Megahan Peterson | Ascend Ventures LLC
Founder of Ascend Ventures LLC | United States
Expertise
Finance & Performance, Strategy
Sector experience
Financial Services, Professional Services, Technology, Media & Telecom, Private Equity
Geographic focus
North America, Global
Client services
ESG & Sustainability Advisory, Double Materiality Assessments, Due Diligence
Education
• Harvard Extension School, Graduate Certificate, Corporate Sustainability & Innovation
• The George Washington University, Bachelors, International Affairs Concentration, Development Studies
With more than 15 years of experience in ESG, sustainability, and impact investing, Megahan helps corporations, investors, and foundations move from sustainability ambition to real-world implementation - building frameworks that are regulatory-ready, operationally embedded, and designed to create lasting value.
As Founder of Ascend Ventures LLC and Head of Impact at The Family Offices Global, she advises clients across the full sustainability lifecycle. Her career spans senior roles at MSCI, TRC Companies (now WSP), Loomis Sayles, KPMG, and ISS — giving her deep expertise across investment research, institutions, private equity, real assets, global operating environments (including emerging and developing markets), and corporate governance. At KPMG, she focused on providing foundations, multilateral and bi-lateral institutions with portfolio and organisational assessments to de-risk projects and programming.
Megahan helps organisations embed sustainability into their core strategy and operations by focusing on three key areas:
- Investment Strategy & Due Diligence - integrating ESG and impact across the investment lifecycle for private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and institutional investors - from deal screening and due diligence through portfolio management and exit.
- ESG Strategy & Governance - conducting ESG/Sustainability and subject specific risk assessments, designing materiality-driven sustainability frameworks, governance structures, and implementation roadmaps that align with business objectives and stakeholder expectations.
- Regulatory Alignment & Reporting - advising on international sustainability frameworks and regulations including EU SFDR, CSRD, CSDDD, EU Taxonomy, and California SB253/SB261, translating complex requirements into clear, actionable reporting processes.
- Revenue & Value-Based Interventions - work with companies and investors on actionable focus areas and activities that provide financial returns.
