October 2021.
Palisade welcomes Steve Gross and Jeremy Wernert to the Palisade family to co-found Palisade Impact, a specialist impact investing platform.
Steve Gross has most recently been the Global Head of Impact Investing for Macquarie Asset Management and is the Chair of Homes Victoria as well as a volunteer board member for a number of charitable organisations. Jeremy Wernert is the former Head of Macquarie Capital Asia and Head of Corporate Advisory for Evans and Partners.
Palisade Impact will intentionally target solutions to environmental and social challenges while delivering strong risk-adjusted returns. Palisade Impact will provide practical solutions to these issues, by investing in next generation infrastructure and infrastructure-like assets and businesses that provide essential services, supporting the future economy.
Palisade Impact will take a cross-sector approach to driving the race to zero: zero emissions, zero waste and zero inequality. These themes, together with changing technology and policy, provide a large opportunity to invest in a greener, smarter, more equitable, connected infrastructure of the future.
“It is important to grow impact together with investors and our partners. That means not only in the investments we make but as a manager supporting the broader growth of the industry and supporting causes through grants and advocacy. It is important that impact is both who we are and what we do,” said Steve Gross.
Palisade Impact will be majority owned by the executive team, with 2% of the manager also being owned by a charitable foundation and a leading impact industry body, enabling dedicated funding to go towards charitable causes, advocacy and the growth of the impact industry.
The platform will build on Palisade’s strong ESG capabilities and its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It will also leverage Palisade’s active management and development expertise in the waste management, digital infrastructure and renewable energy industries.
“As the world moves to a greener more equitable future driven by changing trends, technology and policy this presents a significant opportunity for our investors who are seeking greater impact in their portfolios. Steve and Jeremy have a global track record of growing businesses, successfully helping investors invest in sustainable infrastructure and delivering impact. Equally importantly, they have the highest integrity and a commitment to impact not only in their work but in their support of other important causes,” said Roger Lloyd, Palisade CEO.
Palisade Impact will be supported by Karen Gould, Palisade’s new COO, a role which includes oversight of Palisade’s ESG strategy. Her experience in this area includes as a climate change and renewables lawyer, UN Climate Change Negotiator, Associate Director with Macquarie Bank, Non-Executive Director of the Clean Energy Council and most recently as an Investment Director managing Palisade’s renewable energy developments.
“We are proud of Palisade’s ESG contributions, including as a leading investor in Australian renewable energy projects, our net zero by 2030 target and our efforts in supporting communities and diversity. Palisade Impact will be complementary to the broader Palisade platform, allowing us to make even more of a difference while still providing strong returns to investors. We are excited about working with, and learning from, Steve and Jeremy,” said Karen Gould.
For further information please contact:
Steve Gross
CEO, Palisade Impact
Ph: +61 407 564 129
steve.gross@palisadepartners.com.au
Karen Gould
Chief Operating Officer
Ph: +61 2 8970 7805
karen.gould@palisadepartners.com.au
Download the full Media Release here