Clermont Partners, one of the nation’s largest women-owned financial communications firms, announces it has expanded its fast growing Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Advisory Services group with the appointment of Aileen Boniface as a Senior Director.

Prior to joining Clermont, Ms. Boniface worked as an advisor at Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) to corporate issuers on governance, compensation, and ESG issues, including proxy statement reviews in accordance with ISS voting policy in advance of shareholder meetings. Prior to ISS, she was an analyst at the National Association of Corporate Directors and began her career working in emerging markets, conducting political-economic risk reports in the energy and sustainability sectors.

Ms. Boniface joins the firm’s ESG Advisory group, which was established in 2017 to counsel on the implantation and integration of material ESG factors into mainstream investor communications. These services include:

  • Compensation Advisory including CD&A reviews and engagement strategies to address and recover from lower shareholder support or failed Say-on-Pay outcomes;
  • ESG Peer Benchmarking and Ratings Remediation to decode, monitor and address the material factors most affecting a company’s ESG positioning in the marketplace;
  • ESG Proxy Advisory including the development, as well as the communication and implementation of policies, metrics and disclosures to address material ESG concerns of stakeholders in the proxy statement; and,
  • Shareholder Engagement to build and execute shareholder engagement policies and protocols for boards, including off-season compliance roadshows and webcasts.

“We have been at the forefront of integrating ESG communications into our client’s programs – during normal investor outreach, but also during acute corporate moments, such as M&A and shareholder activism campaigns. This reflects the fact that one of every four dollars invested in mutual funds is now in ESG-oriented or ESG-forward funds,” said Victoria Sivrais, the firm’s founding partner. “There is no question that investors are viewing ESG with a risk-based lens and requiring amplified levels of transparency on this new set of operating risk factors at their investments.”

She continued, “We are delighted to have Aileen join the team, which is inarguably at the forefront of helping our clients stay ahead of the ESG curve by integrating this counsel into our financial communications programs, crisis and proxy engagements, and transaction communications advisory.”

About Clermont Partners

Clermont Partners is a 100 percent woman-owned advisory firm specializing in strategic investor relations, ESG communications and strategy, transaction communications and shareholder activism. The firm provides counsel to C-level executives and Boards of Directors across a diverse set of smid-cap companies on matters ranging from middle market M&A, shareholder activism defense and activist engagement and all areas of ESG Counsel. Its senior leaders are members of the National Investor Relations Institute’s (NIRI) National Board of Directors and Fellows, often speak, and are published and quoted across the U.S. on issues facing CEOs and Boards operating in the public markets.