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.”

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.

Bridges first invested in Alina in 2014, via an earlier private equity fund. This new investment – which follows an advisor-led competitive sale process – comes via its dedicated Inclusive Growth private equity strategy, which focuses on growth businesses that are delivering positive outcomes for vulnerable people in the UK.

Between 2024 and 2040, the UK’s elderly population is set to increase by about 2% per annum; by 2040, there will be 1m more people aged 80-85 than there are today. Coupled with the rise in chronic health conditions and increasing pressures on the primary care system, this creates an ever-growing need for high-quality care in the home that allows older people to continue living independently.

Alina has become a market leader in this sector, delivering 1.1m hours of care to over 1,300 people across the South of England last year. It has a strong focus on quality provision: 100% of its assessed branches are rated Good or Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, and it enjoys 99% service user satisfaction. The key enabler of this is its highly engaged and motivated workforce. Alina employs 100% of its carers and has a strong employee value proposition, particularly in terms of training, progression and pay. As a result, it has employee satisfaction of 98% and an Indeed rating of 4.2, both well ahead of the industry average. This helps it to recruit and retain high-quality carers, and support them to deliver the best possible care for service users.

Bridges is backing Alina’s existing management team, led by CEO James Deeley, who are re-investing alongside Bridges and will continue to lead the business. Emma Thorne, Partner and Head of Inclusive Growth at Bridges, and Tom Street, Investment Director for Inclusive Growth, will join the Alina board. With support from Bridges’ specialist impact value creation team, they will work closely with the business to support organic growth, further build out the senior team, and deepen its focus on quality outcomes for vulnerable older people.

Emma Thorne, Partner and Head of Bridges Inclusive Growth, said:

“Alina’s focus on providing quality employment for carers – enabling better care outcomes for vulnerable people – makes it a great fit for our Inclusive Growth strategy. As our elderly population grows, the need for this kind of high-quality care in the home is increasing steadily. We think Alina is perfectly placed to help address this unmet need in the coming years.”

James Deeley, CEO of Alina Homecare, said:

“Bridges have been a great partner for Alina over the years, and we are delighted to be partnering with the Inclusive Growth team for the next phase of our growth journey. It will allow us to maintain our emphasis on quality of care and quality of employment – which in turn help us to attract new clients and support the continued commercial growth of the business. We look forward to achieving further growth and impact in the coming years.”

The sell-side was advised by KPMG and Pinsent Masons; Bridges Inclusive Growth was advised by Grant Thornton, Addleshaw Goddard and Deloitte (tax structuring).  Due diligence providers included LEK (Commercial) BDO (financial), Global Counsel (Policy) and Palladium (digital).

Based in Hessle, East Yorkshire, GEV employs specialist technicians to support the maintenance of on- and offshore wind turbines across the globe. GEV’s client base includes the world’s biggest OEMs and Wind Farm Operators and it is the recognised market-leader in the maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades.

GEV supports clients through its operational hubs in North America, UK & Europe and Australia, deploying a pool of more than 500 specialist technicians to maintain thousands of wind turbines across four continents.

Bridges initially invested in GEV in 2019, in line with our mission to invest in a more sustainable economy. Since then, the business has serviced a total of 5,757 blades, equivalent to maintaining c.6,000 MW of wind energy.

Certek is an investment vehicle led by David Harrison, who originally founded Phenna Group in 2019, a business providing Testing, Inspection, Certification and broader Compliance services globally. It is supported by Macquarie Group, a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services with assets under management in excess of €569 billion as at 30 September 2024.

Certek is backing GEV’s CEO and founder David Fletcher and the existing management team, who have led the expansion of the Group over the past 15 years. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

David Fletcher, CEO of GEV, said: “Our business plays a critical role in supporting the generation of clean energy, as we actively maintain the operational performance of wind turbines and help to reduce downtime. With Certek’s backing, we will continue to increase our support infrastructure to our clients but also play an active part in supply chain consolidation, focusing on the consistent delivery of quality and safety that our clients demand across all key geographies where we operate”.

Simon Braham, a partner at Bridges, said: “Wind energy is critical to the transition to a more sustainable future. As a global leader in wind turbine repair and maintenance, GEV can play an important role in supporting this transition, and we look forward to seeing the business continue to go from strength to strength in the coming years.”

Fletcher added: “I want to thank Bridges for their investment in the Group over the past 6 years, which has enabled us to complete the strategic acquisitions of rotor blade technology solutions provider Wind Power Lab, based in Denmark, and Australian based wind turbine and safety specialist Rigcom – with the support of our Chairman John Leahy, who has expertly guided us during the journey.”

David Harrison, CEO of Certek, added: “The wind energy industry is growing rapidly and there are more opportunities than ever for GEV to expand their offering on the back of rising demand. Our partnership with GEV will help them to respond to this demand, investing in a focused and strategic manner to meet the businesses growth aspirations. We are looking forward to supporting David and the rest of the team as they continue to drive the business forward in the years ahead.”

Adam Joseph, Head of Private Equity, Europe for Macquarie, added: “GEV is a high-quality service provider in a sector that will play an essential role in the global transition towards net zero. We’re delighted to support this transaction and extend Macquarie’s involvement in the wind turbine O&M sector.”

Tom joins Bridges from Agathos, where he invested in UK SMEs operating across the education, healthcare and business service sectors. He began his career at DC Advisory, advising UK SMEs.

Emma Thorne, Head of Bridges Inclusive Growth, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Tom to Bridges. He has a strong track record of helping businesses with impact at their core to achieve sustainable, fast-paced growth. We’re looking forward to drawing on this experience – and his strong sector knowledge – as we look to build out our Inclusive Growth strategy and achieve better outcomes in areas like physical health, mental health and economic inclusion.”

Tom Street, Investment Director for Bridges Inclusive Growth, said:
“I’ve always been passionate about working closely with exceptional founders and management teams to build businesses that drive positive change. Bridges is a true pioneer in impact investing, and the Inclusive Growth Fund is leaning into areas of the UK economy that are underserved by private capital. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with businesses making a positive impact, helping them navigate the challenges of rapid growth so they can improve the lives of more vulnerable people across the UK.”

Alina Disability Support provides quality care and support for children and adults with learning disabilities and other complex care needs in their own home. It operates 11 branches across the South of England, delivering about 24,000 hours of care per week. It has also embraced innovation, using technology to enhance care delivery and relieve its teams from administrative tasks, allowing them to spend more time delivering great outcomes for those they support.

Alina’s people-centred culture – which includes rewards programmes, training opportunities (through the Alina Homecare Academy) and zero agency usage – is reflected in market-leading retention and satisfaction rates; while its focus on quality and delivering better care outcomes is evidenced by a Service User Satisfaction rating of 98% in its latest annual survey.

The Alina Group retains the Alina Homecare division, which is a growing provider of high-quality homecare and live-in services to privately funded customers across the South of England. The business operates from its network of 45 branches.

James Deeley, co-founder and CEO of Alina Homecare, said:

“From a small operation in Poole & Bournemouth, we have successfully grown Alina Disability Support into a leading provider of high-quality care and support across the South of England. Joining Swanton will allow the business to achieve its full potential as part of a national group. Our steadfast focus on quality and the right people culture are closely aligned to Swanton’s approach and I wish Kate Ford and the wider Disability Support management team every success for the future. The Alina Group will continue to focus on providing high quality privately funded homecare and live-in services from our growing network of 45 branches.”

Antony Ross, senior advisor and chair of Bridges Inclusive Growth Fund, said:

“Despite the difficult operating environment for care providers over the last five years, Alina has shown an unwavering commitment to building a high-quality team and delivering best-in-class care to the people it supports. That’s why it has been able to build such strong relationships with Local Authorities and CCGs, enabling the team to support more people with complex care needs. We are really proud of what Alina Disability Support has achieved to date, and we have no doubt it will continue to go from strength to strength as part of the Swanton group.”

This is the fifth exit from the Bridges private equity funds in 2024. Previous realisations include: AgilityEco, a pioneering home decarbonisation platform that supports people in fuel poverty: Vegetarian express, which supplies plant-based ingredients and inspiration to chefs across the UK; Viva Gym, the largest low-cost fitness group in the Iberian region; and Nexgen (formerly Just Ask), a facilities management business that works primarily with Housing Associations.

The Alina Group was advised by KPMG Corporate Finance, led by Tony Ball, and Pinsents, led by Jo Ellis and Ben Elliott.

Bridges invested in Just Ask – a family-run ESG-driven facilities management business that worked primarily with Housing Associations – in 2017. In the subsequent years, Bridges worked with the founders to support their transition out of the day-to-day business, building a high-calibre new management team – led by CEO Mark Little, CFO Gordon Peattie and chair Jon Andrew – to lead the business through its next chapter of growth.

Alongside management, Bridges also spearheaded five bolt-on acquisitions that have collectively transformed the scale and scope of the business, extending its core sectors beyond Social Housing into Education, Healthcare and Property Management. The integrated business, which was renamed the Nexgen Group in early 2023, is now one of the few scaled facilities management platforms in the UK and remains the market leader in its core Social Housing market.

Supported by Bridges’ specialist value creation team, Nexgen has now fully integrated the acquisitions, creating a resilient, tech-enabled operational platform – including IT, Finance and HR – to support further growth. This has significantly improved the business’s efficiency, helping it to reduce carbon emissions through route optimisation and service a broader range of clients more effectively. This has enabled the enlarged Nexgen Group to enjoy strong organic growth since the acquisitions.

When Bridges invested in Just Ask, the business employed 450 people and was generating about £10m of revenue. Nexgen Group is now generating revenue of about £90m, with around 3,500 employees.

The business has retained its focus on ESG and social value, which continues to be an important differentiator when bidding for public sector and social housing contracts. Nexgen is committed to improving local communities, both through a relentless focus on quality service provision, and by providing employment opportunities for local people. Thanks to its proactive recruitment efforts, about a third of delivery staff are recruited from the social housing associations in which it operates. It is also focused on supporting people out of long-term unemployment (11% of staff fall into this category) and improving skills, notably through its in-house training academy. Volunteering is actively encouraged: staff have now pledged over 2,000 hours of their time to support local and community causes. This year, Nexgen is expecting to deliver about £2m of social value to its clients (as measured by the Social Value TOM system).

The exit is Bridges’ fourth in the last seven months, following sales of home decarbonisation delivery platform AgilityEco, specialist plant-based ingredients supplier Vegetarian Express, and Iberian low-cost fitness operator VivaGym.

James Hurrell, Partner at Bridges, said,

“Nexgen is a great example of three key elements of Bridges’ investment strategy. First, we identified a high-quality, impact-driven provider whose focus on ESG and social value would help them become a leader in their market. Second, we were able to support the founders to transition, while building an outstanding senior leadership team. And third, our value creation team has been able to work closely with management to deliver growth, both by implementing significant operational improvements, and by identifying complementary acquisitions that have transformed the breadth and scale of the business. We are proud of the progress Nexgen has made during our partnership, and are confident that Bidvest Noonan is the right partner to enable the business to continue its growth trajectory.”

Mark Little, CEO of Nexgen Group, said:

“Bridges were the perfect investment partner for Just Ask, because they understood the value that its ESG focus would bring, while also providing hands-on commercial input and support. Over the years, the Bridges team have played a vital role in helping drive through transformative acquisitions, significantly enhance our operating capacity, and scale our impact. We’re very grateful for their partnership and support over the last seven years.

“Looking forward, I am confident that Bidvest Noonan will be an excellent partner to support our long-term growth plans. They recognise that Nexgen is a best-in-class operator in an attractive niche, and we look forward to drawing on their support to further enhancing our offer to clients in the coming years.”

Declan Doyle, CEO of Bidvest Noonan, said:

“We are very impressed with the team at Nexgen Group. They have built a thriving business with a very bright and exciting future. Their strong commitment to their colleagues, customers and communities has been key to their success. We look forward to supporting them and contributing to their continued growth and success.”

VivaGym operates 104 gyms with over 315,000 members across Spain and Portugal. As a customer-focused innovator, VivaGym is a leader in the Iberian fitness market through a service offering underpinned by high-quality facilities; fun and engaging group classes; long opening hours; and affordable and flexible membership options.

Bridges first invested in VivaGym in 2015 when its footprint spanned just 15 gyms in Spain. The firm had a deep understanding of the sector, having previously launched The Gym Group, a UK-based affordable gym operator that subsequently listed on the London Stock Exchange. This expertise enabled Bridges to build a best-in-class management team, streamline operations and processes, and expand VivaGym’s footprint through new openings and strategic bolt-on acquisitions – notably Fitness Hut, one of the largest operators of affordable gyms in Portugal, as well as Duet Fit and Happy Gym.

Juan del Río Nieto, CEO of VivaGym, added: “Since Bridges’ investment in 2015, VivaGym has pursued an ambitious growth plan, expanding from 15 to 104 clubs. Thanks to its previous investments in this sector, Bridges’ experience and industry knowledge of best practice has helped us transform VivaGym into a leading operator within the Iberian market. Bridges was also a hugely important partner in helping us manage and bounce back from the challenges of the Covid period and we owe them much thanks for their support.

“Looking ahead, we are very excited to work closely with Providence as we double down on our efforts to cement VivaGym as an Iberian leader in fitness. We have the shared passion and vision to make health and fitness as accessible, affordable and fun as possible – giving us the confidence that Providence is the right partner as we enter this new chapter.”

James Hurrell, Partner at Bridges Fund Management, said: “It has been hugely satisfying to see VivaGym’s growth – from just 15 gyms when we invested to more than 100 today. During that period, it has broadened access to high-quality gym facilities, and supported better health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people. We believe that VivaGym has built one of the best platforms in the industry. Under Juan’s inspirational leadership, we have no doubt it will go from strength to strength in the coming years, and continue to meet its ambitious goals.”

Providence has considerable experience partnering with quality businesses in the leisure and adjacent industries across Europe, as well as an extensive background investing in Spain. Its experienced investment team will assist VivaGym as it continues to execute its growth strategy in Spain and Portugal. VivaGym’s management team, who will continue leading the business post-closing, are re-investing alongside Providence, as is Ares Management Corporation, VivaGym’s primary lender.

“Europe’s fitness industry is one we have studied closely for ten years and we believe now is the right time to partner with a leader like VivaGym in this highly attractive market,” said Robert Sudo, Managing Director at Providence Equity Partners. “In our view, VivaGym is a classic Providence investment: a solid business model with loyal customers, engaged and talented employees, and an established brand. At the same time, we believe VivaGym has significant growth potential and we look forward to working closely with Juan and his team to continue capturing the attractive market opportunity. With nearly 20 years of experience investing in Spain, and prior experience partnering with leisure businesses, we believe Providence is well positioned to support VivaGym as it enters an exciting new phase of growth.”

The agreement is subject to customary and regulatory closing conditions, including approval by the Spanish and Portuguese antitrust authorities. Closing is expected before the end of Q2 2024.

Providence Equity Partners was advised by Roland Berger, PwC, CBRE, West Monroe, Uría Menendez and Allen & Overy. Bridges Fund Management was advised by lead advisor Canaccord Genuity, as well as KPMG, Deloitte, Pinsent Mason and Eversheds.

The Watford-based business specialises in providing high quality, plant-based ingredients, ideas and inspiration to chefs across the UK.

Having identified Vegetarian Express in 2016 as a business with strong potential, and in line with Bridges’ ‘Sustainable Planet’ theme, the business has grown substantially to become the UK’s leading specialist provider of plant-based ingredients, supplying over 1,200+ products to a diverse customer base of over 3,000 chefs nationally.

With its compelling market opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, Vegetarian Express has more than doubled revenues under ownership and averted an estimated c.15,000 tonnes of CO₂e as a result of its products directly replacing meat or dairy products.

Under the leadership of Managing Director, Dave Webster, and with Bridges’ support, the company became the UK’s first foodservice business to achieve B Corp status in 2019, and saw significant geographical diversification, entered new sectors, and launched an e-commerce platform to reach smaller independent customers.

Dave Webster, Managing Director of Vegetarian Express, said:

“The management team and I are incredibly proud of what we’ve delivered in the last seven years, which has seen the professionalisation of Vegetarian Express into the UK’s leading plant-based category specialist to the foodservice sector. For the next stage of our growth journey, we’re excited to be partnering with private equity firm NVM. NVM’s backing will enable us to scale faster and help even more customers get brilliant-plant-based food on their menus.

Emma Thorne, Partner at Bridges, said:

“We invested in Vegetarian Express because we believed there was a clear commercial and impact opportunity in helping consumers reduce their meat consumption by switching to plant-based meals.

In Vegetarian Express, we identified a best-in-class provider with strong growth potential that also shared our values. The business has grown substantially over the course of our investment  diversifying its offering, expanding its own-brand range and launching its unique Seedbank tool for chefs. We’re really proud of the growth and impact it has achieved, and wish its outstanding team all the best for the future.”

The sale, to M Group Services, delivers a money multiple return of 3.4x and an IRR of 40% on Evergreen’s original investment.

AgilityEco is a home decarbonisation delivery platform with a strong social and environmental purpose. It provides whole-of-house energy efficiency solutions to some of the most vulnerable low-income households in the UK, offering independent advice, nationwide installation capabilities, reliable delivery and quality outcomes. To achieve this, AgilityEco partners with energy companies, local authorities, social housing providers, private social enterprises, utility companies and a broad network of dedicated installers.

Bridges Evergreen is the UK’s first long-term, impact-focussed equity fund and invested in AgilityEco in 2019. Since then, AgilityEco’s revenues have grown in lockstep with its social and environmental impact outcomes. Turnover has increased more than threefold to well over £100m and the number of employees has doubled.

AgilityEco worked with over 36,000 households in 2022/23, delivering energy efficiency measures that will save over £2,600 for each home on their lifetime energy bills. Those measures will also save over 113,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Evergreen has worked closely with the Board and the wider management team to embed impact best practice within the business, which has been recognised in the form of numerous industry awards and the business’ achievement of B Corp status.  Evergreen also worked with the Board to design and implement an employee share ownership scheme which means that around two-thirds of the company’s employees are also shareholders and have shared in the financial success of this sale transaction.

In 2021, Evergreen recruited Sharon Johnson to lead AgilityEco as CEO. The business now has an experienced, ambitious and highly regarded management team who are ideally placed to deliver on AgilityEco’s enormous future growth potential.

Tom Biddle, Partner at Bridges and Head of Bridges Evergreen, said:

“AgilityEco is exactly the type of business that Evergreen wants to partner with. It exists to tackle two of the greatest challenges facing the UK today: decarbonising our housing stock and lifting people out of fuel poverty. It is a fantastic example of the Just Transition in action.

“AgilityEco has also been a blueprint for Evergreen’s strategy of providing patient capital to support growing, highly impactful businesses to scale their outcomes and deliver attractive commercial returns. This sale transaction is a significant milestone for Evergreen and our investors. We are very proud to have been shareholders in the business and to have supported Sharon, Shueb, Anthony and the team to deliver such phenomenal growth.

“We wish the business, its team and its new owner every success in the future.”

Sharon Johnson, CEO of AgilityEco, said:

“We would like to thank Tom, Luke and the Bridges Evergreen team for their role in the development of AgilityEco into the diversified, national energy efficiency services platform that it is today. Our mission is to play a major role in eliminating fuel poverty and to help towards net zero. Evergreen’s investment has been key to accelerating our progress towards achieving that.

Evergreen has provided strategic support and investment, as well as bringing invaluable experience of scaling businesses which are taking institutional capital for the first time and supporting successful founder transitions. The combination of that support, together with Bridges’ market-leading impact expertise, has really facilitated AgilityEco’s growth and success.”

The Bridges Evergreen team consisted of Tom Biddle, Luke Edwards, Olivia Prentice and James Hicks.

The shareholders’ corporate finance advisors on the transaction were Arrowpoint Advisory. CMS acted as legal advisors and Baringa and KPMG provided vendor due diligence services. Management was advised by Liberty and CMS.

Feng previously led VCP Apex’s European distribution as Managing Director, advancing its private equity primary fund placement, secondary and direct investment fundraising activities. Prior to joining VCP Apex, Feng was part of the institutional fundraising team at Octopus Investments. She has spent many years working in investment management in Europe, North America and Asia, and brings significant investor relations and global capital-raising experience from the likes of J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

Fenglin Zhao, Director at Bridges Fund Management, commented: “It’s wonderful to be joining the Bridges team, especially at a time when sustainable and impact investing is emerging as one of the most exciting areas in finance. Having spent a number of years in investment management and alternative investment, I’m keen to elevate opportunities for investors to put values-aligned capital to work: Bridges’ pioneering DNA, commercial success and impact leadership are a great place to do so. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Maggie Loo, Partner and Head of Client & Strategy Development at Bridges Fund Management, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Feng to the team. Her talent and broad, cross-border experience will be hugely valuable to us as we look to diversify and expand the firm’s assets under management and deliver further powerful positive impact alongside attractive financial returns to our investors. With Feng’s expertise, we will continue to explore and develop relationships, both within and beyond the UK, to enable the continued growth of our impact-driven strategies.