Sustainable dealmaker Beth Houghton is the latest guest on the hit Dealmaker Uncut Podcast with Jonathan Boyers and Chris Maguire.
Beth Houghton is the head of Palatine Private Equity’s Impact Investing Fund and was recently crowned sustainability champion at BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders Awards.
Houghton’s passion for climate change and tackling environmental challenges began when she was a child and has been a recurring theme throughout her life.
One of her most noticeable successes was Anthesis, a sustainability consultancy which Carlyle Group bought for a 6x return on their original investment.
Houghton is a qualified computer scientist and started her working life travelling the world as a SAP consultant but giving it up for the world of deals.
Growing up in Bolton she said her passion for the environment began at an early age.
“Even before recycling was a thing we had piles of paper, cans and glass in the house,” she said. “We didn’t have recycling bins in those days so my Dad would drive us to the local recycling unit. I was always obsessed by recycling.”
At the age of eight she wrote to McDonald’s after reading reports claiming the fast food restaurant was responsible for deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Houghton joined private equity house Palatine in 2006, which got its name from Palatine Road because Factory Records was founded there.
She said: “We look at ESG and impact quite differently. We would say ESG is how a company delivers its good and services. Impact is what a company does as its main purpose. We do ESG across all our funds.”
When Houghton was crowned Dealmaker of the Year at the North West Dealmakers Awards 2023 she became the first woman to win the award in 29 years.
International Women’s Day takes place on March 8th and Houghton said the deals industry has changed a lot during her career.
“I think back 17 years ago and the industry looked very different,” she said. “There weren’t many women in private equity.
“I’ve always been in male-dominated industries. I came from tech into private equity and I haven’t noticed any different.”
She said being a woman in a male-dominated industry can be an advantage because you can stand out.
“You get invited on panels and podcasts,” she explained. “I’m a very competitive person. I always strive to be better.”
Boyers is the head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance team and Maguire is BusinessCloud’s executive editor.
The Dealmaker Uncut podcast has been produced by Manchester-based What Media.
You can listen to the latest episode here