ESG is no longer just a box-ticking buzzword, it’s the key driving force behind the progressive businesses of the future. That’s why tern is working with the companies it backs to help them achieve goals around crucial concepts such as sustainability and diversity.
tern CFO, Sarah Payne, is excited about how ESG principles are impacting on tern’s portfolio companies. She explains, “…working with young entrepreneurial companies and their founders and helping them to identify the key elements that impact their growth we see companies are now giving time and consideration to sustainability, diversity, compliance — the elements we’ve come to think of as ‘ESG’.
“Personally, I find that very rewarding, and I believe that tern and the companies we work with definitely feel we are part of a group – that we can really help each other out, share information and collaborate. And, as those relationships have developed in the last few years, I genuinely feel that’s become part of the DNA of those companies and ourselves. It’s not red tape. It’s not a box-ticking exercise. It’s just a natural evolution in how those companies communicate and do business and it’s an ongoing process that has really helped tern recognise what we must do ourselves to improve the way we work.
Creative challengers
“A great example was Talking Medicines’ recent #breakthebias campaign for International Women’s Day. It was impressive that they challenged perceptions about women’s roles in data science, but it was also really fun, engaging and came about organically – both from their commitment to their team, but also their community.
“Ultimately, I feel our companies really benefit from working with us, but also with each other, making each other stronger by collaborating with a common purpose towards goals like sustainability and diversity, because for business, success in these areas is incredibly important for the future.”
