Sustainable Finance Team of the Year
SUSTAINABLE FINANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR
GOLD
For 30 years Thrive has been bringing together people, proven technologies and a pioneering approach to accelerate the rollout of renewables across the UK. Since building some of the UK’s first wind turbines in the 1990s, Thrive has built/funded over 40 renewable energy projects, including investments in the UK’s first geothermal power plant and England’s largest onshore wind turbine, owned by the local community. In 2023 it announced plans to double generation capacity within five years. Two years later Thrive has secured the development rights to two new onshore wind farms which will boost total capacity from 91.5 to 170.1MW and brought on two new co-investment partners. One of these projects is Thrive’s biggest yet – currently in construction, it will generate enough power for over 45,000 average UK homes.
Thrive Renewables
SILVER
Paradigm Norton Financial Planning - Paradigm Norton Investment Committee
As a Certified B Corporation®, Paradigm Norton seeks to balance purpose with profit, ensuring we deliver exceptional client care, whilst seeking to make a positive impact on people, the environment and wider society. But a key challenge has been how to provide clients with the option to invest responsibly without compromising financial goals.
The team has grappled with this complex challenge, pioneering a significant shift toward responsible investing and active stewardship, with an evidence based approach. The teams consistent work and education over recent years has resulted in rapid change – with more than 50% of clients choosing our responsible or SDG-aligned investment portfolios - perhaps unprecedented in scale and pace.
By educating clients about active ownership and ensuring their shareholder rights are used effectively to hold corporations accountable for social and environmental impacts, the team and Paradigm Norton strive to create a better world for current and future generations.
SILVER
Phoenix Group - Finance for Future: spearheading transformation of finance for a better future
The Phoenix Group Central Sustainability team, 14.5 FTEs, aims to create a better future for 12m customers by embedding sustainability across its life insurance, long-term savings and retirement business with £292bn AUA. The team oversees the creation of sustainability strategy, and the key themes are People, Planet, and Building a Sustainable Business.
Through its Invest, Engage, Lead climate strategy, the team, with the support of colleagues throughout the business, has influenced a £40bn commitment to sustainable assets, launched the FTSE Phoenix Climate Aware Index, and aligned £32bn to FCA sustainability standards, benefitting 2m+ customers. With a 52% reduction in listed asset portfolio emissions intensity, targeting net zero by 2050 and advocacy via think tank Phoenix Insights, the team is shaping policy and industry standards, whilst supporting 17,000+ unpaid carers through its Caring for Carers initiative. Collaborative, transparent and innovative, this team is spearheading transformation of finance for a better future.
BRONZE
QNB Türkiye - Driving the bank’s commitment to ESG principles
QNB Türkiye’s sustainable finance team is driving the bank’s commitment to ESG principles. Working within the International Banking division, the team focuses on incorporating ESG into all areas of the bank – from its products and funding to its overall strategy. The team successfully managed integration of sustainability within the bank, so different banks launched different products like green loan packages for the customer, sustainable deposit etc.
2024 was a successful year for QNB Türkiye, providing over $1 billion in funding through two syndicated loans – one for SMEs and another for recent earthquake recovery and green initiatives. The bank also significantly increased its sustainable bond offerings, rising from $113 million to $685 million, and issued Türkiye’s first-ever Blue Bond.
Furthermore, sustainable trade finance jumped from $26 million to $245 million, and the bank launched Türkiye’s first Green/Sustainable Deposit product for customers; demonstrating QNB Türkiye’s leadership in sustainable finance.