ESG Book, a global leader in sustainability data and technology, today announced the appointment of John Wise as the company’s first Chair of the Board. The move is the latest part of ESG Book’s rapid global expansion as the company responds to fast-growing demand for technology-based sustainability data solutions.
Wise joins from InvestCloud, the world’s leading SaaS-based global wealth platforms provider, which he co-founded and grew into a business with over 550 direct clients and more than $6 trillion in assets on platform in just over 10 years.
Following the company’s $35 million Series B in 2022, ESG Book is transforming the financial industry’s approach to ESG data through the world’s largest sustainability disclosure platform. Wise will lead ESG Book’s board of global investors to help scale the company’s growth in a burgeoning $5 billion market1.
Sustainability-led assets under management are expected to swell to $50 trillion globally by 20252, driven by investor commitments, new worldwide regulation, and real economy changes. However, financial institutions and corporates are increasingly seeking better data to meet ever more complex sustainability requirements.
According to a recent Bloomberg survey3, more than 90% of executives are expecting to meaningfully increase their spending on ESG data over the next year, with the vast majority believing that ESG data investment is required to keep pace with competitors and to develop a competitive advantage.
Through the world’s largest sustainability disclosure platform, ESG Book’s real-time, cloud-native technology directly connects corporates with financial institutions. Built on Google Cloud infrastructure, ESG Book’s platform hosts over 10,000 users globally, and enables companies to disclose ESG data directly to stakeholders in a digitised, secure, and centralised way.
ESG Book serves over 100 institutional clients globally including Bloomberg, BNY Mellon, Citi, Dow Jones, Glass Lewis, JP Morgan, and HSBC.
The company’s data is available on every Bloomberg Terminal worldwide, and is the only third-party ESG data feed accessible to Bloomberg Data License customers.
John Wise, Chair of ESG Book, said: “It’s no secret that financial markets have been crying out for a new and better approach to data in order to meet the phenomenal worldwide demand we now see for sustainability integration. The ESG data industry is growing in scale. However, too many providers are not delivering the solutions that can truly help direct capital towards more sustainable and higher-impact assets.”
“I was impressed at the foresight ESG Book had in investing in technology and resources to do the heavy lifting required to source and process data at scale. By offering raw ESG data, analytics and a complete SaaS through a single platform, ESG Book is uniquely able to address the needs of the buy and sell side, exchanges and platforms together with corporates for climate and sustainability scoring.”
“Having looked extensively at providers across the landscape, I am convinced that ESG Book’s approach, which is grounded in data transparency, and harnesses the latest advances in technology, is a game-changer.”
Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of ESG Book, said: “Having pulled back the curtain on the inefficiencies and redundancies in the ESG data market, we have found that clients are no longer accepting of the status quo. Our vision is to transform finance through sustainability by making ESG data accessible, comparable, and transparent. Through ESG Book’s range of solutions, our customers can access a one-stop shop to support sustainable capital decision-making, with a unique single delivery mechanism and data model across all our products.”
“I am thrilled to welcome John as Chair of ESG Book’s board. Having grown InvestCloud from an idea in a Californian garage to a global platform with over $6 trillion in assets in little over a decade is a measure of his ambition, passion, and vision, and I am excited that ESG Book will benefit from his vast experience as we continue to grow in the years ahead.”
John Wise is a serial entrepreneur with a long history of successful startups. He formerly founded Synergo Technology, the leading UK Agency and Brokerage Foundation; TCA Syntec, the first EAI company in Europe; and Netik (acquired by Bank of New York Mellon in 2002), the securities market leading data warehouse and portal company, responsible for 70 of the world’s largest banks.
As a CEO, Wise has won multiple industry awards including Top 50 CEOs in the USA, and Top 50 CEOs for Women. Wise has created several technology patents as well as several methods and approaches to enhance sales teams. He received a double honors degree in Cybernetics and Computer Science and is a Chartered Software Engineer.
References:
1) UBS, Future Re-imagined, June 2020.
2) Bloomberg Intelligence, January 2022.
3) ESG Data Acquisition & Management Survey 2023 – Bloomberg and Adox Research.
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