Key Takeaways
- • APG Asset Management named Limited Partner of the Year for Impact at the New Private Markets Global Awards 2025, recognizing institutional investor leadership in impact investing strategies.
- • Four ESG-focused firms won major awards: TowerBrook (Multi-Strategy Firm of the Year, ESG), Permira (Large-Cap Private Equity Firm of the Year, ESG), Investindustrial (Mid-Cap Private Equity Firm of the Year, ESG), and Actis (Infrastructure Firm of the Year, ESG).
- • Climate and impact investing dominated award categories, with Ambienta recognized as Impact Firm of the Year (Climate and Nature) and LeapFrog Investments winning Impact Firm of the Year (Financial Inclusion), reflecting institutional investor demand for environmental and social outcomes alongside financial returns.
- • Emerging markets gained visibility in the 2025 awards cycle, with more firms focusing on emerging market opportunities as investors execute a "risk flip" favoring faster growth and development-oriented capital deployment.
- • Global PE activity remained robust in 2025, with exit values reaching $1.2 trillion—the second-highest level in over a decade—providing context for the scale of capital flows in private markets during the awards period.
Summary
The New Private Markets Global Awards 2025 recognized institutional investors and fund managers excelling in climate, ESG, and impact investing. APG Asset Management secured the Limited Partner of the Year award for Impact, underscoring the Dutch asset manager's institutional leadership in deploying capital toward measurable social and environmental outcomes.
The ESG fund management categories revealed broad recognition across firm sizes and strategies. TowerBrook claimed Multi-Strategy Firm of the Year honors, while Permira and Investindustrial took top positions in large-cap and mid-cap private equity respectively. Actis won Infrastructure Firm of the Year for ESG, reflecting growing institutional focus on sustainable infrastructure deployment.
Climate and nature-focused investing emerged as a primary theme. Ambienta's recognition as Impact Firm of the Year (Climate and Nature) highlighted the market appetite for specialized climate investing capabilities. LeapFrog Investments' win in Financial Inclusion underscored the awards' emphasis on impact categories spanning environmental sustainability, social outcomes, and financial access—particularly in underserved markets.
A notable trend in the 2025 awards involved increased recognition of emerging markets strategies. Fund managers with dedicated emerging market exposure gained visibility as limited partners executed what market observers characterized as a "risk flip"—a tactical reorientation toward faster-growth emerging markets and firms offering genuine additionality in development finance. This reflects a broader institutional reassessment of portfolio diversification and return opportunities in non-developed markets.
The timing of the awards corresponded with a strong year for private markets liquidity. Global private equity exit value reached $1.2 trillion in 2025, marking the second-highest level in more than a decade, indicating robust capital deployment and exit activity across the fund manager universe being recognized.
The ESG fund management categories revealed broad recognition across firm sizes and strategies. TowerBrook claimed Multi-Strategy Firm of the Year honors, while Permira and Investindustrial took top positions in large-cap and mid-cap private equity respectively. Actis won Infrastructure Firm of the Year for ESG, reflecting growing institutional focus on sustainable infrastructure deployment.
Climate and nature-focused investing emerged as a primary theme. Ambienta's recognition as Impact Firm of the Year (Climate and Nature) highlighted the market appetite for specialized climate investing capabilities. LeapFrog Investments' win in Financial Inclusion underscored the awards' emphasis on impact categories spanning environmental sustainability, social outcomes, and financial access—particularly in underserved markets.
A notable trend in the 2025 awards involved increased recognition of emerging markets strategies. Fund managers with dedicated emerging market exposure gained visibility as limited partners executed what market observers characterized as a "risk flip"—a tactical reorientation toward faster-growth emerging markets and firms offering genuine additionality in development finance. This reflects a broader institutional reassessment of portfolio diversification and return opportunities in non-developed markets.
The timing of the awards corresponded with a strong year for private markets liquidity. Global private equity exit value reached $1.2 trillion in 2025, marking the second-highest level in more than a decade, indicating robust capital deployment and exit activity across the fund manager universe being recognized.
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