BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Sept. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading private markets asset management firm Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ: HLNE) today announced the appointment of longtime Managing Director Paul Yett to the role of Director of ESG & Sustainability. Hamilton Lane has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to ESG, sustainability and responsible investing, and Yett will focus on expanding and formally spearheading the firm’s ESG integration strategy going forward.
His responsibilities will include managing ESG integration throughout the investment processes across the Fund, Direct Investment, Secondary, Real Asset and Direct Credit teams; driving ESG policy development and advising deal teams during due diligence; supporting clients, government entities and other stakeholders in regards to ESG and sustainability matters; and overseeing corporate ESG policies within the firm. He will also serve as a member and advisor to Hamilton Lane’s Responsible Investment Committee.
A seasoned Hamilton Lane professional, Yett has been with the firm for more than 20 years, having most recently served as a Managing Director on the Relationship Management team. He brings both client and investment experience, as well as a deep knowledge of the firm’s culture, clients and priorities. He is also a longstanding member of Hamilton Lane’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, and was responsible for helping to form the Council back in 2015.
Mario Giannini, CEO at Hamilton Lane, commented: “Since day one, Paul has demonstrated an aptitude and a passion for these issues through his work with clients on environmental, social and governance issues, as well as his involvement in groups within our firm and industry focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. He is well aware of both the challenges and the opportunities within the ESG landscape, and is well-positioned to spearhead the meaningful work this role requires.”
“Sustainability and responsible investing are already deeply embedded within Hamilton Lane’s culture and investment and business practices, and Paul’s appointment is another step toward strengthening our commitment to ESG.”
Yett began his career with Hamilton Lane in 1998 in the due diligence department, where he managed the firm's global venture capital and real estate practices. He then joined the Relationship Management team in 2002, and has since then managed a number of the firm’s client relationships and will continue to serve on the Investment Committee. Prior to joining Hamilton Lane, Yett spent four years with Stone Pine Asset Management, LLC, a Denver-based private equity firm. He received a B.S. in Finance from San Diego State University.
Yett also served on the governing board of the Robert Toigo Foundation—whose mission is to foster career advancement and increased leadership presence of underrepresented talent in the financial
industry—for nearly a decade, until his term concluded at the end of 2019.
“It’s an honor to be leading Hamilton Lane’s ESG efforts, building on the work done by our Responsible Investment Committee and our DE&I Council to reinforce our existing foundation with ESG practices that aim to deliver long-term value for our stakeholders,” said Yett. “Sustainability concerns, social issues, responsible investing considerations – these factor into everything we do at Hamilton Lane, and my focus will be on expanding those efforts to continue to adapt to the evolving market and better serve our clients, investors and employees.”
Hamilton Lane’s Commitment to ESG, Sustainability and Responsible Investing
For more than a decade, Hamilton Lane has been formally collecting and evaluating ESG information, including statistics and progress related to diversity and inclusion practices at the fund manager and portfolio-company levels, as part of the firm’s rigorous due diligence and investment decision-making process. On the direct investment front, Hamilton Lane has been managing and running targeted Impact investment programs for more than 20 years, and in June 2020 the firm closed its inaugural Impact Fund, which has a mandate aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Hamilton Lane has been a signatory to the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2008, and helped develop the PRI Limited Partners’ Responsible Investment Due Diligence Questionnaire and ESG guides for both limited partners and general partners. In 2012, Hamilton Lane established a Responsible Investment Committee to work with the Investment Committee and investment teams to set policies and provide feedback and guidance on ESG matters.
To learn more, visit the Responsible Investing section of the firm’s website.
About Hamilton Lane
Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ: HLNE) is a leading alternative investment management firm providing innovative private markets solutions to sophisticated investors around the world. Dedicated to private markets investing for 29 years, the firm currently employs over 400 professionals operating in offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Hamilton Lane has approximately $516 billion in assets under management and supervision, composed of approximately $68 billion in discretionary assets and over $447 billion in advisory assets, as of June 30, 2020. Hamilton Lane offers a full range of investment products and services that enable clients to participate in the private markets asset class on a global and customized basis. For more information, please visit www.hamiltonlane.com or follow Hamilton Lane on Twitter: @hamilton_lane.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan” and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss management’s current expectations and projections relating to our financial position, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. All forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results to be materially different, including risks relating to: our ability to manage growth, fund performance, changes in our regulatory environment and tax status; market conditions generally; our ability to access suitable investment opportunities for our clients; our ability to maintain our fee structure; our ability to attract and retain key employees; our ability to manage our obligations under our debt agreements; defaults by clients and third-party investors on their obligations to fund commitments; our ability to comply with investment guidelines set by our clients; our ability to manage the effects of events outside of our control; and our ability to receive distributions from Hamilton Lane Advisors, L.L.C. to fund our payment of dividends, taxes and other expenses.
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as additional risks that we face, you should refer to the “Risk Factors” detailed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 and in our subsequent reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events, except as otherwise required by law.
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