Cardiff and South-West based Lexington Corporate Finance has partnered with Green Ibex, to provide its clients with ESG advisory services to help with their carbon reduction goals.
Green Ibex is a sustainability and ESG consultancy, which works with companies across the UK and EU to shape and deliver their sustainability strategies as they move towards net zero. It was founded by experienced project manager Jonathan Jones, and has recently appointed former BBC Cymru Wales chief operating officer Gareth Powell as a non-executive director.
The partnership was prompted by the growing importance that banks and investors are placing on ensuring that the companies they invest in are good corporate citizens with a strong ESG policy.
Warren Lewis, senior advisor at Lexington, said: “Within the investment community, there is a huge focus on environmental and social responsibility together with strong governance policies.
“It’s becoming increasingly apparent that businesses that prioritise this will make themselves more attractive to investors together with prospective employees and external stakeholders.
“All of this is being driven by customers who can vote with their feet and want to support organisations that ‘do the right thing’.
The UK Government has set a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and research suggests that so far, four in five FTSE100 companies and 40% of SMEs are committed to achieving net zero. However, only 26% of SMEs have measured their emissions.[1]
Green Ibex works with companies to provide them with a road map that takes them from planning to action so that they can achieve their sustainability goals and reduce their carbon footprint.
Jonathan Jones, founder of Green Ibex, said: “Moving to net zero presents commercial and economic opportunities to businesses of all sizes. Often businesses have good intentions, but they don’t know where to start, particularly where 90% of their emissions are out of their immediate control.
“We help businesses evaluate the challenges they face, and provide the knowledge, tools and support they need to make the changes they aspire to.
“I’m really excited by our partnership with Lexington, given its extensive ‘know-how’ in building the value of businesses, when business owners are seeking an exit, fresh investment, or funding from the investment community.”
Lexington is also going through the process with Green Ibex themselves so it can meet its own sustainability goals.
Warren Lewis added: “I am hugely passionate about addressing climate change and am excited about augmenting our traditional offering with these ESG advisory services.
“Green Ibex will also be helping Lexington on our own ESG journey, as it’s something that’s always been core to us as a business and we want to continually strengthen and improve what we’re doing.
“Both Lexington and Green Ibex are dynamic and ambitious, putting a real value on developing long-term relationships with clients, investors and intermediaries, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this partnership takes us.”
[1] Source: Climate Change Committee, The Power of Partnership: Unlocking business action on Net Zero (Expert Advisory Group) LINK: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-power-of-partnership-unlocking-business-action-on-net-zero-expert-advisory-group/
