Our Sector Directors and trusted experts bring a deep understanding of diverse industries and their unique opportunities.

In our 2024-2025 Impact Report, they share their thoughts on what mattered most in this reporting year, and what your business should be ready for in 2026.

Here, Account Director David Bezagu shares his thoughts on Finance and Trading. 

Amid a global pushback on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), HREDD hasn’t been front of mind for most investors. The funds we have worked with, however, especially in private markets, understand how important this due diligence is for the success of their investment.

My team and I have worked on extremely diverse projects in the finance sector in the past 12 months, spanning different investor types, geographies and asset classes.

We helped a private equity fund to assess human rights risks across their entire portfolio and strengthen their due diligence practices. We helped one of the largest development finance institutions reflect on how grievance mechanisms were implemented at the investee level and how to make them more effective.

We also helped an infrastructure investor conduct pre-investment due diligence on a strategic asset in Asia and review risks against IFC Performance Standards.

We brought a few private equity funds together in London to share some successes and challenges in managing human rights in their portfolios.

As I look to 2026, I think initiatives such as the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) or the recent review of the IFC Performance Standards, will help raise the profile of the human rights impact for a broader range of investors.

Read our case study Private Equity: assessing risk; improving practice

Read more sector perspectives in the twentyfifty 2024-2025 Impact Report

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