Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced that Ben Harper has joined the firm as Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”).

Mr. Harper joins Stonepeak from Zurich Insurance (“Zurich”) where most recently he oversaw the global insurer’s sustainability priorities, including operational, investment and product development initiatives. Under his leadership, Zurich was named the insurance industry leader for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in 2020. At Stonepeak, Mr. Harper will similarly aim to enhance Stonepeak’s leadership on sustainable investing and ESG as he oversees the firm’s continued efforts to scale its already significant ESG program.

Mr. Harper will partner closely with Stonepeak’s senior leadership team, investment team and portfolio company management teams to expand the firm’s approach to ESG integration both within its existing investment process and asset management activities. In his role, Mr. Harper will help establish additional goals for the program including expanding and refining the firm’s approach to measurement, policies and reporting in line with best practice and the continued evolution of the ESG landscape. Mr. Harper’s deep experience in implementing meaningful environmental sustainability initiatives will further augment and accelerate Stonepeak’s long-term approach to decarbonization and climate change disclosure.

Stonepeak’s existing ESG program includes robust internal processes and policies to assess and manage ESG aspects of investments, actively championing ESG-related initiatives in partnership with portfolio company management teams, and a consistent approach to data collection and reporting across its portfolio. Over the past year, Stonepeak has been working to enhance the carbon-related reporting of its operations as well as those of its majority-owned companies, and the firm expects to report the results of those efforts in 2022 via disclosures aligned to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. The firm is actively using the data it has collected to formulate holistic, long-term environmental goals that directly apply to the firm’s investments in different sectors.

Stonepeak CEO and Co-Founder Michael Dorrell said, “Responsible investing has been a core priority for Stonepeak, and we have consistently integrated ESG into our investment decisions and approach to asset management. We are committed to expanding our approach to ESG and look forward to leveraging Ben’s more than 20 years of experience in this area as we continue to accelerate Stonepeak’s existing ESG efforts across our portfolio.”

Ben Harper added, “I am excited to join Stonepeak and work with the entire team to further formalize and expand the firm’s existing ESG efforts and impact. Stonepeak is a leader in infrastructure investing and the firm is at an exciting point in its continued growth. I look forward to helping Stonepeak build on its commitment to responsible investing in close partnership with Mike and the team and identifying additional opportunities to drive greater impact.”

In Mr. Harper’s more than 20 years with Zurich, he also served in Head of Environmental and Climate Product Officer roles for the company, leading a broad remit of environmental sustainability initiatives. Earlier in his career, Mr. Harper was Director of Assessments and Compliance at Clayton Group Services where he leveraged his engineering background to oversee a large technical team and was responsible for managing a robust pipeline of complex environmental assessment projects.

Mr. Harper currently sits on two advisory boards for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – the Committee on Climate and the Committee on Sustainability – tasked with developing standards for integrating climate and sustainability considerations and metrics into global construction standards including infrastructure. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Extreme Weather and Climate Change Adaptation, responsible for developing resilience practices in the transportation sector, and a committee member for the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University.

To learn more about the Stonepeak’s approach to ESG, access Stonepeak’s 2020 ESG Report and 2020 Global Renewables Fund Impact Report at www.stonepeakpartners.com/environmental-social-governance/.

About Stonepeak

Stonepeak is a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets with approximately $39 billion of assets under management. Through its investment in defensive, hard-asset businesses globally, Stonepeak aims to create value for its investors and portfolio companies, and to have a positive impact on the communities in which it operates. Stonepeak sponsors investment vehicles focused on private equity and credit. The firm provides capital, operational support, and committed partnership to sustainably grow investments in its target sectors, which include communications, energy transition, power and renewable energy, transport and logistics, and water. Stonepeak is headquartered in New York with offices in Houston, Austin and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.stonepeakpartners.com.

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