Supporting growth companies is at the heart of what we do, and we are delighted that the Bowmark portfolio has delivered profit growth in excess of 30% over the past 12 months.
This is just one example of how we delivered on our strategy and commitments in 2022. Below you can see highlights of our recent investments and exits, our new fund Bowmark Growth Partners, and our progress on important ESG initiatives.
Looking forward into 2023, we are as committed as ever to helping innovative services and technology businesses achieve their ambitions by delivering sustainable growth.
Highlights of 2022
We were delighted to have completed exits with a total value of £2.2 billion last year, after helping to create 450 new employee shareholders in these companies under our ownership.
We also invested in four exceptional, high-growth companies: WSD, a leading provider of document and workflow automation software solutions to the structured financial products industry, which is increasing efficiency, improving accuracy and promoting regulatory compliance in a global market worth $3 trillion; Cornwall Insight, a leading provider of research, data and analysis to the energy sector, which provides critical data to enable its customers to navigate the transition to net zero; Littlefish, a provider of managed IT, cyber security, cloud and IT consultancy services to over 200 customers across the public and private sectors; and Xperience, a digital transformation specialist that supports its clients with secure and efficient IT solutions, enabling them to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their businesses.
Bowmark Growth Partners
Bowmark Growth Partners, our new fund focusing on lower mid-market companies, began its investment period in May 2022.
Bowmark Growth Partners invests alongside our larger fund, Bowmark Capital Partners VI, in high-growth, innovative companies in the data and insight, managed IT services, software and tech-enabled business services sectors. With our two funds, Bowmark can now provide capital solutions spanning equity investments from £10 million to £200 million.
ESG
The companies we realised in 2022 created a ten-fold increase in employee shareholders since investment. In addition, we made significant progress across a range of ESG initiatives at Bowmark and our portfolio companies – including the journey to net zero, promoting diversity and inclusion, and quantifying and monitoring our ESG performance.
Community
We also have a close partnership with Pursuing Independent Paths (PiP), an outstanding organisation that supports adults with learning disabilities and autism. The Bowmark team works with PiP through active volunteering. We also financed PiP’s social enterprise, Fruitful, a pop-up fruit juice stall run by its students to gain employment skills and real-life work experience. We are also active supporters and members of the following organisations:
People
Our success is based on people. Over the past 12 months, Bowmark welcomed nine new team members, including three investment professionals, a marketing director and a people and talent director. Meet the team
Awards
Bowmark is honoured to have received the Unquote British Private Equity Award for Responsible Investor of the Year, and to have been shortlisted for three additional awards.
Words by Charles Ind
Jan 18, 2023