Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies is a partner in the ESG & Impact Practice Group in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. Rhys has more than 15 years of ESG experience, including advising private equity firms, public companies and project sponsors in relation to the design and implementation of ESG strategies across a range of sectors, including energy and natural resources, infrastructure, real estate and technology.
Rhys' experience includes advising on sustainable finance disclosures (including pursuant to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation), green taxonomies, sustainability reporting, climate change, biodiversity loss, human rights and responsible business practices. He has assisted clients to develop and review ESG-related governance measures, policies, strategies, metrics and disclosures in a number of jurisdictions under both mandatory and voluntary frameworks.
Rhys also has broad environmental and social regulatory experience, including in relation to environmental impact assessment, emissions licensing, contaminated land, natural resources, indigenous engagement and cultural heritage. He has represented clients in both transactional settings and proceedings before administrative decision-makers, panels, tribunals and superior courts.
In addition to his undergraduate qualifications, Rhys holds a postgraduate certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge and a FSA credential issued by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. Rhys is a former member of the Governance and Advisory Board for the Australian National Contact Point under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Qualified Year
- 2007
Experience
- DLA Piper (2007 - 2023)
Membership
- Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
- Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM)
- Association of International Energy Negotiators
- International Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Qualifications
- Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (2022)
- LLB (2006)
Education
- University of Cambridge (2022)
- University of Western Australia (2006)
2 Contributions by Rhys Davies
PRACTICE NOTES
EU SFDR II review: consultations on RTS, PAI, Articles 8/9 and product labelling; ESMA fund names and UK FCA SDR—archived FAQ for UK lawyers
ARCHIVED : This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained.
These Q&As address many of the most common queries on consultations relating to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), covering proposed adjustments to the delegated regulations and the SFDR review (SFDR II).
There are a number of ongoing consultations on SFDR—are material changes expected?
In 2023, numerous consultations on Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (EU SFDR) took place, including an assessment of the SFDR Delegated Regulation (which contains the regulatory technical standards) (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1288, as amended) concentrating on revisions to the principal adverse impacts (PAI) regime and specific financial product disclosures, alongside a targeted and public consultation seeking feedback on amendments to the EU SFDR itself (EU SFDR II).
Possible outcomes may feature updated templates, stricter obligations for data collection and diligence on negative externalities, and potentially changes to the Article 8 and Article 9 classifications. Certain private equity industry bodies are proposing a voluntary labelling framework to sit alongside mandatory disclosures, taking inspiration from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposals. For more information, see Practice Note: Sustainable finance and ESG in the UK financial sector—FCA's priority areas—Trust:...
Financial Services
PRACTICE NOTES
EU SFDR RTS: FAQs on Article 8/9 criteria, PAI/PASI data, sustainable investment diligence, exclusions, third‑party data and non‑EU AIFM entity‑level disclosures [Archived]
ARCHIVED : This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained.
These Q&As address many of the most common queries on the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (EU SFDR) regulatory technical standards (RTS) (Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/852).
Product categorisation
Article 8 features
Principal adverse impacts (PAI) data gathering
Reliance on third-party data
Human rights due diligence
Implications for non-EU managers
On 6 April 2022, the European Commission signed off the final RTS and their Annexes supplementing the EU SFDR (Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, as amended by the EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852).
EU SFDR places substantial ESG transparency duties on asset managers offering funds in the EU.
The RTS set out compulsory website, pre-contractual and periodic reporting templates for financial market participants and covered financial products.
For further details, see Commission publishes adopted RTS containing disclosure rules on sustainable investments under EU SFDR, LNB News 06/04/2022 92.
Below we respond to frequently posed questions on EU SFDR informed by the 2022 final RTS.
EU SFDR has been brought in through phased requirements supplemented...
Financial Services
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