Our shared value
To be supportive investors
Our intent is to empower great people. We support them with strategic, financial and operational advice based on actual experience.
To be fair and open
From our first dealings with management through to the realisation of an investment, we aim to be straightforward and accessible.
To make growth meaningful
Strong financial returns alone are not sufficient. We believe sustainable growth can only be achieved when a business benefits all of its stakeholders.
Delivering meaningful growth
We invest in companies that bring benefits to society and the environment. We are proud signatories to the PRI. The highest standards of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) are embedded in our investment process:
Screening
We screen each opportunity to assess if it is consistent with our criteria
Due diligence
We undertake ESG due diligence on every new investment
Strategic plan
Sustainability is integral to the strategic plans of all our portfolio companies
Portfolio monitoring
We work with our management teams to enhance ESG performance
Exit
Once we divest, we assess the ESG results and any lessons learned
People matter
We recognise that our success is based on people. This means every one of the thousands of people in our portfolio companies. We work closely with our management teams to cultivate inclusive and diverse work environments. We focus on employee engagement, empowerment and enrichment.
Engagement
Our portfolio companies develop regular internal communications so that employees are fully aware of their company’s mission, strategy and progress. We ask for surveys to measure how people are feeling and to help improve corporate leadership.
Empowerment
We create nurturing environments in which employees can make active contributions. Key to this is creating the right structures to support people in realising their personal goals, and developing workplaces committed to diversity.
Enrichment
Employees share in financial success through broader ownership of their business. We also measure success based on the quality of the working environment.
Portfolio snapshot
Employees
>5,000
Portfolio employee growth*
>2x
Average Glassdoor Rating
4.2
*All realised investments
Supporting diversity
We are active supporters of Level 20, the not-for-profit organisation established to inspire women to join and succeed in the private equity industry. Our firm supports Level 20's mission to encourage greater female representation in private equity, with the goal of having 20% of senior positions in the industry held by women, and with a particular focus on increasing the number of women in investment roles.
We are long-standing members of the BVCA and strongly support its initiative to improve diversity in private capital firms and portfolio company management. We are proud to support 10,000 Black Interns, which aims to transform the horizons and prospects of young Black people in the UK, by offering paid work experience through a rewarding internship in private equity.
Community action
Bowmark has a close partnership with Pursuing Independent Paths (PiP). This outstanding organisation supports adults with learning disabilities and autism.
PiP’s dedicated team of staff and volunteers helps people to achieve their potential and to lead more independent lives.
The Bowmark team supports PiP by volunteering and fundraising, in addition to financial support. We are proud to back PiP’s social enterprise, Fruitful, a pop-up fruit juice stall run by its students to gain employability skills and real-life work experience.
Denise Largin,CEO, PiP