Global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has appointed Will Rhode as a managing director to lead its new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The practice works closely with A&M’s core offerings and senior sector specialists to provide clients with an integrated, comprehensive and competitive ESG service.
The launch of the practice forms part of A&M’s strategy to deliver sustainability-linked transformation and demonstrate how sustainability metrics can lead to financial returns. It aligns with the firm’s mission to preserve and create value for its clients, and underscores A&M’s commitment to driving sustainability up the corporate agenda.
Antonio Alvarez III, managing director and leader of A&M’s European practice, said: “ESG has long been a focus for corporates across the world,. The challenge is to deliver operational change that creates financial as well as societal value.
“Our practice helps clients navigate increasingly complex regulatory, compliance, and stakeholder requirements, while also seeking ways to integrate ESG into business transformation. There is a gap in the market for evidence-based advice focused on operational delivery and results, and Will’s exceptional knowledge and experience make him the right person to lead the offer with clients.”
Rhode (pictured) brings more than 15 years of experience as a consultant covering ESG advisory, strategy, business and portfolio review, due diligence, and value creation support. Prior to joining A&M, he was a Partner at EY in the Financial Services Strategy & Transactions team, and the Global Private Equity ESG leader.
At EY, he was responsible for supporting private equity clients on their ESG due diligence and transformation work and supporting financial services clients with their ESG programmes. Before this, he was a Partner at BCG, where he was EMEA lead for Financial Services in the Private Equity and Principal Investor practice.
Rhode said: “I am excited to lead A&M’s ESG practice in EMEA. Our goal is to provide clients with high-impact ESG-related solutions that have direct links to enterprise value and EBITDA. By leveraging A&M’s multidisciplinary capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to support clients in their sustainability-linked transformations. We have already worked on some exciting projects, from carbon baselining to supply chain reviews, and have ambitious plans to continue to grow our team and expand our practice.”
The ESG practice focuses on enhancing and integrating ESG into A&M’s core services in EMEA, including:
• Transaction Diligence & Advisory: Integrating ESG due diligence and carbon baselining into A&M’s financial, operational and commercial due diligence services
• Performance Improvement & Transformation: Embedding ESG-linked performance improvement across key operational sectors including decarbonization, energy management, supply chain risk, procurement, transportation & logistics, and waste management & recycling
• CFO Advisory: Supporting CFOs and the CFO function as non-financial sustainability metrics become integrated into audited annual reports
• Industrial Decarbonization & Solutions: Working with banks, multilateral development agencies, infrastructure funds, and insurance companies to identify new project opportunities for financing and delivery
