Lomond Group
Lomond Group, headquartered in Edinburgh but with offices all over the UK including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Manchester and more, is a “powerhouse in the property sector”. The business, which specialises in both lettings and sales, is centred around making the property journey as seamless as possible for its clients.
Making ESG matter
Lomond Group was formed in 2020, when LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, provided the funding and guidance needed to support the merger of two market-leading estate agents. Since then, LDC has supported the group to expand significantly through acquisition. It has welcomed more than 25 residential specialists into the group including leading Scottish agent DJ Alexander. The acquisition of DJ Alexander makes Lomond Group the largest lettings and estate agent in Scotland. Lomond Group also provides central services to its network of companies, including HR, governance, operations, finance and, importantly, ESG.
The business, with help from LDC, embarked along an intensive ESG journey in early 2021. It brought onboard a professional support company to formalise a plan for the entirety of its brands as well as establish an ESG Committee to benchmark its progress.
Environment was the largest area of focus for the group with particular emphasis on energy – both across procurement and management. Green energy providers were identified and engaged, following energy surveys for all of Lomond Group’s sites, as were waste management brokers and providers. Finally, Lomond Group’s staff were trained in energy and waste procedures to ensure high standards were maintained.
Of course, an ESG journey would not be complete without improvements in both the Social and Governance areas either. Lomond Group were quick to install new HR systems that gave greater clarity on diversity and recruitment, and D&I training was provided across the group to ensure an inclusive recruitment process.
Finally, a full assessment of the Group’s internal policies was undertaken, and a Head of Risk employed. All policies were made available on a new learning hub for all staff, as well as training modules to bring staff up to speed with compliance and the maintenance of the Group’s risk register. This combination shows just how instrumental private capital can be in not only helping a business grow but to maintain the highest quality of ESG standards as it does.
