MBK Partners named as Time World's Best Companies

South Korea's private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd. said on Friday it was selected in the "2024 World’s Best Companies" list by international weekly magazine TIME and German market analysis firm Statista.

The TIME-selected "World’s Best Companies" list, now in its second year, evaluates companies worldwide across three main areas: corporate growth rates, ESG (environmental, social, governance) indicators, and employee satisfaction, analyzing 15 categories in total to identify the top 1,000 best-performing companies.

MBK Partners is the only private equity firm from South Korea named among the 1,000 global companies this year.

Globally, only two other private equity firms made the list: EQT AB and Bain Capital. Among South Korean companies, 23 others were selected, including SK Inc., Hyundai Motor Co., Naver Corp., and Industrial Bank of Korea.

Time and Statista surveyed 170,000 people across 50 countries to select the pool of companies.

Companies scoring above average in employee satisfaction were first selected, followed by an assessment of their compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and direct growth rate from 2021 to 2023. The final selection incorporated sustainability scores based on eight ESG indicators.

MBK Partners has integrated a responsible investment policy into its investment process, reflecting its commitment to ESG. In 2013, it became the first South Korean private equity firm to sign the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).

In September last year, MBK Partners established an internal ESG evaluation manual to assess risks and improvement opportunities in due diligence for its investment targets, with a strong focus on ESG management.

Write to Jun-Ho Cha at chacha@hankyung.com