Sedex Announces Investment
We’re delighted to announce that Sedex has entered into a minority investment with LDC, a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group, to accelerate our mission and organic growth globally.
LDC’s investment will support Sedex’s new Strategy and vision, revealed earlier this year, to help us deliver these more effectively and at scale. They are partnering with us in our mission to empower more businesses to make global supply chains more socially and environmentally sustainable.
Supercharging our strategy
Businesses globally face a rapidly evolving landscape of sustainability-related demands, from new regulation to comprehensive reporting balanced alongside operational pressures. We know our members need more sophisticated tools to navigate these challenges effectively.
“Over the last 20 years, Sedex has provided businesses with the tools to build ever-greater knowledge of the places, people, and practices in their supply chains. Our members now look to us to aid them across the wider sustainability agenda.
“With LDC, we can do this faster and more effectively. We are delighted to partner with them – it is fantastic to see Sedex’s potential recognised in this way.”
Steven Esom, Chair of the Sedex Board
With LDC’s support, we’ll further invest in developing our Platform, tools and professional services, leveraging the power of data and technology for our members’ benefit and fuelling our international expansion plans. We aim to reach more of global regions to help increase transparency across multi-tier supply chains, and deliver the intelligent solutions you need faster and more effectively.
We are also establishing a Special Purpose Trust to maintain Sedex’s founding purpose of promoting responsible business practices in supply chains.
“Sedex has developed a uniquely powerful offering that enables companies around the world to build effective supply chain sustainability strategies and understand on-the-ground conditions at suppliers’ sites. Our members now use Sedex’s tools in tracking and evidencing performance against their ESG goals. With the scale and complexity of the challenges they face, they need more sophisticated solutions that adapt across the breadth of ESG areas and the depth of their entire supply chains.
“We are determined that Sedex provides these. In LDC we’ve chosen an investment partner whose purpose very much aligns with our own. Their support will allow us to accelerate our growth plans while maintaining our focus on driving tangible improvements and positive change.”
Jon Hancock, Sedex CEO
The transaction was led by Investment Director Joe Tager, Investment Manager Dan Gluckman and Investment Executive Francesca Speke at LDC in London. LDC is backing Sedex’s existing management team, with Joe Tager, LDC CEO Toby Rougier, and software expert David Murray joining Sedex’s Board as Non-Executive Directors. Steven Esom will continue as Sedex’s Chair.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Sedex. We have known the management team for over 18 months and through our portfolio have experienced the significant benefits of becoming a Sedex member.
“Sedex operates in a high growth market, with ESG monitoring and reporting requirements increasing exponentially for businesses of all sizes. The company’s longstanding experience in developing robust, site-level tools, including the world-renowned SMETA audit, make it perfectly positioned to help companies meet these sustainability-related demands, and embed responsible practices deeper into supply chains.
“We look forward to supporting the management team as they build on this success in the next stage of their journey.”
Joe Tager, Investment Director, LDC in London
LDC’s activities to embed ESG performance across all levels of its business range from ensuring its own operations are net zero by 2030, to working with the management teams of their portfolio companies to successfully transition to a low carbon economy. They also drive diversity in the UK’s future business leaders through their partnership with The Prince’s Trust.
About LDC
LDC is a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. They have partnered with more than 675 management teams since 1981 and have a portfolio of more than 90 businesses across the UK. They have made investments across all major sectors of the UK economy and are actively supporting businesses in industries including Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare, ICT, Industrials, Media and Technology. LDC are based in the UK and are committed to investing in at least 100 businesses nationally over the next five years.
