Get to Know Our New ESG Leader, Nicole Bouquet
So, Nicole, what inspired you to pursue a career in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)?
I’ve always appreciated public policy—particularly around deep and divided social issues. I studied politics in undergrad at Towson and found myself working for a Governance company after college. I was very quickly drawn to this small but meaningful data business within the company, which focused on providing data to investors who had religious clients, or pension funds for teachers, or European pension funds that had some social and/or environmental mandates on how their money could be invested. This was so cool to me, that people would “put their money where their mouth is” so to speak—and it was all over from there. I learned everything I could about all things ESG and have been in the business ever since!
That is great! Sounds like a true passion for you. Given your experience so far, what do you think is the most single impactful thing that companies, and/or individuals can do to make a difference when it comes to ESG?
Great question—while there are many factors that can come into play, universally, company management teams can make the necessary connections between their typical Human Resource, EHS, and Compliance teams to create ESG committees in house. This will allow all the internal teams to better collaborate on risks and mitigation efforts and REPORTING. And this is where communication is key to ensuring that everyone knows about the great work that is being done, and the goals that are being pursued—and the progress that is being made toward those goals. Nothing brings teams together around a goal more than shared success!
So, it sounds like more transparency and connectivity!
Yes—Exactly! It’s about bringing together the community of impactors to talk about what’s being done, and what’s not, to make things happen.
Okay—awesome—so finally—outside of work, how do you integrate ESG principles into your daily life?
Well…besides using metal straws and recycling—I try to stay informed. I read this book that a former team member gave me a few years ago called “Drawdown” and ever since I’ve tried to do a lot more in my day to day to control my own actions. I eat a little less red meat, I buy from brands I’ve worked with that I know have good ESG, I look for products that are trying to solve problems, I don’t shop fast fashion…these things add up even if they sound seemingly meaningless.
Most important for me is working in this industry and working for and with companies that are working to change systems and companies that practice what they preach! This is where I believe I can have the biggest impact, and this makes me very excited to have joined Apex!
Nicole, we are so glad to have you here, thank you for sharing your insights and helping our clients understand a bit more about how they can achieve their ESG goals both at work and at home!
About Nicole
Nicole brings both passion and experience to her role, including over fifteen years of working across various stakeholder perspectives and use cases with ESG. Her expertise began in the world of investor ESG data integration where she worked with many of the largest US Asset Management firms, and more recently focused on the corporate market, ESG reporting and investor preparedness, as well as sustainability advisory across a broad array of topics. Her recent work helping companies define their ESG strategy, examine and establish policy, and identify material ESG risk continued to leverage this experience in shaping how companies think about the wide impacts and opportunities around ESG. Nicole’s experiences span many sectors and industries but at the core has uniquely centered around the intersection of ESG and Financial Markets.
Nicole earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Towson University and her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at American University in Washington, DC. Nicole has a passion for environmental and social concerns in all aspects of her life; as such, even her hobbies align. She is an outdoor enthusiast and avid seed-to-table gardener. Additionally, she volunteers her time within the community through the schools and sports leagues and looks forward to being a High School Wrestling Mom this fall to her son Jacob.
Apex Associated Press (Apex AP) represents contributions from various authors within the Apex professional community.