Westbridge expands sustainability consulting resources with acquisition of majority in Frankfurt-based ESG boutique Magnolia
The Westbridge Group (Westbridge) has acquired majority ownership of Magnolia Consulting (Magnolia), a Frankfurt-based consultancy specializing in sustainable finance. Through this transaction, Westbridge will further grow its established and successful Sustainability Advisory division, operated by its subsidiary Agradblue, to include essential consulting competencies for holistic ESG transformation and comprehensive support to clients within the real estate and financial sectors as well as in other business areas.
Westbridge’s range of service offerings will extend from fundamental strategy consulting on achieving sustainability goals across business activities – for example, achieving climate targets, setting up transition and biodiversity plans, CSRD reporting and fund initiation – all the way through to the implementation of control tools such as ESG data management and implementation advice on specific ESG measures such as energy audits and certifications of properties and property portfolios.
“By expanding our service depth, we can now support our clients with ESG transformation starting from a much earlier stage,” says Yama Mahasher, Chief Executive Officer of Westbridge, explaining the rationale for the majority stake in Magnolia. “Our experience over the last few years has shown that the demand for comprehensive advice on sustainability continues to grow. For us, the decision to bring the sustainability expertise within our industry closer together is thus a logical step. Through this majority stake, we will also be able to significantly increase our participation in the growing market potential being created through the sustainable economy transformation taking place in Europe.”
“With our focus on sustainable finance, we will now be able to offer new consulting services through the Westbridge network. Because we have already worked closely and very well with Westbridge Group in the past, we are certain that this merger will deliver real added value for our client, for our team and on the impact which we are able to achieve,” explains Dr. Anne Michaels, a founder of Magnolia. “We are looking forward to this new chapter in our growth and to our combined future prospects. We will be able to accompany even more clients on their sustainability journey, and our team will have new professional and international development opportunities,” adds Luiza Linton, likewise a founder of Magnolia.
"Above all, our clients will benefit from this expansion of expertise,” notes Patrick Lange, Managing Director of Agradblue. “Westbridge’s holistic approach to ESG consulting will continue to ensure that the specific challenges involved in implementation and execution are taken into account right from the start of strategic planning work. With this expansion of resources, Westbridge is able to bring together regulatory and technical consulting expertise to achieve highly customer-specific ESG goals.”
Magnolia was founded in 2021 by Luiza Linton, Urata Biqkaj-Müller and Dr. Anne Michaels. The 15-member consulting team, which has built up a considerable base of proven expertise through projects including sustainability strategy, transition planning, climate scenario analysis, ESG control system implementation and CSRD reporting, will be smoothly integrated into Westbridge’s Frankfurt and Hamburg offices.