SFDR ESG Compliance Reporting Tool

Description:
Launch a new 0-1 data reporting product to enable CLO clients to meet SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation) ESG reporting Requirements
Business Objective:
Grow revenue by launching a new “SFDR” product that would allow creating 100’s of reports in a scalable manner, and capture the market for the majority of the CLO market
My Role:
Product Owner
Company:
FinDox (which was acquired by Reorg)
Launch Date:
May 2023

Strategy and Background

The ESGx product on the FinDox platform (which was acquired by Reorg), allows clients to view structured ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reports for privately held companies. Given that FinDox had built a large portfolio of data, they were perfectly positioned to help clients meet new SFDR reporting requirements in the EU. These regulations required CLO managers to report standardized ESG data for a CLO as a whole by rolling up company level data to create a CLO level report. For example, the report would indicate the total carbon footprint impact / exposure of a CLO for a reporting year.

The ESG team signed a large number of contracts with new and existing clients based on a excel based prototype so they knew the demand, but then the team needed a tool to run hundreds of reports at scale and a client facing UI that would allow clients to review, download and add comments to the report.

Key Challenges

  • Once the greenlight was given and resources assigned, we only had three months until launch. Given that the client contracts had already been sold and their was a government defined submission date for our clients, being late was not an option.
  • The report output involved aggregating ESG metrics for all underlying companies that a CLO held. The math, although “simple” on the surface ended up requiring many unique calculations to meet the legally defined reporting requirements.

The Plan

  • Create a new internal tool that would allow ingesting client quarterly reports of a CLO Managers holdings and an interface to review that the provided client holdings correctly linked to our internal ESG data.
  • Create a client interface that allowed users to review their reports, view details on how the calculations were made, add comments to the report metrics and download a PDF version that could be submitted with their required filing.

Execution

  • Worked with business stakeholders to determine scope for launch and define requirements for both the internal workflows and client facing product
  • Created detailed wireframes for the internal tools and client facing product, which were used along with the overall feature requirements to make epics and tickets in Jira
  • Led delivery team through development and launch of the product
  • Worked with QA to define testing plans, and assisted in detailed product testing
  • Coordinated with business stakeholders for UAT testing and product launch


Project Results:

  • Operations team used the tool to successfully ingest client data to create 100’s of reports within weeks of launch
  • FinDox CLO clients successfully met SFDR compliance reporting requirements by submitting FinDox generated reports
  • Recognized as a “Core Value Winner” company wide for the successful on-time launch of the product

He is able to distil complex ideas into clear, actionable steps

I had the pleasure of working closely with Dan for two years at FinDox/Reorg, and I can’t recommend him highly enough. Dan is an exceptional product manager with a keen ability to lead and execute on new product builds. His deep understanding of both the technical and business aspects allowed him to seamlessly manage complex projects from concept to delivery.

Dan consistently demonstrated strong leadership, attention to detail, and a commitment to delivering results. He has a natural talent for navigating cross-functional teams and ensuring that everyone is aligned toward the same goals. His ability to anticipate challenges, problem-solve on the fly, and keep teams motivated made our projects run smoothly.

One of Dan’s standout qualities is his communication skills. Whether he is speaking with executives, developers, product owners or clients, Dan always ensured that everyone was on the same page. He is able to distil complex ideas into clear, actionable steps, which kept all stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the product development cycle. His transparent and approachable style made collaboration effortless.

If you’re looking for someone who can bring a combination of strategic thinking and hands-on management to product development, Dan is your guy. He’s an invaluable asset to any team, and I look forward to seeing all that he’ll accomplish in the future!
Luke W.
Director – ESGx @ Reorg