Corporate Governance
We believe that sound principles of corporate governance and high standards of corporate conduct are critical to creating and maintaining strong, rewarding and enduring relationships with investors and other key stakeholders, including employees, customers and suppliers, government officials and regulators and communities. The reputation and integrity of our firm are valuable assets that are vital to our success and its relationships with investors and other stakeholders.
Providing financial services, Great Alliance Management plays a significant role in the society, the success of which depends on the complete faith of the community, clients, partners, and all other stakeholders, in our commitment to professionalism and integrity. Great Alliance Management believes it is essential to comply with and uphold both norms. Our firm and its subsidiaries fulfill a service-providing role in society. We can only perform this task properly if each party with whom we are dealing with can put its trust in us. The actions of our employees form the basis for the trust that is placed in The Code of Conduct applies to all of Great Alliance Management , that is to say, to all employees of Great Alliance Management and and their (foreign) subsidiaries and branches. In practice, this means our day-to-day operations and investment decisions are independent.
Accountability: we are solely responsible and accountable for our investment decisions and employ the highest standards of quality and integrity.
Proficiency: oversight of commercial investment decisions is delegated to a carefully selected Board with skills and experience aligned with our key objectives. FCDO is not involved in our investment decisions.
Independence: partners and investee businesses are reassured that our investment decisions are based on commercial rigour and independent of political involvement.
Continuity and stability: we avoid short-term policy changes. We are a long-term investor who thinks in decades rather than years.
Financial regulation: by operating as a private company, we are better positioned to comply with the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules.
The firm has delegated investment decision powers to the Investment Committee and operational decision making to the Executive Committee. In addition, the company has committees to assist it in fulfilling its responsibilities.
Audit and Compliance Committee: the main duties of this committee are to oversee the integrity of our financial statements, legal and regulatory compliance, the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and the performance of our internal audit function and of the independent auditors. In addition, the committee is responsible for ensuring that the internal control framework is ‘fit for purpose; it monitors the management accounting and valuations procedures and policies, investigates any irregularities, and oversees our regulated activities and compliance function.
Risk Committee: the Risk Committee oversees the implementation of the Risk Management Policy and the risks that we face. This includes ensuring that there is a clear understanding of the appetite of our shareholder and other stakeholders for risks that we face. The Committee is supported by the Chief Financial Officer and Risk Manager, who are responsible to them for overseeing risk management across the firm.
Development Impact Committee: the Development Impact Committee has oversight of the achievement of development impact through our investments, consistent with our mission to support the building of businesses throughout the MENA region and beyond. It oversees our work in monitoring and evaluating the creation of good quality jobs in some of the world’s poorest places, as well as broader development impacts, including our gender, climate change and job quality strategies.