Doughty Hanson looks to sustain returns

UK buyouts firm Doughty Hanson appointed Adam Black as a sustainability expert to advise not only on sustainability matters within the firm but also portfolio companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues to enhance the value of those investments.

Black will also work alongside the investment team on due diligence for new investments, and work with the investor relations team on ESG reporting to LPs.

Stephen Marquardt of Doughty Hanson said today: “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 recognised this at Doughty Hanson and it has been a key investment consideration for some time.”

Black 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, he was employed at Environmental Resources Management (ERM), one of the leading providers of environmental consulting services and health and safety. He joined ERM from Halliburton, where he was a member of the corporate environmental, health and safety team.

Environmental, social and governance factors have long been a priority at Doughty, and was one of the first private equity firms 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. 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.