Houlihan Lokey launched a new practice within the firm’s Financial and Valuation Advisory (FVA) business to provide clients with strategic counsel on sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and to assist boards of directors, investors, and management teams in successfully navigating the ever-evolving global sustainability business landscape.

The new practice, called Sustainability Advisory Services, will be co-led by Charlotte Peyraud, who has joined as Co-Head of Sustainability Advisory Services alongside Rob Teigman, Co-Head of FVA’s Energy and Infrastructure practice. Ms. Peyraud is based in New York.

“Throughout her career, Charlotte has advised board members, management teams, and other stakeholders on sustainability issues, long before ‘ESG’ became common terminology. Her expertise in sustainable finance structuring, the ESG reporting landscape, ESG disclosure, benchmarking, and positioning will be highly valuable to existing and future clients. We are delighted that Charlotte has joined us to lead this new practice and strengthen Houlihan Lokey’s commitment to sustainability and ESG-focused offerings,” said Kreg Jackson, Global Co-Head of Financial and Valuation Advisory.

Ms. Peyraud brings more than 15 years of experience in sustainability-related roles, most recently as a Director on Credit Suisse’s global ESG Financing and Advisory team where she advised on structuring transactions across asset classes with an ESG overlay. Prior experience includes serving as Manager, Sustainable Finance Solutions at Sustainalytics, a prominent ESG ratings provider, and at Crédit Agricole CIB, where she led sustainable banking activities for the Americas. Ms. Peyraud began her career in the environmental nonprofit sector prior to transitioning into sustainable finance.

“Houlihan Lokey recognizes that sustainability—as a risk management framework that investors and stakeholders are concerned with—is here to stay, even as it will continue to evolve in the years ahead,” said Drew Koecher, Global Co-Head of Financial and Valuation Advisory. “With our new Sustainability Advisory Services, we will provide our clients with best-in-class insights and decision support impacting valuation, diligence, transaction structuring, and monitoring across the global ESG spectrum.”

“In the rapidly evolving sustainability space, board members, management teams, and investors face a unique challenge. There is often a lack of clarity and inadequate tools to navigate crucial sustainability topics. I am thrilled to join Houlihan Lokey and work to provide the much-needed support in this relatively underserved space,” said Ms. Peyraud.

“Houlihan Lokey has always strived to stay at the forefront of industry trends. Our Sustainability Advisory Services offering is a testament to this commitment, ensuring our board of directors and financial sponsor clients have the strategic support they need,” said Mr. Teigman.