Dains has published its first ESG and Sustainability report, "Your Impact Matters," during the accountancy group's centenary year. The report sets out a three-year ESG strategy and the firm's first full Scope 3 emissions baseline, positioning sustainability reporting as a core part of its client offering rather than a compliance exercise.

Dains is a Birmingham-headquartered accountancy and business advisory firm founded in 1926, majority owned by private equity firm IK Partners since December 2024 after growing revenue from £15 million to more than £80 million under previous backer Horizon Capital. The group has continued acquiring firms since, including Hurst and Barnes Roffe, expanding its UK and Ireland footprint to more than 1,000 staff.

The structural driver is private equity-backed professional services groups needing credible ESG credentials to compete for larger corporate clients and support future refinancing or exit processes, rather than treating sustainability reporting as optional once scaled beyond a single-office practice. Dains said its ESG strategy spans colleague development, environmental impact reduction and stronger governance and accountability.

Steps taken over the past year include creating Employee Resource Groups to support diversity, equity and inclusion and establishing the Dains Impact Forest alongside the Scope 3 baseline work. The firm said its own ESG investment is intended to help it better advise clients navigating similar sustainability and resilience questions.

Chief executive Richard McNeilly said the firm's purpose has "remained consistent" over its history even as "markets, technologies and societal expectations have changed dramatically," adding that strengthening its ESG approach helps clients make "informed decisions and building successful businesses for the long term." ESG director Rachael Dagger said the firm had "enhanced our governance, improved our data and reporting capabilities" over the year, describing ESG as "not a standalone initiative" but part of "making better decisions."

For the sector, Dains' first ESG report shows mid-market, PE-backed advisory firms increasingly expected to demonstrate the same sustainability discipline they advise clients to adopt.

Source: dains.com / accountingweb.co.uk / thebusinessdesk.com