Eddie de Sciora, a senior account executive at Stanton, is a long-suffering New York Mets fan. But Eddie takes the hapless organization in stride. He’s more fascinated by so-called sabermetrics and how they impact decision-making throughout Major League Baseball. A love of data is just one of Eddie’s myriad PR talents. Data, of course, is one component of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), an important topic and a strength of Stanton’s which Eddie is leading. Organizations are eager to learn how to communicate their action and progress on ESG issues to customers, employees, investors and others. We recently caught up with Eddie to discuss ESG trends and some of his other responsibilities for Stanton.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS FOR BRANDS TO DISTINGUISH THEIR ESG MESSAGE?
The most important thing is for companies to be bold in the language they use describe their ESG policies and show a real commitment. It’s incredibly easy to see which organizations are taking ESG seriously by reading between the lines of their communications. Companies across the board ‒ private investment firms, in particular ‒ shouldn’t be afraid to highlight their ESG commitment, whether that’s cutting down energy usage, becoming greener as a company internally or formalizing an ESG policy throughout the organization. Whatever the ESG strategy, it’s important to have the data to support your communications.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST WAYS FOR COMPANIES TO COMMUNICATE THEIR ESG GOALS INTERNALLY?
It’s really interesting. We’ve helped clients move from having a single executive champion to creating, adopting, and communicating robust ESG policies. Whenever there’s a major ESG milestone you have to package the news and distribute it to your stakeholders so they understand that ESG is not just a “box checking” exercise.
SWITCHING GEARS, WHAT’S YOUR PRIMARY ROLE AT STANTON?
I primarily work with financial services clients, helping develop strategy and doing a lot of day-to-day media relations, coordinating of thought leadership strategies and pitching for conferences and bylined articles. Clients I work with include Makena Capital, a pioneer in the endowment-style asset management community; Great Hill Partners and HGGC, two private equity firms investing in the next wave of innovative technology companies; Aberdeen Standard Investments, a leading global asset manager; and Bain Capital Double Impact, the impact investing business of Bain Capital.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY BEST WORKING WITH CLIENTS?
I really like delving into the research they provide, such as a new investment philosophy for which they’d like to get broader visibility in the market. I like to understand the underpinnings of that investment philosophy ‒ getting under the hood and knowing exactly where the client’s successes are coming from. I try to integrate myself as much as possible into the company’s thinking, perspective and business structure. That way, I’m a real partner, not just a vendor.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OF THE JOB?
I wish we had more time to focus on all of the compelling aspects of their business. Clients may need us to prioritize a new initiative when they’re often doing other things that are really interesting and probably warrant more attention. Part of it is how to harness clients’ proprietary research and owned content with the media and other stakeholders. It’s really rewarding to come up with innovative approaches that help our clients maximize the impact of the insights they generate
WHY IS STANTON THE RIGHT FIRM FOR YOU?
For a young professional such as myself, Stanton has proved to have the unique ability to combine expert-level guidance and skills growth with the freedom to explore and pursue my interests. The collaborative nature at Stanton has helped me sharpen my existing skills in research, writing, media relations and client communications. In the process of working for clients like Makena Capital and Bain Capital Double Impact, I’ve found an interest and passion for ESG and impact investing, and the firm has allowed me to really take a deep-dive to pursue that passion.
More practically, Stanton provides me with excellent extraneous benefits, like a fitness reimbursement program and a professional development program that I frequently use.