Five businesses based in London and the South East recognised for exceptional performance
Five businesses based across London and the South East, all supported by private equity and venture capital, have been recognised for their exceptional performances in 2021.
Agility Eco, headquartered in Sutton, and Anthesis, Chambers and Partners, K2 Partnering Solutions, and Sparta Global, all headquartered in London, have received this recognition as part of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association’s (BVCA) ‘Vision 2022’ initiative.
Vision 2022, produced in collaboration with Grant Thornton, shines a light on the best management teams backed by the BVCA’s private equity and venture capital members.
Judging criteria includes growth, competitiveness, innovation and ESG factors, and judges consider the firms’ focus on the future as well as past performance.
Representatives from each of the recognised companies received a trophy at a ceremonial dinner in London on Thursday 1 December.
Michael Moore, BVCA Director General, added:
“Private equity and venture capital are supporting businesses across London and the South East to innovate, grow, create jobs and bring value to the communities they operate within.
“The companies recognised are leading examples of how a business can grow sustainably with the funding, business expertise and hands-on management approach synonymous with private capital.”
The recognised firms
AgilityEco
AgilityEco’s mission is to play a major role in eliminating fuel poverty, to deliver better outcomes for low income and vulnerable families and households, and to prepare Britain’s homes for Net Zero. The company plans, manages and delivers innovative services to provide practical support with energy efficiency, utility bills, household finances and vulnerability, and has been supported by Bridges Evergreen since 2019.
The judges recognised AgilityEco’s drive to deliver better outcomes for low income and vulnerable families and households, as well as its impressive ESG credentials and inspirational growth story. The company’s aim, from a social point of view, was described as “timely” and that AgilityEco can “only grow in value for society”.
Anthesis
Founded in 2013, Anthesis has grown to become the world’s largest group of dedicated sustainability experts with over 1,100 experts operating across 40 countries, covering the full scope of sustainability topics. In 2021 Palatine recognised the growth potential and societal value of Anthesis and invested in the company, allowing for an acceleration of the ‘buy and build model’ which increased headcount from 550 to 1,100 talented colleagues. Anthesis has featured on numerous occasions in the FastTrack100 and the FT1000 as one of the fastest growing private Companies in the UK and Europe.
The judges recognised that Anthesis has grown to become the world’s largest and premier specialist sustainability consultancy and how much of an achievement that is “given the competitive sector the business represents”. The company was also praised for its “incredible growth” and flagged as one with a “bright future”.
Chambers and Partners
Chambers and Partners – as a business-to-business information services provider – identifies, ranks and differentiates between the best lawyers and law firms, globally. It has been backed by Inflexion since 2018 who have proactively supported the business in its diversity and inclusion initiatives (both internally and externally) as well as expand internationally, driven product improvement and maintain independence and quality in its offering as it scales.
The judges recognised Chambers’ significant growth since Inflexion’s investment, their digital transformation and it being a “good example of what private capital can do for a founder-owned business”.
K2 Partnering Solutions
K2 Partnering Solutions was formed in 1997 to provide enterprise software consultants for projects around the world. K2’s offering includes a wide range of services across three core pillars: consultative IT solutions, training and certifications and human cloud enablement. Inflexion originally invested in K2 in 2017 and has since supported the business to, among other things, expand regionally, establish a team dedicated to ESG and transition from a traditional talent and recruitment provider into a provider of full end-to-end human capital solutions.
The judges recognised K2 as a “great growth story” holding “strong ESG credentials” and its ambition to expand further internationally. It was said that “the investment and support from Inflexion has supported K2’s digital transformation and helped to capitalise on changing market dynamics.”
Sparta Global
Sparta Global addresses the acute shortage of technology workers by training graduates from across the UK and placing them in roles within businesses, as well as providing a ‘retrain’ service for candidates who are looking to move into technology as a profession. Inflexion invested in Sparta in 2020 and has since helped the business to create a formal board for robust financial reporting, achieve global expansion with the opening of additional offices, and focus heavily on D&I and ESG.
The judges recognised Sparta’s “very strong” ESG angle and how it empowers underrepresented groups from less privileged backgrounds to train and find employment within the business and the wider Sparta Global client network. Its focus on D&I was also highly commended, as was its excellent growth in general.
You can read more about the recognised businesses in the judging booklet here, or more about Vision 2022 on its webpage, here.
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Will English, External Communications Manager on [email protected]
Notes to editors
About the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association
The BVCA, as the representative body for private equity and venture capital, connects institutional investors, fund managers, companies, advisers and service providers together, with our membership currently comprising more than 700 businesses from across the private capital ecosystem. This includes more than 325 PE and VC firms, 100 institutional investors and 220 professional services firms.
Private capital drives growth – providing the funding, expertise and long-term view that enables companies to innovate and flourish. Our mission is to advocate the transformative nature of the private equity and venture capital community.
About Grant Thornton UK LLP
Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. We are an adviser that delivers technical expertise and a personal, proactive and agile service that goes beyond.
The UK member firm is part of a global network that employs 58,000 people in 135 countries. We combine global scale with local insight and understanding to build relationships and deliver the services you need to realise your ambitions.
The UK Grant Thornton member firm is led by over 200 partners and employs over 5000 of the profession’s brightest minds. We are a business adviser that celebrates fresh thinking and diverse perspectives to bring you proactive insights and a service you can trust.
Find out more at www.grantthornton.co.uk @GrantThorntonUK
