Stafford Capital Partners and HESTA expand sustainable private equity partnership
Sydney, 9 January 2023 – HESTA, an Australian super fund dedicated to people working in health and community services and a leader in sustainable investing, is committing a further USD 200m to the HESTA Sustainable Capital Investment Trust (“HSCIT”), a targeted private equity investment program managed in partnership with Stafford Capital Partners. The USD 200m additional commitment brings the total program size to USD 450m.
HSCIT makes direct investments in lower-mid-market private equity businesses around the world which make material contributions to one or more of the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Good Health & Well-Being, Gender Equality, Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
HSCIT invests via an innovative strategy targeting direct co-investments alongside leading sustainable private equity managers, and seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns.
HESTA has made the allocation from HESTA Sustainable Growth – an investment option that invests in companies selected and managed according to specific environmental, social and governance standards.
Commenting on the announcement, Kurt Faulhaber, Partner Stafford Private Equity, said:
“We are delighted to have further strengthened our long-term partnership with HESTA, one of the world’s leading investors in sustainable private equity. By focusing on co-investments and GP-led transactions, our program offers unique and cost-efficient access to lower-mid-market private equity businesses that meet long-term sustainability goals.”
“We continue to look for ways to invest in opportunities arising out of the need to transition to a lower carbon and more sustainable future,” HESTA CIO Sonya Sawtell-Rickson said.
“Through private equity investments like this we’re supporting innovative, cutting-edge companies grow and develop their businesses to deliver sustainability solutions at greater scale to the market. This is helping us to provide strong, long-term returns for HESTA members while also having a positive impact on progressing global sustainable development goals.”
Media enquries
Phil Davey
Mountain Media
phil@mountainmedia.com.au
Georgina Whittle
Partner
Camarco
07835 770967
Georgina.whittle@camarco.co.uk
Sean Palmer
Associate Partner
Camarco
07591 760844
sean.palmer@camarco.co.uk
About Stafford Capital Partners
Stafford is an independent private markets investment and advisory firm with USD %%AuM%% billion in assets under management and advice* for more than %%numClients%% institutional clients worldwide. Founded in 2000, Stafford has a global team of 80+ professionals investing in infrastructure, timberland, agriculture & food and sustainable private equity through secondaries, primaries, and co-investments. Stafford has been a UN PRI signatory since 2010 and has committed to the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. It puts sustainability at the centre of its investment process and implements a well-defined ESG program across all strategies. In the UK, Stafford is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number: 225586).
* As of 30 September 2023
About HESTA
HESTA is the largest superannuation fund dedicated to Australia’s health and community services sector. An industry fund that’s run only to benefit members, HESTA now has more than 950,000 members (over 80% are women) and manages over $68 billion in assets invested around the world.