What we do
We recognise that business is going through a tremendous transformation as the world experiences rapid paradigm shifts in how it responds to social, environmental, economic and governance challenges.
Efforts to adapt to and adopt these changes are not always clear-cut, particularly when operating in complex and fragile environments.
Our work is informed by an overarching ambition to enable positive change in business and society. We have been in the thick of this transformation for more than 20 years and have built the ability, agility and sensitivity to deliver.
We partner with our clients to co-create and set up strong processes that ultimately reframe the role of business through sustainable, outcomes-driven solutions that secure long-term value for all stakeholders.
Success, for us, means satisfied clients, excellent teamwork and collaboration between stakeholders and projects that deliver on their intended outcomes.
Synergy Core Service areas
The Synergy proposition is to leverage our 23-year global experience working on over 500 projects in 75 countries supporting our clients and partners. We celebrate their achievements. Our uniqueness is based on being a diverse employee-owned consultancy, rich in internal learning and knowledge sharing that supports the delivery of our Synergy approaches, insights, and capacity.
Consulting and Strategic Advisory
We are a trusted partner to various global and local companies and organisations, providing support to our clients to design, build and implement strategies, systems, and plans. The global shift over the past few years is enabling new strategy and engagement with the question “where are we heading over the next 10 years”.
Our strategic advice and consultancy are supported by stakeholder models for meaningful participation in the design of solutions and outcomes to meet these challenges. Specialising in complex stakeholder environments, our clients rely on our approaches to enhance their capacity to sustain healthy and equitable relationships and are often working in crisis and emergency situations supporting stability, diligent planning, implementation, and monitoring.
Research and Assessment
Through well-established qualitative and quantitative techniques, coupled with its in-depth experience, Synergy undertakes research on behalf of its clients to enable them to understand current trends in social performance, their own performance, or for specific research briefs such as stakeholder perceptions, conflict mapping or mapping and analysing stakeholders.
We thrive on making sense of complex situations and presenting meaningful data for effective decision-making.
Training & capacity building
We offer accredited training in Social Performance to companies, community-based organisations, NGOs, and regulators. We aim to build capacity throughout the system and train as many practitioners in the sector.
Our globally recognised accredited training has been at the forefront of our client’s professional development strategies and plans, ensuring the social performance of practitioners and executives across the business. Our training is delivered face-to-face and online through world-class methodologies and practices.
Audit & due diligence
We conduct independent, third-party audits, due diligence and assessments for investors, operating companies, and other entities.
From early-stage project assessment through to feasibility, operations, and closure, we can provide trusted evaluations on social impact, human rights, benefit sharing, grievance management and transformation.
Synergy Practice Areas
The Synergy practice and thematic areas bring focus and attention to global trends, continuous improvement to our approaches and methodologies and sharing of experiences, challenges, and achievements. We engage in country, regional, and global communities of practice and encourage our team to support and add value to these efforts through volunteering, knowledge sharing and participation. Across all our practice areas we are confronting significant change that requires active learning with our clients and other stakeholders.
01
Human Rights and Business
We undertake risk and impact assessments on human rights and advise on policy and procedures and support capacity building for effective implementation of interventions. Our work supports resolution of grievances related to human rights violations and formulation of effective remedy processes. We work with security to ensure effective implementation of human rights guidelines.
02
Land and Livelihoods
We support the planning and implementation of land access for development. Our work impacts on securing free, prior and informed consent for land access, cultural heritage impacts and livelihood restoration.
03
Impact Investing
We support impact initiatives through framing the Theory of Change, co-creating initiatives using design thinking methodologies, using an evidence base for decision making and developing robust impact monitoring and evaluation tools.
04
Responsible Mineral Supply Chains
We advise and support the design, implementation and evaluation of responsible supply chain initiatives.
05
Stakeholders and Partnerships
We help to diagnose and assess stakeholder dynamics that result in tension and conflict and provide appropriate approaches for strengthening relationships. We engage in mediation and alternative dispute resolution and establish processes supporting inclusive and participatory approaches to development. We strengthen the capacity for people and institutions to participate meaningfully in life changing processes.
06
Just Energy Transition
We advise companies, state owned enterprises and other non state actors on the socio economic impacts of the energy transition, and approaches for mitigation. We undertake assessments of new projects and advise on Just Energy Transition financing. Synergy has supported the establishment of the Initiative for Social Performance in Renewable Energy (INSPIRE).
Some of our clients
