Kristine Aquino Martinez

Fractional CSO services to private asset managers and management teams, developing and implementing right-sized sustainability and climate strategies, as well as effective communications and reporting.

Scope & Responsibilities

• Develop and implement H&F’s global sustainability strategy for the firm and its portfolio companies through influence and successful partnerships with internal stakeholders, portfolio company executives, LPs, and external advisors.  AUM totaling $90B across various verticals in U.S., Europe, and Canada. 

• Build ESG data management, analysis, communications, and reporting functions to senior management, LPs and other external stakeholders to drive accountability and measured impact.  Includes: maturity rating methodology, due diligence framework, KPI benchmarking dashboard, DDQs, and annual LP report.    

• Serve as external representative of H&F’s ESG & Sustainability program.

• Manage and mentor team that supports ESG reporting, climate priorities, and portfolio engagement.

Key Achievements/Impact

• Designed and led H&F’s reinvigorated ESG & sustainability strategy, which is now considered best-in-class by many in the industry.  Drove 100% adoption in ESG due diligence with deal team (e.g. IC memo inclusion) and portfolio-wide priorities within one year.  Program inspired by SASB, TCFD, PRI, EDCI, SFDR and ILPA.  Material themes included climate action, DEI, responsible AI, cybersecurity, and ethical supply chain management. 

• Collaborated with the sustainability team to develop H&F’s first climate strategy and led implementation of portfolio-wide priorities. Resulted in 100% of portfolio bottoms-up emissions calculated, decarbonization levers analyzed and climate risk assessed within 1.5 years. 

• Spearheaded successful implementation of Novata, achieving 100% data collection across portfolio for three years, tracking over 70 quantitative and qualitative metrics. 

• Built successful LP partnerships through sustainability diligence, AGM presentations, LP reporting, and engagement – playing a key role in H&F’s last two fundraises, securing +$48B in three years. 

• H&F underwent their first ESG-specific SEC audit in 2022 and received no comments.

• Designed and guided technology portfolio company in setting their climate strategy, net-zero SBTI commitment, identifying potential net-positive cash flow by 2030, and implementing a carbon accounting tool and Inventory Management Plan.  Served as the case study for H&F’s climate action strategy for service-oriented portfolio companies.

• Thought partner for Head of Sustainability at a consumer portfolio company (+25k FTE, +1700 centers), which has the largest carbon footprint in the portfolio, to develop a sustainability strategy.  Created their enterprise environmental stewardship plan and advised on carbon accounting, decarbonization initiatives, and climate risk increasing their transparency to align on future goals.

• Negotiated preferred pricing with sustainability vendors that resulted in over $1.6m realized cost savings.

• H&F’s 2022 absolute emissions were reduced by 19% from 2021 and maintained carbon neutrality.

Scope & Responsibilities

• ESG Lead for internal and external stakeholder engagement, portfolio ESG impacts monitoring, and co-development of H&F’s first ESG LP reporting and public disclosures with the Investor Relations team.

• Co-build H&F’s value creation and portfolio-wide engagement approach and communications.  Portfolio CXO communities were designed to strengthen programs and develop portfolio leaders.  Host knowledge sharing events, co-develop IP with portfolio leaders and advisors, and manage external advisors.

Key Achievements/Impacts

• Designed and implemented first diligence maturity frameworks and monitoring dashboards with third parties for ESG, cybersecurity, software product, and IT.

• In-house Program Executive for software company’s (+5k FTE, +1B annual revenue) finance transformation initiative.  Led assessment and launched initiative to advance data governance and financial reporting in preparation for IPO.  Collaborated with external advisor to identify $6m annual avoided costs.

• Co-developed H&F’s R&D benchmark framework with external advisor to improve R&D efficiency and effectiveness of software companies.  Leveraging the framework, conducted and presented deep R&D analysis to a company’s management team identifying ~$50m in annual cost savings.

• Spearheaded H&F’s accounting transformation initiative.  Designed expense architecture and controls, established dead deal analytics, and published first expense policy.  Resulted in ~$1.1m annual cost savings.

• Oversaw and implemented H&F’s first comprehensive expense management system.

Award nominated leader for excellent team management and financial solutions implementation in the largest U.S. region, during a time of major regulatory changes and 20% reduction in workforce.  Consistently garnered exemplary audit ratings.

Led budget approach and execution for a high-profile department with majority funding through the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI), the U.S.’s first cybersecurity strategic initiative. 

Orchestrated financial activities and closed two years of accounting books to decommission a politically sensitive office within six months. Received commendable audit rating with internal audit program.

Managed general ledgers for Near East, Europe, and U.S. departments with budgets between $500M to $1B.  Selected as one of two finance interns for the Agency in 2002.