Having de-listed last year, the UK-headquartered investment firm, which focuses on sustainable investment, private markets, and sectors such as forestry, is determined to grow strongly. We talk to its CEO.
Gresham House,
a UK-headquartered alternative investment manager, has set its
sights on expanding assets and its international footprint, as it
moves on from being acquired in a £470 million ($593 million)
take-private deal late last year by Searchlight Capital Partners.
“We have an opportunity to take this business and turn it into a
fantastic business,” Tony Dalwood, Gresham House’s chief
executive, told this news service in a recent interview. He wants
his colleagues to “make a difference – don’t hide and keep your
head down…ask questions and take a risk.”
Dalwood says that Searchlight’s commitment to providing capital
and expertise for more acquisitions will give his firm the
resources to continue on its growth track. Gresham House was
transformed in late 2014 through a management buy-in. Listed on
the London Stock Exchange, Gresham House delisted in December
2023. It now employs about 230 people.
Dalwood isn’t missing some of the regulatory and reporting
burdens that public listed status entails – he
is enjoying the chance to concentrate on investments without
distractions.
Gresham House has about £8.3 billion of investments, focusing on
sustainable investments. For example, it operates in areas such
as forestry, sustainable infrastructure, UK housing, public and
private equity, among others. With “alternative” investment being
a hot-button topic since before the 2008 financial crash, Dalwood
and his colleagues know wealth managers want to tap into this
expertise.
The firm has a plan to take its AuM to £20 billion by 2030, he
said.
Gresham House is an active asset manager; its clients are
institutions, charities and endowments, family offices, private
individuals. Its advisors cover forestry, real estate,
sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, battery storage and
public and private equity.
The firm, which already has operations in the UK, Ireland,
Australia and New Zealand, wants to expand in these geographies,
as well as in the US, Japan and Northern Europe.
This news service asked Dalwood if the firm was where it needs to
be in terms of the range and depth of its investments.
“We are committed to our current strategies and our focus in real
assets and strategic equity. Growth will come from within these
areas, both in the UK and through expansion of our global
footprint to meet growing demand from international investors.”
We also asked Dalwood about broader trends in what investors
actually want.
“The most significant trend in our space over the past decade has
been increased investor awareness that you don’t have to
compromise returns to make sustainable investments. We have taken
previously niche markets, such as forestry and battery storage,
and transformed them into investment solutions that work at
scale. This trend will continue with investments we are currently
nurturing, such as vertical farming and other areas of natural
capital.”
There has been a great deal of interest in subjects such as
forestry, carbon credits, sustainable infrastructure.
WealthBriefing asked Dalwood what has led the firm to be
interested in these areas?
“We saw the potential for these areas very early on and made it
the core of the business soon after the management buy-in. It was
clear that there was an opportunity to generate attractive,
sustainable, long-term investment returns from areas [such as]
infrastructure and natural capital that would also meet social
and environmental needs. The combination of the performance
potential and the long-term structural trends in the market made
it a natural path for us.”