Our values

Performance

More than just hitting the target

Performance is more than just hitting the target for investment returns. It requires doing so with the right level of risk-taking. It means carefully calibrating the risk you take in every deal. Disregard risk and performance will turn out to be no more than an illusion.
At Blackriver Finance, performance means care, attention and clarity in the management of risk adjusted returns, from the moment we make “the promise” to clients straight through to the realisation of the last investment in the portfolio.

Team work

Built into our Company Culture

Blackriver Finance clients can expect a total commitment to teamwork during any engagement with our company. For Blackriver Finance experienced founders, a big part of how we build trust and ensure success is through teamwork, backed by mutual respect and understanding.
And it’s simply a fact that we get a lot more done as a team than we can as individuals, no matter how talented and dedicated some of our individual staff may be. We’re more creative, productive, and smart as a team.
The more we respect each others’ skills and abilities (and occasionally, our foibles as well) the better we can work together to the benefit of our clients.

Partnership

Heart of Everything we do

You will never find a silo mentality or culture at Blackriver Finance. Our teams collaborate, group and regroup as required to service clients. It’s a core part of our culture.
So when we research a transaction, our teams work hand in hand to make sure our investors benefit from the best collective investment decision.

Look us Straight in the Eye 

When you become a Blackriver Finance client, we want you to feel that you’re in a trust-based relationship with the people who are directly responsible for your money.
It’s also a fact that our interests are aligned with yours, since Blackriver Finance is an employee owned ‘boutique’ investment manager.
Similarly, if you represent a bank, real estate broker, trader or another intermediary, you are also a key part of the team. We act as sounding boards for each other, we find solutions together, and we set up the structures that enable us to share best practices quickly and easily.

Trust

Taking Trust Seriously

It’s easy enough to point out that investment management is a business of trust. But Blackriver Finance founders have gone further: we’ve put this simple fact at the heart of our company and how we conduct ourselves with our clients. 
That’s why we keep our clients regularly supplied everything they need to know about the way we operate, where our strategy is taking us, and how their money is invested. 
It also means you can expect ongoing and open dialogue, transparency, and honesty in all aspects of your relationship with Blackriver Finance. 

We’re more creative, productive, and smart as a team.

Owning Responsibility for our Decisions 

If we make great investments, we will sell when the time is right, and you will have a clear understanding of how the profits are distributed. If something changes, our clients know we will take full responsibility in a constructive and honest manner. 
When we raise capital, we never forget that a client is entrusting us with his or her money. We take responsibility for that privilege, and we understand we are acting as their trustee.

Integrity

Binds all our Values Together.

For us, integrity is doing the right thing, consistently, for our clients

For us, integrity is doing the right thing, consistently, for our clients. We are unencumbered by restrictive structures, and therefore free to build lasting relationships with partners who share our vision and passion for real estate investment.
Alignment with our clients is paramount, not only with regard to our business objectives, but also our values, our actions and our words.
We hope you’ll find the proof in our work and our people.

Philanthropy

Blackriver Finance charity and good causes

Since inception Blackriver Finance has always had a strong ethos on supporting and giving back to charitable and good causes.
Over the years there have been many individual and team activities supporting a number of initiatives.

The committee aims to provide assistance to charities and causes with which we share common interests and values and that allow us to come together as a team to give back to communities and individuals. Our focus for the last few years has been on identifying smaller charities which contribute to the bigger mission of removing the barriers to ambition and achievement for people. We continue to match fund initiatives like the Triathlon, Tough Mudder and the Royal Parks and Remco runs and will also offer match funding for individuals for any specific activities they undertake for charitable causes. Blackriver Finance proudly supports the PREA foundation.

Charity Committee

The Black Heart Foundation

Registered in the United Kingdom and the United States, the Black Heart Foundation has a strong record of supporting initiatives which create and improve educational access, learning opportunities and outcomes for underprivileged children around the world.
Through vision, enterprise and commitment, the Foundation and its beneficiaries continue to generate innovative pathways to learning, aspiration and achievement for disadvantaged children and young people. 
The Foundation’s interest lie in supporting community initiatives that support young people at grassroots level; where the Foundation’s funding can make the most significant impact on behalf of those children in their environment.

ESG

Integrating ESG into everything we do

Environmental, Social and Governance (‘ESG’) issues are rapidly reshaping the real estate investment landscape and are of increasing importance for all of our stakeholders.  From an investment perspective, our mission is to protect value and identify opportunities to drive additional value for our investors by integrating ESG analysis into every stage of our investment process.  We do this in three ways: by working in partnership with our stakeholders; future-proofing our investments and transforming our assets.

Working in partnership with our stakeholders

Our business was founded on the guiding principles of integrity, honesty and trustworthiness, values we share with everyone that chooses to invest alongside us, and work with and for us.

Future-proofing our investments

We believe in asymmetry of risk and return: managing the downside while maximising value for our stakeholders. This includes identifying, anticipating and responding to the growing range of current and future ESG issues that can impact property values in order to help us preserve and enhance performance for our clients.

Transforming our assets

Our investment strategy across both Funds series is focussed on buying, fixing and selling assets. Through our comprehensive pre-acquisition checklist, we identify material ESG risks and opportunities which are built into our asset business plans in the pursuit of creating stabilised, energy efficient, sustainable and de-risked assets.

Diversity & Inclusion at Blackriver Finance

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are important to us at Blackriver Finance. We believe that employing people with wide perspectives and varied experiences creates a dynamic, innovative and sentient organization.
We have proudly created a culture that values differences and embraces the diversity of thought that comes from attracting and retaining employees from many different backgrounds.  We aim to foster an inclusive culture that develops and promotes employees based on their capabilities and where every individual is treated fairly and respectfully.

Diversity & Inclusion

Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee

At Blackriver Finance, we have a dedicated Diversity & Inclusion working group led by Executive Chairman, Ric Lewis. This cross-departmental group is tasked with proactively tracking and developing a range of initiatives to help track and boost gender balance, ethnic diversity and inclusivity within our organisation and the real estate industry.