We are delighted to share that NorthEdge was awarded ESG Champion of the Year: Small or Lower Mid-Cap at the Real Deals Private Equity Awards 2026.

For over 25 years, the Real Deals Private Equity awards have been one of the most well-established awards in Europe’s private equity industry. The event welcomes over 1,000 influential figures to celebrate firms which have made an outstanding contribution to the sector.

The awards are judged through a rigorous, independent process involving a panel of senior industry representatives from leading LPs and PE firms. The ESG Champion of the Year award category was based on a firm’s work on ESG and how environmental, social and governance factors are incorporated into their investment strategy and portfolio management. The category also reviewed how firms gather ESG data from portfolio companies and report on their progress to investors.

Real Deals commented that NorthEdge ‘were highly ranked by judges for their clear focus on impact, strong ESG metrics, and embedded approach, supported by positive endorsements from portfolio companies across a sector-generalist remit.’

Lucie Mills, Partner at NorthEdge, said: “We are extremely proud to receive this award, particularly as it marks the second time we have been recognised in the past four years. This industry recognition reflects our long-standing commitment to building better businesses and our ambition to deliver meaningful, real-world impact across the UK regions and beyond.”

The win follows our success at the Real Deals Sustainable Investment Awards in October 2025 & our recent listing in the Orbis Advisory Sustainability Index. NorthEdge was the only lower mid-market, regional private equity firm featured in the top ten of the Index – highlighting our culture, behaviours and processes are consistent with those of much larger managers.