The directors set out their statement of compliance with s172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 which should be read in conjunction with the rest of the annual report.
The Board ensures that decisions are always taken for thelong term, and collectively aims to uphold the highest standards of conduct. Similarly, it acknowledges that the Group's employees, suppliers and clientsare their most important assets, and the business can only grow and prosper over the long-term if it understands, respects and responds to their views andneeds, as well as those of other stakeholders.
The Board has identified the following stakeholder groupswith whom engagement is fundamental to the Group's ongoing success:
The key issues of concern to shareholders are return on investment, business performance and sustainability. The Group engages with its shareholders in various ways including meetings, annual report and management accounts.
The Group's people are central to our success, and we are committed to providing a working environment that promotes our employees' wellbeing whilst facilitating their development and performance. The key issue of concern to employees are health and safety, engagement, development, diversity and inclusion. The Group engages with this stakeholder group in various ways including its clarity of values and culture, health & safety programmes, equality and diversity programmes, professional development and other learning & development programmes, employee surveys, meetings and business updates.
The key issue of concern to clients are quality of service, value for money and availability of services. The Group engages with this stakeholder group in various ways including its dedication to excellent service, dedicated client advisers, gathering of client feedback, undertaking client surveys and proactive communication through email, social media and events and meetings.
The key issue of concern with suppliers are our payment and responsible sourcing policies. The Group engages in various ways including emails, meetings and identified supplier contacts.
The key issues of concern with regards the Group's relationship with communities are the environment and the local areas in which the Group operates. The Group engages with this stakeholder group by encouraging its employees to become involved and through the Duncan & Toplis Foundation towith local community lead fundraising initiatives and increase the impact of our team's charitable activities. The Group recognises the importance in playing a greater role in supporting people and the natural environment, recently achieving independent validation of its journey to being a carbon-neutral organisation within the next five to eight years.
The key issue of concern with regulators is the Group's compliance with applicable laws and regulations, delivery of the highest business standards and positive outcomes for clients. The Group employs dedicated compliance roles and maintains open and transparent relationships with all its regulators.
