Sara French, Head of Scale-Up Programmes at London & Partners, shares insights from supporting over 4,500 businesses through international growth. In this conversation with Alex Smith, Sara reveals why companies that embed sustainability early scale 50% faster, how governance strengthens business foundations, and what VCs really look for in scale-ups today.

We discuss the practical realities of international expansion, the unexpected connection between ESG frameworks and business maturity, and why London’s ecosystem offers unique advantages for sustainable growth. Sara also shares success stories from companies solving real-world problems and explains how London & Partners’ trade missions create opportunities that would otherwise take years to access.

Whether you’re scaling locally or planning international expansion, this episode offers practical frameworks for building resilient, investment-ready businesses.

Click here for the ESG Unfiltered course.

Click here for London & Partners.

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IMPACT PROVEN THROUGH RESULTS

REUBEN DIGITAL

“The FuturePlus platform gave us exactly what we needed. It’s transformed how we think about our business impact.” - Ray Stephens, Managing Director, Reuben Digital

UNIPET

"FuturePlus provides a structured, practical, and evidence-based approach to managing sustainability performance." - Ria Sooknarine, Sustainability Manager, Unipet

SOHO HOUSE

“FuturePlus has been integral to our ESG work at Soho House.” - Min Shrimpton, Head of House Foundations Communications, Soho House

REUBEN DIGITAL

“The FuturePlus platform gave us exactly what we needed. It’s transformed how we think about our business impact.” - Ray Stephens, Managing Director, Reuben Digital

UNIPET

"FuturePlus provides a structured, practical, and evidence-based approach to managing sustainability performance." - Ria Sooknarine, Sustainability Manager, Unipet