Alongside his professional career, Charlie is also a long-standing trustee of two charities, the Stone Family Foundation and Impetus, both of which have a focus on helping disadvantaged young people in the UK.

Bridges Inclusive Growth is a private equity strategy dedicated to investing in growing, cash-generative businesses delivering positive, measurable social outcomes for vulnerable groups in the UK. Current investments include New Reflexions, which provides care, therapy and education for disadvantaged young people, and Alina Homecare, which provides high-quality homecare for the elderly.

Emma Thorne, Partner and Co-head of Inclusive Growth, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Charlie into the team. We have been looking to recruit an experienced private equity investor who is also deeply committed to our mission to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people in the UK. Charlie fits the bill perfectly, and he is going to be a real asset to the team in the coming months and years.”

Charlie Edwards, Partner and Co-head of Inclusive Growth, said: “I have always believed that private equity investment is a powerful way to deliver positive social outcomes as well as attractive financial returns. So the opportunity to join a pioneering impact investment platform like Bridges – and its clearly differentiated Inclusive Growth strategy in particular – was very compelling. I’m looking forward to working with our existing portfolio, and identifying future opportunities to invest in highly impactful UK businesses across a range of sectors.”

The team – which will be called Bridges Climate Transition Partners – will continue to manage the existing Climate Growth Partners fund, which has already made 11 investments. HSBC AM will remain a limited partner and maintain its existing capital commitment in the fund, and also intends to be an anchor investor in a successor fund, to be established and managed by Bridges in due course.

As part of the Bridges platform, the team will continue to back scalable, commercially proven European and North American technology companies, with a focus on areas like energy transition, sustainable manufacturing and climate resilience. The team will also benefit from the support of Bridges’ in-house sustainability, impact and value creation specialists.

Michele Giddens, CEO and Co-Founder of Bridges Fund Management, said:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Christophe, Mike and their outstanding team into the Bridges family. Their expertise and passion for solutions that are accelerating the transition to a more sustainable economy align perfectly with our mission. We firmly believe that investing in innovative climate technologies is one of the most powerful ways to achieve positive impact at scale, and we’re delighted to be spinning in this proven, expert team to spearhead our effort.”

Christophe Defert, Head of Bridges Climate Transition Partners, added:
“Climate technologies – powered by advances in AI and material science – are driving an energy and industrial transformation. We back exceptional founders whose unique and scalable businesses will be critical to the transition to a more sustainable and resilient economy.  Joining Bridges is a natural next step: it allows us to keep building on the strong foundations and networks we’ve developed over the last decade, with the support of HSBC. Bridges’ entrepreneurial spirit, impact expertise and specialist support will complement this perfectly. Together, we believe we can scale this platform to deliver great outcomes for our investors, communities, and the planet.”

Joanna Munro, CEO Alternatives at HSBC Asset Management, added:
“Christophe, Mike and team have built a strong platform with a differentiated approach and a solid foundation for growth. Our ongoing relationship with Bridges will support the scaling of this strategy, while continuing to serve the interests of existing investors.”

Located at 45 Beech Street on the edge of the Barbican Estate, the adaptive reuse scheme will convert and extend a 1950s office building into 174 modern co-living homes, designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).

It will be the first project in HUB and Bridges’ expanding co-living portfolio that the partners plan to build and hold, drawing on Bridges’ extensive experience of owning and operating real estate assets. In line with HUB and Bridges approach to co-living, the landmark scheme will provide the UK’s most central homes of this type and much-needed accommodation for City workers.

With strip-out of the existing building complete and enabling works underway, construction is expected to start following Gateway 2 approval. An application to the Regulator will be submitted in the coming weeks, with practical completion targeted for 2028.

To support this next phase of delivery, Firma Partners has provided a development loan for the project, with BBS Capital advising the parties in securing debt.

Sustainability is central to the project, which will reuse 90% of the existing building’s substructure and 65% of the superstructure, delivering a 34% embodied carbon saving compared to a new build scheme of a similar scale. An impressive 99.8% of materials have been recycled through the strip-out process.

Cornerstone will deliver the first professionally managed co-living homes in the City of London to support its dynamic workforce, which is one of the youngest, most highly skilled and international in the UK. In addition to 49,000 sq ft of living space, Cornerstone will offer residents 8,000 sq ft of shared amenities including co-working spaces, a gym, café, laundry, communal lounges and a roof terrace.

Cornerstone will be visually in keeping with the surrounding Barbican area and contribute to its revitalisation and activation. The location puts residents within a few minutes’ walking distance of Barbican, Farringdon and Moorgate stations, right in the heart of the City’s Culture Mile. The Elizabeth Line connection makes it a particularly attractive option for people working across London’s business districts.

Damien Sharkey, Managing Director at HUB, said: “We’re starting the year with strong momentum behind this landmark project and look forward to seeing it progress throughout 2026. Not only is Cornerstone our first co-living scheme in the City of London, but it is the first asset within our ultra-urban co-living portfolio that Bridges and HUB plan to retain beyond PC and operating. We see enormous potential in the sector and its role in shaping the future of urban living, and we are excited to see the benefits it will bring to the City of London upon completion.”

Simon Ringer, Head of Bridges Property Funds, said: “We are delighted to be undertaking this environmentally focused refurbishment project with our long-term partner HUB. Our funds have now secured positions in a platform of co-living schemes in prime locations in London, and we look forward to building these out for operation in a market that is starved of high-quality, flexible residential accommodation. By converting redundant office space to modern standards, we are also able to implement an environmental strategy that will significantly reduce carbon emissions, in accordance with our Fund objectives.”

Victor Librae, Chief Executive of Firma Partners, said: “We’re delighted to support Bridges and HUB on this landmark scheme. They are very experienced and have a strong track record. 45 Beech Street is a well-located, residential-led scheme that reflects the type of transitional, planning-led development we are set up to support. The structure of this facility has been designed to align with the realities of delivery and leasing in today’s market, while providing the sponsor with the flexibility needed to navigate the complexities of the Gateway system.”

Alina is a portfolio company of Bridges’ Inclusive Growth, part of Bridges’ private equity strategy. This strategic appointment comes as Alina continues to expand its footprint and enhance its service delivery across the health and social care sector.

David Hill, Chair of Alina Homecare, said:
“I’m delighted to be joining Alina at such an important moment in the company’s development. The team’s unwavering commitment to delivering quality of care and sustainable growth is inspiring, and I look forward to working closely with James and the Board to further the ‘Alina Difference’ and address the increasing need for high-quality care at home.”

James Deeley, CEO of Alina Homecare, said:
“We are delighted to welcome David to the team during this exciting phase of our journey. His deep knowledge of multi-site consumer-focused businesses and his track record of delivering impact in fast-paced environments will be invaluable as we continue to scale our operations and provide exceptional care to our clients.”

Emma Thorne, Partner & Head of Inclusive Growth at Bridges, added:
“Alina Homecare plays an essential role in enabling older adults across the UK to live independently at home, with a strong focus on quality of care that is rooted in exceptional staff training and engagement. David’s experience of working with private equity-backed growth companies will be hugely additive to Alina in this next phase of its development, and we look forward to working with him, James and the Alina team.”

Bridges and Alina Homecare would also like to express their sincere thanks to Alina co-founder Fergus Kee, who is stepping down as Chair after playing a central role in Alina’s growth and development over the last twelve years.

Decarbonising real estate is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement goals. The built environment accounts for a significant share of global emissions, so the sector must play a leading role in reducing carbon.

Yet for investors, the path to decarbonisation is often unclear. Different standards and benchmarks across regions, inconsistent terminology and a lack of focus on embodied carbon make it difficult to compare assets and prioritise interventions.

Our Spectrum is designed to help navigate some of this complexity. The framework categorises assets into four levels of carbon performance, based on actual performance vs Science‑Based Targets, and provides practical steps to accelerate progress. It covers both operational and embodied carbon, ensuring a holistic approach to decarbonisation.

The ultimate aim is True Zero Buildings: assets that achieve zero emissions across the full lifecycle, without offsets. This feels ambitious today. But we believe it is achievable through greater innovation and collaboration.

Developed with insights from our investor community and industry experts, the Spectrum is intended as a starting point for change. By sharing it, we hope to encourage more dialogue, more partnerships and more action across the market.

You can read our paper on the Spectrum below – after this short explainer video featuring Bridges’ Michele Giddens, Maggie Loo and Henry Pepper.

This will be challenging, to say the least. Britain has some of the oldest, most inefficient housing stock in the developed world. And building the millions of new homes needed to tackle the housing crisis will only add to the sector’s carbon footprint.

The good news is that domestic emissions have actually been falling consistently over the last two decades, thanks to improved insulation, grid decarbonisation and warmer weather. Technologies like air source heat pumps and rooftop solar may not have had the hoped-for impact yet, but they can still play an important role in reducing emissions – as can new AI-powered developments in renewables and grid efficiency. Using these technologies to retrofit the UK’s leaky old homes would make a huge difference.

Equally, new homes are much more efficient operationally – and thanks to AI tools that also make building design and construction more efficient, coupled with advances in materials technology, we should see the embodied carbon associated with new-builds fall over time.

Critically, this is not just an environmental issue. Making our homes more energy-efficient also makes them cheaper to run, future-proofed against new regulation and better protected against climate change-related risks. That makes them more attractive to future buyers. So lower-carbon housing is not just an ecological (or even social) imperative: it’s an opportunity to create long-term economic value.

With two decades of experience spanning real estate origination, capital-raising, financing, asset management and strategic business-building, Alex joins Bridges to support the continued expansion of its property investment platform.

Prior to joining Bridges, Alex set-up the UK operations of US-based Longfellow Real Estate Partners, building the team and leading its UK activities, including the raising of £1.5bn of JV capital from Norges Bank Investment Management and PSP Investments. Before that, he spent 15 years at Brockton, a London real estate investment and development firm, investing across a wide range of sectors and real estate-backed operating platforms.

At Bridges, Alex will lead the origination and execution of property investments, working with specialist partners and the in-house sustainability team to invest in property and property-backed operating businesses that align with Bridges’ mission of delivering both attractive financial returns and positive societal impact.

Simon Ringer, Partner, Head of Property Funds at Bridges Fund Management, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Alex to the Bridges team. His deep expertise in real estate investment, combined with his strategic vision and proven track record, will strengthen our property platform and help us identify more opportunities to create economic, social and environmental value for our investors and communities.”

Alex Wright, Partner, Bridges Property Funds, added:
“I am excited to join Bridges at what feels like an important moment in its growth story. I share the firm’s ethos that real estate can be a powerful force for positive change, and I look forward to working with the team to grow the business and deploy capital in a way that delivers both financial success and better outcomes for people and the planet.”

Bridges is a specialist in sustainable property investment. Since 2010, it has now raised over £1bn of institutional capital to invest in needs-driven sectors like housing, industrial/ logistics and healthcare – with a view to delivering attractive financial returns, supporting the decarbonisation of the built environment, and improving important social outcomes.

The proposed 200,000 sq. ft. scheme will provide a range of high-quality units designed to meet the growing demand for modern logistics space in the South-East.

The site already benefits from outline planning consent, with a detailed planning application to be submitted later this month. Following consent, construction is scheduled to commence in Q1 2026, with completion and occupation expected later in the year.

Thanks to smart design and the use of on-site renewables, the scheme is expected to be one of the most sustainable industrial developments in the UK, targeting EPC A+ and Net Zero Carbon in Operation.

The Paddock Wood scheme will build on the combined team’s proven track record in Kent, which includes Wrenbridge and Bridges’ recent development and sale of Click Aylesford, a 300,000 sq. ft. industrial site. It will deliver much needed sustainable and flexible space for occupiers, helping to support economic growth and job creation in the region.

Stephen Gallagher, Chief Investment Officer at Gallagher Properties, commented:
“Gallagher Properties are delighted to partner with Wrenbridge and Bridges. This collaboration is built on trust and individual expertise, but with an aligned and energetic purpose. We are looking forward to delivering this exemplary scheme as ‘one team’ and welcoming many businesses to thrive and grow at the completed development.”

Jamie Garrett, Director at Wrenbridge, commented:
“We are thrilled to team up with Gallagher, alongside Bridges, to bring this site forward and continue our development experience in Kent. There is a real need for grade A product in the region, which we are excited to bring forward in this exciting JV.”

Henry Pepper, Partner at Bridges, commented:
“We’re excited to bring forward this scheme, which will provide high-quality, energy- efficient employment space for the local area. As we’ve seen already in Kent, units like these are increasingly sought-after by occupiers, because it enables to them to reduce occupational costs while also minimising their carbon footprint.”

More details on the scheme will be shared in due course.

Leasing agents; CBRE, DTRE and Watson Day

The portfolio comprises the forward acquisitions of Torque in Erdington, Birmingham and T45 in Leeds, along with the acquisition of Holbrook Park in Coventry.

The transaction forms part of Indurent’s strategy to expand its footprint in key urban logistics locations across the UK, targeting high-quality, sustainable assets with strong occupier demand.

Holbrook Park is a 255,000 sq ft development comprising 31 units ranging from 2,150 sq ft to 24,700 sq ft. The scheme, which has a 67 per cent occupancy level with major occupiers including Magdalene, Evri, Clifton Bathrooms and Kelvatek, benefits from strong ESG credentials and provides modern sustainable features.

Located on the A63 East Leeds link road within the Cross Green industrial area, T45, once complete, will comprise 23 units across 223,000 sq ft of accommodation, with units ranging from 4,450 sq ft to 32,900 sq ft. The scheme is due to reach practical completion in Q1 2026.

Torque is a 271,000 sq ft development which will comprise 22 units ranging from 4,500 sq ft to 33,000 sq ft. Located in Erdington, on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre, works at the development commenced in August 2025 and is expected to complete in Q4 2026.

T45 and Torque are targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating alongside EPC A and A+ ratings respectively.

James Cooper, Head of Investment Transactions at Indurent, commented: “This acquisition reflects our continued focus on securing high-quality, well-connected assets that support our customers’ growth. The sector’s long-term fundamentals remain strong, and we’re committed to expanding our portfolio through strategic acquisitions and development, supporting regional investment, job creation, and long-term economic growth.”

Commenting on the sale, Chancerygate senior development and transaction director, Matthew Connor, said: “This deal is an endorsement of our expertise in developing Grade A urban logistics accommodation in strategic areas with high occupier demand.

“Our products sustainability credentials, flexible sizing and proximity to key infrastructure and transport hubs continue to prove attractive to both investors and occupiers, evidenced by both this transaction and the occupational success at Holbrook.”

Henry Pepper, Partner, Property at Bridges, said “This portfolio sale reflects the growing demand for high-quality sustainable logistics space from occupiers looking to reduce costs and improve their environmental performance – which makes these extremely attractive assets for investors seeking future-proofed, long-term returns. We are delighted to complete this latest sale from the portfolio of assets we have developed with Chancerygate, which continues the strong run of exits that Bridges has been able to achieve this year.”

Bridges and Chancerygate have been working in partnership on projects for more than a decade. They are currently delivering four sustainable urban logistics developments throughout the UK and Ireland in Adlington, Cheshire, and Dublin, alongside T45 and Torque.

DTRE advised on the transaction.

Harlequin Business Park is a 90,000 sq ft sustainable urban logistics development, comprising nine leasehold Grade A units ranging from 5,100 sq ft to 39,700 sq ft. The scheme achieved practical completion in early August this year. All values relating to the transaction are undisclosed.

Situated on Southall Lane, in an established industrial location near the Beaver Industrial Estate, International Trading Estate and Western International Market, the scheme benefits from excellent road connectivity with junction three of the M4 motorway less than one mile away and four miles from the A40.

The development features electric vehicle charging points with the ability to add more based on future requirements. In addition, all properties feature air-source heat pumps and solar panels on their roofs which provide affordable green energy to run the buildings.

The units are also constructed from high-performance insulative materials with controlled air tightness which reduces CO2 emissions and increases energy efficiency. These features have enabled the scheme to achieve an EPC A+ and BREEAM Excellent rating and will support it being a net zero carbon for regulated energy scheme.

Chancerygate development director, Tom Faulkner, said: “Harlequin Business Park will meet the growing demand from occupiers in the West and Greater London area for flexibly sized, high specification accommodation with strong sustainability credentials.

“Its strategic positioning near established industrial locations and key infrastructure connectivity enables occupiers to serve markets easily throughout the locality and the wider South East region.

“The sale of Harlequin Business Park to Ableprop also evidences how our product’s characteristics and strategic positioning is attractive to both investors and occupiers.”

Henry Pepper, partner at Bridges, said: “The sale of Harlequin Business Park reflects the strong demand for best-in-class, sustainable industrial units that can help occupiers reduce costs and cut emissions.

“This EPC A+, BREEAM Excellent development, with its outstanding low-carbon design and environmental performance, is another great example of Bridges and Chancerygate’s ability to identify great sites and deliver best-in-class developments that are attractive to occupiers and onward investors.”

Occupiers at Click Aylesford include Nutra Direct, a wholesale and manufacturer of sports supplements and nutrition, Fixfast, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialist building fasteners, RVT Group, a specialist hire company, and Headline Filters, a leading UK based manufacturer. Three of the six units were let during the construction phase, while the remaining three were let within six months of the development reaching practical completion last year.

Click Aylesford sets a new standard for sustainable industrial space, delivering outstanding energy performance, lower carbon emissions, and a healthier working environment for occupiers. Thanks to a combination of smart design, solar PV and air source heat pumps, the buildings are designed to be zero emissions in operation, saving 537 tonnes of CO2 per year versus industry benchmarks. This market-leading environmental impact is reflected in the BREEAM Excellent and EPC A+ ratings achieved across the scheme.

The scheme has now been sold to DWS, a leading European asset manager with EUR 1,010bn of assets under management (as of 30 June 2025).

Jamie Garrett, Director at Wrenbridge commented: “We are delighted to complete the sale to DWS. This marks the end of a great project and is really satisfying to see the scheme full with excellent end users. It also closes out another project with Bridges within our Click Joint Venture.”

Henry Pepper, Partner at Bridges commented: “Industrial occupiers are increasingly on the look-out for highly sustainable Grade A industrial units that enable them to reduce their operating costs and improve their environmental impact. The lettings success we have enjoyed at Click Aylesford demonstrates that we have delivered a best-in-class scheme that responds to this growing demand, and we’re delighted to see that reflected in this strong exit to one of the world’s leading asset managers.”

Newmark acted on behalf of Wrenbridge and Bridges.

Fund VI will target sustainable property investments across the UK and Europe, focusing on needs-driven sectors with strong growth fundamentals such as housing, healthcare, and logistics. Bridges’ low-carbon, impact-driven approach creates assets that are more attractive to occupiers and investors – enabling it to achieve attractive financial returns alongside positive social and environmental impact. This is reflected in the number of strong exits secured in recent months, which have collectively enabled Bridges to return over £150m to investors in the current financial year.

Bridges launched its first Property Alternatives fund in 2009 and has since raised £1.3bn across six dedicated property funds, building a market-leading track record in sustainable real estate. During that time, the Bridges team has consistently demonstrated that by investing in sectors where secular trends are creating clear unmet needs, investors can achieve both strong financial performance and meaningful impact outcomes – including lower-cost homes, low/ zero-carbon industrial buildings, and much-needed specialist accommodation for the elderly.

Simon Ringer, Partner & Head of Property Funds at Bridges Fund Management, said:
“We are delighted to have closed Fund VI ahead of target, with strong backing from both existing and new institutional investors. Their support – especially at a time of reduced market liquidity – is testament to the strength of our impact-driven investment strategy and track record. Over the past 15 years, we have shown that by investing in areas where there is a favourable relationship between needs-driven occupational demand and restricted market supply, we can deliver competitive financial returns alongside positive social and environmental impact. As demand for sustainable real assets continues to increase among both occupiers and investors – driven by positive regulatory tailwinds – we see compelling opportunities ahead in our specialist niche sectors.”

Fund VI has already completed 10 investments in Bridges’ specialist sectors, including co-living (Cornerstone & Minories, City of London), low-carbon industrial (Torque, Erdington), purpose-built elderly accommodation (Birchgrove) and specialist healthcare (Renaiss Health).

Investors in Fund VI include a diverse group of pension funds, insurers, family offices, and other institutions, such as Fidelity International, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, the Environment Agency Pension Fund, University College Oxford, South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, East Riding Pension Fund, and Clwyd Pension Fund. Many of these LPs have supported Bridges across multiple funds – a commitment that reflects both confidence in Bridges’ specialist expertise and the growing recognition of sustainable real estate as an attractive and resilient investment opportunity.

Vivian Liu, private markets portfolio manager, Fidelity International, said:
“Our clients are increasingly looking for access to attractive sustainable investment opportunities within private markets. Bridges’ specialist real estate strategy has a proven track record of identifying and executing property investments where sustainability can be a clear driver of value creation – so Bridges Property Alternatives Fund VI was an obvious choice for our portfolio.”

Ian Sandiford, Head of Alternatives, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, said:
“Building on the significant investment our partnership has made in the UK to date, our commitment to Fund VI enables us to pursue sustainable investment opportunities with attractive growth potential whilst meeting the growing need for housing and healthcare real estate, all on behalf of LGPS Partner Funds. It puts LGPS capital to work supporting the needs of communities and looks set to deliver clear social and economic benefits – an ambition of our UK Opportunities investment strategy. We look to build strong partnerships with our managers and look forward to working closely with Bridges to continue to deliver for the LGPS.”

Scott Anderson, Investment Manager, Environment Agency Pension Fund, said:
“Delivering best-in-class sustainability outcomes alongside strong financial returns is fundamental to EAPF’s investment approach. Bridges’ real estate funds have been a pioneer of this approach in the UK, with a proven ability to identify opportunities to decarbonise the built environment while improving outcomes for the local communities in which these buildings sit. We’re excited to be partnering with the Bridges team for a fourth investment. At this time of unprecedented environmental and nature-related challenges, the importance of expert-led sustainable investment has never been greater.”

Over the last 15 years, Bridges has established a network of expert partners who share its commitment to sustainable value creation. This has been a critical enabler of off-market deal origination, expansion into new areas and best-in-class delivery.

It has also allowed Bridges to continually break new ground on sustainability, including the development of some of the first industrial buildings in the UK designed to be ‘true zero carbon’ in operation. This reflects Bridges’ view that the real estate industry needs to be moving towards ‘true zero buildings’: that is, buildings that are zero carbon emissions throughout their lifecycle, without the use of carbon offsets (See Bridges’ ‘Spectrum of Decarbonisation’ for more details).

Bridges also targets market-leading wellbeing standards, including one of the first WELL Gold standards in Healthcare and a Fitwel 3* in the living sector.

Bridges received legal counsel on the fund formation from Osborne Clarke, a long-standing supporter of Bridges’ work.