Our Contribution
With long standing investment success we’re in a privileged position
We have been scaling businesses and creating shareholder value across two decades, maintaining an inherent belief that we can achieve this alongside doing the right thing by our planet and society. This is the only way we will build a better world.
We use the tools, resources and connections we have to support local communities and causes, elderly people and future generations. We walk the talk through managing environmental, social and governance matters within our own business. We make an even greater difference to the planet and society through positively managing ESG across our portfolio.
B Corp
We are a B Corp, reflecting our leading position in delivering sustainable business growth and our pioneering role in sustainable investing. We scored 111.3 out of 200 in the B Impact Assessment, making us the fourth highest-scoring private equity firm in Europe.
Focus on Carbon
We are in the decisive decade for tackling climate change, and the years until 2030 will be make or break in achieving climate stability. All businesses have a role to play in moving the UK towards a low-carbon future, and at Palatine, we are committed to supporting the transition and reducing our emissions.
We are the first private equity firm to become a carbon literate organisation, achieving Silver-level accreditation. We have educated over 200 people in Palatine, our portfolio companies and our investors, demonstrating significant dedication to carbon reduction, with carbon-literate citizens typically realising carbon savings of 5-15% (Jacobs 2018).
Palatine’s carbon footprint is 27.81 tCO2e, which equates to 0.58tCO2e / person. We have identified a route to net zero; however, in the interim, we have offset 150% of our emissions to achieve Beyond Net Zero through purchasing verified Gold Standard carbon offsets that go beyond carbon removal by supporting at least two SDGs. One of the projects supported was the Gyapa Efficient Cookstoves project.
Inclusion and Diversity
We are committed to promoting a culture that empowers people by providing a working environment where an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce are valued and expected. The culture is one of trust, fairness and diverse perspectives, and people are at the heart of everything we do. To enable this and to drive positive change, we have an Inclusion and Diversity working group with representation across the company. We have also aligned with several initiatives within our local communities.
In 2022 we hired two interns through 10,000 Black Interns, a project that aims to create opportunities for underrepresented talent in the UK by offering paid work experience across a wide range of industries. We also supported three students to obtain a University of Manchester scholarship that provides life-changing educational opportunities through the Manchester Access Programme.
Our I&D guiding principles
- We make inclusion a reality in all we do.
- We provide a supportive working environment.
- We provide equal opportunities for all employees.
- We build awareness of the barriers to achieving an inclusive and diverse workplace.
- We remove the barriers to an inclusive and diverse workplace through inclusive recruitment.
- We speak out against non-inclusive behaviour.
- We use our platform to influence the development of inclusive mindsets.
- We expect everyone to adopt a growth mindset to overcome any uninformed actions.
- We measure progress and make data-led decisions around I&D.
Mental wellbeing
It has never been more critical for employers to raise the profile of mental health and focus more on wellbeing in business activities and communications. At Palatine, we have six qualified Mental Health First Aiders across the business and a Health and Wellbeing working group to support our team and create a positive and open office environment.
Zero hunger charity
At the start of 2022, we voted as an organisation to support charities for two years that align with Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to create a world free of Hunger by 2030.
Here are some of the initiatives we did in 2023:
- We challenged ourselves to walk, run, swim, cycle, and climb as far as we could, and for every km travelled, we donated £1 to the Diwali Basket Brigade.
- We volunteered at homelessness charities Coffee4Craig and New Horizons.
- We made Christmas donations of £500 to foodbanks in each office location: Manchester, Birmingham and London.
- We partnered with Easyfundraising to raise money for The Trussell Trust every time we shop as a business.
- We hosted charity dart nights in MCR, LDN, BHM with all proceeds raised going to charity.
- We ran a half marathon and a completed a 100km bike ride with all proceeds raised going to charity.
Our charity theme will change in 2024, but we will continue supporting other local charities to which we have been committed for several years, such as the Tim Bacon foundation. In 2023 our total raised for charities was £45,053.
There is an increasing amount of peer collaboration to help effect change in the industry. The associations we have joined forces with can be found below
Doing the right thing matters a lot to us. The environment is a key part, we need to protect our planet but it’s also about helping the communities in which we operate and supporting future generations to thrive. We’re in a priviledged postion in business and we inherently encourage giving back.
Tony Dickin
Co-Founder and Partner – Palatine