Close Group Consulting Hires Industry Veteran Joanne Sonin as Managing Director

Firm expands with UK presence to address global ESG needs of clients

MONTREAL, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Close Group Consulting (CGC) announced today that it has expanded its footprint to the UK and Europe with the hire of Joanne Sonin as a managing director based in the UK. In this newly created role, CGC builds on its existing work in these geographies, recognising the need that their client base has for experienced capital-markets-based ESG advisory specialists.

Based in London, Sonin is responsible for leading the firm's ESG integration and sustainable finance practices covering asset managers, capital allocators, and corporations across the UK and Europe.

"We're extremely excited to have Joanne join CGC and contribute to the continued evolution of our firm's capital markets and ESG capabilities," said CGC Founder Tamara Close. "Throughout her international career, Joanne has consistently demonstrated strength in working with management teams, boards, and investors to develop and implement bespoke value-creating strategies and we expect her deep transactional and operational experience to add significant value to our global clients," Close added.

With over 20-years of experience, Joanne has worked as an investment banker at several global firms, including Citigroup, JP Morgan, and Deutsche Bank, and in various jurisdictions, including London, New York, Sydney, and Tel Aviv. She has executed a wide range of M&A and capital-markets transactions and has worked across different industries, with a particular focus on financial institutions and the real estate sector.

"I look forward to contributing to CGC's ongoing growth by providing investors and corporations access to customised and advanced ESG-integration strategies," Sonin said. "CGC differentiates itself from other advisors through the capital markets experience and expertise of its senior team, proprietary tools and methodologies, as well as its access to best-of-breed specialist ESG networks. Given the demand from a variety of stakeholders for value-creating ESG strategies and solutions, the need for an ESG advisor that has corporate finance and capital markets in its DNA has never been greater," added Sonin.

Joanne is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Law School of the London School of Economics and Political Science, from where she earned a PhD in company law; her research focuses on the questions of shareholder and stakeholder interests, corporate behavior, corporate purpose, and legal reform. She has also earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and a BA from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

With offices in Montreal, Boston, and London, Close Group Consulting (CGC) is an independent boutique ESG and impact advisory firm. The firm works with asset managers, general partners, asset owners, and corporations to frame and address sustainability factors as a value-enhancing aspect of core business strategy. Leveraging its in-depth capital and financial markets experience, CGC has developed proprietary tools and methodologies and works in partnership with clients to design and implement tailored, end-to-end integration frameworks that advance ESG maturity.

Since inception in November 2017, CGC has implemented mandates for investment managers and asset owners with combined assets under management of over $1.8 trillion.

For additional information and updates on Close Group Consulting, please visit: Close Group Consulting

CONTACT INFORMATION

Craig Allen
Managing Partner 
Allen & Associates Communications 
craig.allen@aacomms.net
(475) 419 4468