This is a big day for us.
Today the Stride Treglown Board formally changed our Articles of Association to set in stone our legal commitment to run the company not only for the benefit of our members as a whole; but also through our business and operations, to have a material positive impact on society and the environment. This is a requirement under our B Corp Certification.
When times are tough, as they are now, it’s easy to panic, and think only through a financial lens, and forget that our financial well-being is intrinsically linked to the way we approach the B Corp impact areas of governance, staff, environment, communities and clients. It’s not either/or. It’s not a zero sum game where we’d be ‘better off’ if only we didn’t have to ‘worry about that stuff’. It’s existential: our financial well-being, our identity, and our future as a company is dependent on our trusted relationships with a huge range of stakeholders who expect the companies they deal with to have a long-term, authentic commitment to something bigger than just their own bottom line.
Becoming a B Corp was an important step for us in a continuing journey to be a company that we can all be proud of.
I am absolutely delighted with the publication of our first Impact Report almost 2 years after we first accredited. It’s a real testament to the progress we have made in all five impact areas, and I want to thank our ESG director John Wright and all the impact area leaders: Karyn Williams, Steve Dolphin, Sean Peacock, Robert Delius and Rachel Bell. And to Darren Wilkins for leading the legal process.
I also want to thank B Lab and fellow B Corps Ward Williams Associates and FORE Partnership for their support during these first years.
We are ambitious for the company to take this work further. And we’re very happy to talk to anyone who is interested in finding out more.
Onwards and upwards.