related middle and back-office services, including ESG advisory services, to provide private fund managers with an enhanced, data-driven solution. Petra administers funds and structures totalling more than $90 billion in assets.

Petra’s investment in senior ESG talent

Petra’s continued investment in senior ESG talent is a testament to the demand for the company’s services. Mr Chipchase stated that “Hugh’s breadth of experience and knowledge of ESG regulation and sustainability best practices will greatly strengthen Petra’s ESG offering and be accretive to Petra’s clients.”

Prior to joining Petra, Hugh served as the Sustainable and Impact Investors Lead for institutional investors and multinational private equity firms across Europe and North America at KPMG. In this role, he helped private equity fund managers integrate ESG and launch sustainable and impact-driven funds aligned to the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

Hugh has gained hands-on experience working with top-tier private equity firms through the investment cycle, including strategy, origination, due diligence, monitoring, and reporting to ensure value creation as well as investor and regulatory alignment. He has also held roles with Deloitte’s private market funds practice and MSCI, one of the leading providers of ESG investment data.

Petra’s commitment to delivering the best possible service

Stephen Coats, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Petra Funds Group, stated that “the focus of our recruiting efforts on hiring top-tier talent with years of industry experience has differentiated Petra’s service offering.” He further emphasised that Hugh’s proven experience would be a huge asset to the continued development and refinement of the company’s comprehensive ESG managed services and advisory practice.

Hugh expressed his excitement at joining Petra at such a pivotal time in the development of the firm’s ESG solution. He stated that he had known Charlie for years and had great admiration for the ESG program he developed at Riverstone. Hugh emphasised that he was excited to deliver the outsourced ESG solution that private equity and private debt firms have been seeking, focusing on clear, practical, and pragmatic delivery.

Final thoughts

Petra Funds Group’s investment in ESG talent underlines its commitment to delivering the best possible service to its clients. The addition of Hugh Simpson to the team will be a significant asset to the firm’s ESG offering, given his extensive experience helping private equity fund managers establish ESG programs.

Petra’s comprehensive ESG managed services and advisory practice will help fund managers establish scalable and value driving ESG/sustainability strategies that are in step with investor and regulatory expectations. Petra is dedicated to providing the best possible solutions to private equity and debt funds worldwide.