Churchill Asset Management, an investment-specialist of Nuveen which provides customized financing solutions to private equity firms and their portfolio companies, announced that Mickey Weatherston has joined the Firm as Principal, Head of Sustainability and ESG Integration. He is based out of Churchill’s New York City headquarters and reports directly to Christopher Cox, Chief Risk Officer.
Weatherston will be responsible for providing strategic direction for ESG integration across Churchill’s Senior Lending, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions strategies, working closely with parent company Nuveen’s Responsible Investing Team to coordinate efforts across the broader organization. In partnership with Churchill’s investment teams and external industry groups, he will promote ESG best practices, drive ESG reporting efforts, and seek to ensure a fully supported ESG system and infrastructure to meet client needs.
“Prioritizing ESG and sustainability is a matter of fiduciary responsibility and good stewardship of clients’ capital. As a result, Churchill continues to invest in resources aimed at strengthening our ESG leadership within the private capital industry,” said Mr. Cox. “Mickey has extensive experience, including developing proprietary scorecards to Article 8 transitions. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber guiding the next phase of Churchill’s commitment to ESG integration as we seek to create long-term value for our clients.”
With 18 years of financial services experience, Weatherston most recently served as Director of Marketing & Client Services at Muzinich & Co., where he was responsible for leading ESG integration across public and private debt products, in addition to investor relations and marketing. Prior to that, he held positions at AQR Capital Management, UBS Securities and Goldman Sachs.
“I know ESG is of growing importance to Churchill’s investors, employees, and stakeholders, and I look forward to building upon the Firm’s already well-established ESG frameworks,” said Mr. Weatherston. “I am excited to partner closely with management, Churchill’s investment teams, and our colleagues at Nuveen, who have been championing responsible investing for over five decades.”
Nuveen, the asset manager of TIAA, became a signatory to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) initiative in 2018, while TIAA has been a signatory since 2009. As a majority-owned affiliate of Nuveen, Churchill has also partnered with the PRI on several initiatives and is currently working with the organization to develop a new ESG standard for middle market private equity and private credit.