France’s Apax hires first chief sustainability officer

Dominica Adam will focus on sustainability initiatives in the firm’s €4.6bn European portfolio.

Dominica Adam: chief sustainability officer at Apax France

Apax Partners SAS has named Dominica Adam as its first chief sustainability officer, marking a key step in the company’s 10-year ESG journey. In 2015, it founded the Initiative Carbone 2020 initiative – now known as Initiative Climat International – with four other GPs.

Adam will work with Apax’s portfolio companies, “supporting their development and helping them build their sustainability strategy”, she said in a statement. Adam joined Apax in May, having worked for insurance company Axa for 15 years, where she most recently led insurance product development within an Axa-ING Bank partnership.

Although Apax notes there are “big challenges ahead” for the company, it believes Adam will steer Apax’s sustainability agenda while responding to stakeholders’ evolving needs.

Paris-headquartered Apax is a private equity firm with €4.6 billion in assets under management focused on the European mid-market. It has a shared history with London-headquartered Apax Partners, but is a separate entity, according to the company.