Paying close attention to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues is an essential part of any corporate strategy—based on regulatory mandates, shareholder demand and a desire for good corporate citizenship.
Whether a company is publicly traded or privately owned, PondelWilkinson helps develop custom-tailored ESG programs that pay tangible ROI benefits.
Where to Start – PondelWilkinson’s Holistic Approach
We help ensure that the ESG process is smooth and compliant, working closely with clients and their advisors every step of the way. Our team serves as a one-source solution to manage the entire process—from strategy and compliance to helping companies prepare their sustainability reports and communicate ESG practices to multiple constituencies. The steps we take include:
- Defining key objectives through messaging sessions that cover corporate positioning to assure that public companies screen into ESG-sensitive portfolios to offering eco-friendly products.
- Determining relevant ESG topics that include gathering the objective perceptions of key audiences.
- Collecting and organizing the data for review and discussion to ensure that compliance and business goals are properly aligned.
- Work with partners and our clients’ advisors to review various frameworks, as well as track compliance and benchmarks.
- Preparing and designing well written formal reports with key messaging and proper branding.
- Developing ESG key messaging for use in presentations, marketing materials and for executives during media interviews and investor meetings.
- Disseminating the key findings via traditional and online marketing communications that target multiple stakeholders, including investors, customers, partners and/or consumers.
- Providing benchmark metrics to show improvement in subsequent years.
- Staying abreast of changes and new SEC regulations.
Our ESG Philosophy and Mindset
ESG is more than a feel-good practice of wanting to do good, be ethical and responsible. It also can be much more than a regulatory burden.
At PondelWilkinson, we regard a sound ESG policy as a meaningful corporate tool—one that attracts and motivates investors, customers and employees, and pragmatically, can even correlate to a lower cost of capital.
We also understand the concept of doing good without impacting the bottom line. Nonetheless, it is critical for companies of all sizes to engage on ESG matters and shape their communications to enhance stakeholder value and mitigate risk.
