Chika Acholonu

Associate Director of Esg @Verdani Partners

I have continued to play a leadership role at Verdani, serving as the account manager for two of our publicly traded clients. My main responsibilities include ESG reporting, tenant and employee engagement, climate risk assessment, and training colleagues. In addition, I continue to serve as chair of Verdani\'s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and contribute to Verdani thought leadership on various ESG topics. On the ESG reporting front, I support clients with DJSI, CDP and GRESB reporting and provide them with guidance to optimize ESG ratings like ISS, MSCI and Sustainalytics. In 2022, I helped one client improve its CDP Climate Change score from a C to a B and another client improve its S&P Global ESG score by 14%. In addition, I have written and edited copy for three annual sustainability reports, ensuring alignment with GRI, TCFD and SASB. In 2022, I contributed to Verdani blog posts on the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure rules and on the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. I also served as a content advisor for a Verdani Institute for the Built Environment (VIBE) white paper on ESG reporting frameworks and regulations and net zero emissions initiatives. With the support of Verdani’s CEO and an external DEI consultant, the Verdani DEI Committee has put in place a foundation for Verdani’s own DEI program and for our DEI services to clients. In 2021, we set DEI priorities for Verdani and drafted our first annual DEI budget. Soon after, we issued an all-staff survey to determine staff perceptions of DEI at the company. In early 2022, I facilitated an all-staff listening session to allow staff to elaborate on their survey responses. More recently, the DEI Committee, our CEO and our DEI consultant worked together to create a DEI Strategic Plan for Verdani.