StepStone Group, one of the world’s leading advisors in alternative investments, has been named “Consultant of the Year” at the prestigious IPE Awards 2025. Held in Vienna, the event brought together over 600 participants — including pension fund representatives, asset managers, regulators, and investment analysts. This accolade recognizes StepStone’s growing influence across the industry and its reputation as a provider of innovative, data-driven, and ESG-aligned investment solutions for institutional clients throughout Europe.
The IPE Awards (Investment & Pensions Europe) have long served as a benchmark for excellence in the field of institutional asset management. StepStone’s win symbolizes a broader shift in the consultancy landscape — from traditional advisory approaches to those rooted in technology, sustainability, and strategic analysis.
A Breakthrough Year in Europe
The year 2025 marked a turning point for StepStone in Europe. The firm expanded its regional presence by growing its Paris-based team, opening a new office in Frankfurt, and significantly increasing its European client base, which now includes over 80 institutional investors across the EU.
In total, StepStone advised on transactions and allocations worth more than €18 billion, spanning infrastructure, private credit, real estate, venture capital, and secondaries. One of the year’s standout areas was the firm’s leadership in secondaries markets, where it provided institutional clients with proprietary tools to evaluate asset pricing and exit strategies with precision.
Embracing Technology and AI Integration
A cornerstone of StepStone’s success was the rollout of a multi-layered digital analytics platform. Built using AI and machine learning technologies, the system offers clients the ability to:
- Simulate asset allocation scenarios using macroeconomic variables
- Analyze portfolio risks and volatility in real-time
- Benchmark returns against peer groups and market indices
- Monitor ESG metrics at both asset and portfolio levels
This technological innovation allowed pension funds to make faster, more informed decisions, reduce transactional costs, and increase overall transparency — a quality increasingly demanded by stakeholders and regulators alike.
Turning ESG from Policy into Practice
Sustainability was another pillar of StepStone’s value proposition. In 2025, over 90% of portfolios developed with its consultation met at least Article 8 of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Key initiatives included:
- Custom ESG filters focusing on carbon emissions, waste management, and social impact
- Strategic partnerships with independent ESG ratings agencies to provide high-quality data
- Regular reporting that broke down each investment’s environmental and social footprint
A standout project involved a Dutch pension fund that restructured 60% of its infrastructure portfolio toward green assets, including wind and solar farms, water systems, and low-carbon transit solutions — with StepStone as lead advisor.
Industry Response and Recognition
Accepting the award on behalf of the firm, Karina Hauser, Managing Director of StepStone’s European division, commented:
“This honor reflects our team’s dedication to innovation, collaboration, and long-term value creation. We’re proud to be shaping the future of responsible investment in Europe alongside our partners.”
Rival nominees including Mercer, WTW, and bfinance acknowledged that StepStone raised the bar in 2025, particularly in terms of client-facing technology, ESG integration, and the depth of real-time analytics provided to decision-makers.
High-Impact Consultancy Projects
Beyond strategic advice, StepStone is involved in building investment infrastructure from the ground up. Notable projects in 2024–2025 included:
- Germany: Restructuring a €1.3 billion private credit portfolio for a major municipal pension fund, shifting allocations toward sustainable bonds and SME lending
- Norway: Developing a climate-aligned private markets framework using integrated ESG risk models
- France: Supporting the launch of a €500 million decarbonization-focused venture fund, targeting clean technology startups
Each of these initiatives included customized education sessions for investment committees, strengthening the governance and confidence behind allocation decisions.
Co-Investment and Strategic Partnering
StepStone has also championed co-investment as a strategic tool, offering clients the opportunity to invest alongside the firm in select opportunities. This approach has generated synergies between StepStone’s advisory and investment arms.
In several cases, StepStone acted as an anchor investor in private equity and infrastructure funds, helping to catalyze additional institutional participation and reduce barriers to entry for pensions seeking exposure to niche markets.
Shifting Requirements in 2025: What Clients Want
As markets become increasingly complex and volatile, institutional investors are demanding more from their consultants — including macro insight, regulatory fluency, sustainability, and real-time analytics.
A 2025 report by Pensions Europe revealed that 74% of EU pension funds reassessed their consulting relationships during the year, with 41% conducting full tenders in search of more advanced, ESG-compliant, and tech-enabled advisors. StepStone was among the top-rated consultancies in all categories surveyed.
Conclusion: StepStone as a Symbol of Modern Investment Consulting
Winning the IPE Award is more than just a recognition of StepStone’s achievements; it reflects the evolution of the consulting industry itself. Consulting is no longer about fund selection alone — it’s about delivering technology-driven, ESG-aligned, deeply analytical strategies that can withstand the demands of a rapidly changing world.
StepStone has proven itself not merely as an intermediary, but as a long-term strategic partner, combining global expertise with tailored, data-led insight.
As transparency, trust, and sustainability become foundational to capital allocation, firms like StepStone are poised to define the next decade of institutional investment across Europe and beyond.
