Responsibility
At IK Partners, we believe that responsible investment (“RI”) allows us to build fundamentally better companies. By considering material sustainability matters, we can mitigate risk and unlock value across our portfolio.
Our Approach
We have integrated RI throughout our investment process, including opportunity screening, due diligence, portfolio engagement, establishment of relevant monitoring processes and systematic follow-up.
Our Investment teams, supported by our long-established RI team, makes sure that our investment processes, decision-making and periods of stewardship incorporate RI awareness throughout.
For more information on how we use material sustainability matters to help select and future-proof companies, please refer to our RI Policy.
Responsible Investment Policy
The Role of Sustainability in our Investment Process
Pre-Investment
All investments must align with the IK RI Policy and any additional fund-specific commitments outlined in the governing legal documentation.
IK’s investment professionals, with the support of the IK RI Team, will assess material sustainability-related risks using internal and (where applicable) external tools, frameworks, research and analysis. The Firm may also instruct external specialists to perform enhanced sustainability due diligence on potential targets.
IC Memorandum & Decision-Making
The IC Memorandum includes an overview of material sustainability-related risks and opportunities, along with key screening and due diligence findings as well as an overview of alignment with any fund-specific sustainability-related requirements.
Active Ownership & Portfolio Monitoring
Board Representation
IK actively participates on the boards of certain PCs, enabling us to provide strategic guidance and monitoring. We encourage the board of directors to address material sustainability topics at least once a year.
Business Ethics
We continuously strive to institute and maintain high standards of governance and business ethics within our PCs by asking them to formally adopt the IK Ethical Guidelines for Portfolio Companies.
Portfolio Monitoring
We encourage our PCs to periodically report key performance indicators related to sustainability and aggregate this data to enable the Firm and its funds to conduct risk analysis, meet regulatory reporting requirements and fulfil data requests received from investors.
Exit
Vendor Due Diligence
Depending on the structure of the exit process, vendor due diligence may cover sustainability-related matters.
Industry Engagement
We are proud to be involved in the following responsible business initiatives. In addition to these, we are supporters of the UN Global Compact, France Invest Gender Charter and some of our employees are participants in the Level 20 initiative.
UN PRI
United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment
iCI
initiative Climat International
ILPA
Institutional Limited Partners Association – Driving Inclusion in Alternatives Initiative
Out Investors
Global Network for LGBTQ+ Investment Professionals
Invest Europe
Responsible Investment Roundtable
Our Progress
We report on our progress annually, incorporating industry frameworks where appropriate. Our current reports and mandatory disclosures can be found below:
Sustainability Related Disclosures
IK Partners in the Community
IKARE
IK Aid and Relief Enterprise (IKARE) was launched in 2006 with the aim of strengthening health delivery infrastructures and functions as a conduit for IK Partners’ venture philanthropy activities. Since inception, IKARE has worked closely with a number of strong social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions focused on improving access to quality health care services for marginalised communities. IK Partners has contributed around €2 million to IKARE to date and has also provided valuable non-financial support through accounting, communication and IT services.
Local Initiatives
IK staff across our regions have chosen to be involved in various initiatives. The level of involvement varies dependent on region and activities include a combination of donations of time and money. Each charity we support was chosen by the respective offices and covers homelessness, disease, food banks, education and child poverty.