Doughty Hanson & Co has announced the appointment of Adam Black who will have responsibility for addressing sustainability matters within the firm and, in particular, for advising portfolio companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues to enhance the value of those investments.
Stephen Marquardt of Doughty Hanson said: "It is clear that a company's ability to sustain returns over the long term is in part dependent upon its adherence to strong governance, sound environmental stewardship and social responsibility. We have long recognized this at Doughty Hanson and it has been a key investment consideration for some time. The appointment of Adam extends this commitment and allows us to work with management teams more extensively and effectively to implement the sustainability factors that will help to create value for the long term."
As well as working with portfolio companies on ESG factors, Adam will assist the investment team with due diligence on new investments and work with the investor relations team on ESG reporting to Limited Partners.
Adam joins from KPMG where he was an Associate Director in the Risk and Sustainability team, with responsibility for leading and growing the Environmental, Health and Safety advisory and due diligence businesses as well as aspects of the climate change business. Prior to KPMG, Adam was employed at Environmental Resources Management (ERM), one of the leading providers of environmental consulting services and health and safety. Adam joined ERM from Halliburton, where he was a member of the corporate Environmental, Health and Safety Team. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner who graduated from the University of Plymouth with a degree in Environmental Science. He received an MA in Environmental Law from De Montfort University and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from the University of Surrey.
Stephen Marquardt continued: "Doughty Hanson is committed to building sustainable market-leading businesses that contribute significantly to their local communities around the world. Similarly, Limited Partners are increasingly recognizing the value of incorporating ESG factors into investment decisions, not only for moral reasons but also to de-risk those investments and maximise their financial potential. The appointment of Adam is complementary to our leading position in this area."
Doughty Hanson was one of the first private equity companies to recognize the importance of environmental, social and governance factors within its business and portfolio. It was among the first private equity companies to sign up to the Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) and became Carbon Neutral in 2006. The Doughty Hanson Charitable Foundation was formed in May 2000 and has since supported a broad range of good causes including fighting poverty, disability and homelessness and promoting healthcare and education in all sections of society. Doughty Hanson was a founding member of Bridges Ventures, the first UK community development venture fund to invest in under-developed communities. Nigel Doughty serves on the board of Bridges Ventures.
Nigel Doughty has also established The Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility at Cranfield Business School whose mission is to inspire and equip future and current managers with the desire and tools to put sustainability and responsibility at the heart of successful organizations.
Source: Capital MS&L
