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Responsible business

 

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Our mission is to unlock potential in the Welsh economy and increase the provision of sustainable, effective finance.

As an investor for a positive impact on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda we aim to promote:

  • operational effectiveness
  • sustainable growth
  • brand value
  • employee engagement
  • understanding of long term exposure to systematic risks

Our strategy is based on six key pillars:

The six pillars

An equal and diverse workforce is instrumental to our success. In fact, 55% of our employees are female; as are 45% of our senior management team.

We continue to attract and retain great people by offering the right balance of engaging work, development opportunities, and competitive pay.

We link employee performance and development to our operational and strategic goals. We provided 290 business days of training and development this year alone.

We also offer employees and their families access to our CareFirst scheme, and assist with healthcare through our BUPA select and Cashplan schemes.

We’re diligent and responsible when selecting suppliers, and aim to build good relationships with them. We use both the Welsh Government’s procurement portal, Sell2Wales, and the National Procurement Service.

We proactively work with those we invest in to enhance their long-term sustainability, encouraging them to grow and innovate. Some of our portfolio companies have achieved broad recognition for their successes.

We directly contribute towards economic development in the regions in which we operate. Our investments create jobs and opportunities for local suppliers.

We establish partnerships that allow our staff to support the communities in which we work and we’re members of Business in the Community (BITC).

Our employees organise and participate in various charitable and fundraising activities such as an annual ball, quiz nights, cake bakes, and a number of different sporting challenges. 

As well as investing in eco-friendly companies we’re dedicated to reducing our environmental impact. Energy-efficient measures are implemented throughout our offices, so that overall consumption is minimised.

Maintaining and strengthening relationships with stakeholders is crucial for us, and we continue to support close collaboration.

Our key stakeholders include the Welsh Government, Welsh European Funding Office, European Investment Bank, Barclays, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors.

Charity of the year

Each year, our staff nominate and pick a charity of the year. For 2024/25 we will be supporting the British Heart Foundation and its life-saving research. It’s a cause we all admire and is close to our hearts, so through our events like charity balls, golf days, group and personal challenges, we hope to raise as much as we can to help families affected by heart and circulatory conditions.

For more information, please visit our year-long fundraising appeal.