Find good partners, avoid analysis paralysis to build a viable ESG strategy

INTEREST in environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts has noticeably increased this year. ESG is mentioned at enough conferences and meetings to generate off-confab discussions around what it is and what companies can do.

For a business trying to take that first step towards making ESG an integral part of its investment and business strategy, it can be a daunting task trying to navigate all of the buzzwords and assessment frameworks. Our advice is to leverage the expertise of good partners, and to not be too concerned with bureaucratic analysis at the start.

Quest Ventures believes that delivering value in today's world includes consideration of the ESG aspects. Asia's rapid but uneven development are challenges that we are addressing with a combination of capital and technology, and now layered with ESG considerations. When we considered our approach to ESG just a few years ago, first-hand knowledge and experience in the industry was difficult to come by. In fact, our ESG focus became the first in Asia for a venture firm.