How we can make a real difference

How our sustainability strategy aligns with our business strategy.

ALIGNING OUR
VALUES

We re-set our company goals and
values in 2021, following an extensive review of our culture and service. Having a defined set
of goals and values enables us to provide a
clear direction for the company so our
people feel they can make a real contribution
and effectively represent our brand.

We have highlighted our four most important
values, each with a representative
assessment of how they can be
acknowledged. The value assessments
dovetail substantially, placing our core values
and our people in total alignment with our
corporate sustainability commitments and
ambition.

Passion

We love what we do. We are energetic, take responsibility and achieve extraordinary results. We inspire customers with our entrepreneurial spirit and are passionate about our exceptional levels of service.

Inspire amazing results
Love what you do
Step into their shoes

“Step into their shoes”: we are proactive in our approach to sustainability, using our intimate knowledge of our clients’ businesses to create specialised solutions.

Care

We treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves, demonstrate compassion and empathy, going out of our way to promote equal opportunity and protect the wellbeing of our colleagues, clients, communities and the environment.

We look after each other
We create camaraderie
We care on a big scale

“We look after each other and we care on a big scale”: our sustainability mission is built on solid ground with widespread internal support.

Entrepreneurial

We’re not afraid to be different. We don’t follow. We’re dynamic, creative and we stand out from the crowd. We communicate without criticism and aim to change people’s lives for the better.

We own this together
We’re brave and imaginative
We make change happen

“We own this together – we make change happen”: we don’t have to pressurise our people to share our corporate goals, the required commitment and drive already exists.

Fun

We enjoy what we do. We share stories and successes, engage with each other, laugh and avoid taking ourselves too seriously. We keep smiling even when facing adversity.

We’re one team and everyone’s contribution matters

Our people provided this value; it perfectly sums up our attitudes.

Our mission:

To connect people effortlessly and enable business relationships to flourish sustainably.

OUR PEOPLE DEFINE OUR VALUES
AND DRIVE OUR STRATEGY

Traditionally organisations tend to illustrate their structure as a triangle with the Executive Team at the apex. Reed & Mackay’s reputation has been built around the quality of its “high-touch” service and it recognises that employee interaction with clients is paramount to understanding and meeting client expectations.

Our structure can be viewed as an inverted pyramid with employees at the top and information from client interactions filtering down through the management chain to inform the business strategy.

Our People

Our people are responsible for working towards their objectives while adhering to policy, processes and procedures, as well as for identifying and highlighting risks and improvement opportunities.

Line Managers

Line Managers agree individual objectives with employees, which are aligned to departmental objectives. They manage the performance of employees and resources to ensure the direction and definition of activities provided by Department Heads are followed.

Department Heads

Department Heads, some of whom are members of the Executive Team, define departmental objectives that are aligned to corporate objectives and, therefore, the overall business strategy.

Executive Team

The Executive Team is actively involved in the daily operations of the business and collectively define the mission, vision, business strategy and corporate objectives for the global organisation using various tools and resource, including:

Feedback from stakeholders
Business and market intelligence regarding the travel industry and industries that make up Reed & Mackay’s market share, both from national and international perspectives
Technological, political, economic, financial developments
Current and future resourcing requirements identified by Senior Management
Outputs from bi-annual Management Review meetings
The Executive Team reviews progress of the business and related issues arising from business operations during Executive Team meetings

KEY POLICIES & MANDATORY TRAINING

At Reed & Mackay, our mission and values are driven through a collection of company policies, all of which are held accountable by a member of the Executive Team. All policies set a clear direction for how we expect those working for, and on behalf of, our company to behave.

The following key policies address important aspects of sustainability and responsible business practice. They are in the public domain and available on request.

Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Policy

We are committed to conducting business in an honest and ethical manner. We uphold all laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and we are committed to operating professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. Our people are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of malpractice at the earliest possible stage. Queries are raised with Reed & Mackay’s Finance Director - International, who is accountable for our Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Policy.

An Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Risk Assessment is carried out annually. This policy includes causes covering:

Facilitation payments and kickbacks
Donations
Gifts and entertainment
Sanctions
Conflicts of interest
Fraud
Anti-competitive activity

Accountable: Finance Director - International

Training: All employees must complete Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption training when they join the business.

Anti-Money Laundering Policy

We are committed to undertaking due care and diligence to ensure we conduct our business only with reputable clients and suppliers involved in lawful activities undertaken in good faith, and to create an effective Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programme. We adhere to all current money laundering and terrorist financing prevention laws. All employees are required to record and promptly report all suspicious activities to the Finance Director - International, who is also the appointed Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MRLO).

Accountable: Finance Director - International

Training: Employees from selected departments must complete Anti-Money Laundering training when they join the business.

Labour and Human Rights Policy

We are committed to employee engagement, human rights and employee health and wellbeing. We believe it is vital to the success of our business. We strive for a sustainable workforce that is engaged and committed to the company, our goals and objectives. We respect and protect our employees’ rights throughout our global offices.

The purpose of this policy is to define the labour and human rights standards to which all Reed & Mackay employees are entitled to.

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact (UNGC) we have pledged to incorporate the 10 principles of the UNGC into our strategy, operations and decision making and this policy helps to reinforce that commitment.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: All employees are required to complete Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking training.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Our commitment to equity, diversity & inclusion is at the core of Reed & Mackay’s values. We believe everyone is entitled to equal opportunity and our diversity enriches the communities in which we operate. We seek to promote an inclusive, supportive and respectful environment, which appreciates and values the experiences, perspectives and skills that we all bring. Reed & Mackay has a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment and is committed to confront and eliminate all instances.

This policy is founded not only upon our desire to fully comply with applicable laws, but also upon the conviction that such discrimination interferes with employee work performance and productivity. It is inconsistent with the inclusive and caring working atmosphere we strive to maintain. Reed & Mackay considers our diversity to be our greatest resource, helping us connect people and is vital to the success of our business.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: All employees are required to undertake mandatory Equity, Diversity & Inclusion training, which gives employees skills and confidence to not only comply with legal requirements but to be allies and help make the workplace a more supportive and inclusive environment.

Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

We recognise the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and embedding this within the company culture and integrating in all business decisions.

Being a responsible company isn’t just about having a policy or saying the right thing. It’s about the way we think, the way we behave and running our business sustainably, with a sense of purpose and consciousness about the world we inhabit.

We are committed to promoting best practice within business and to developing our employees through activities and initiatives that allow us to minimise the impact and maximise the benefits our work has on the environment and people around us.

The company will comply with, and aim to exceed, all relevant regulations, legislation and other relevant requirements. All employees are responsible for complying with this policy and associated standards.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: All employees receive a comprehensive induction from the HR and GRC Teams, where environmental and CSR principles are discussed. Our Employee Handbook outlines expectations on employees with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility.

Environmental Policy

Reed & Mackay’s Executive Team recognises that being an environmentally responsible business is fundamental to our mission: ‘To connect people effortlessly and enable business relationships to flourish sustainably’. We are committed to the protection of the environment, the prevention of pollution, sustainable consumption, continual improvement of our environmental performance and the fulfilment of our compliance obligations.

We have identified the following environmental aspects as applicable to our business and, wherever possible, we implement measures to reduce our environmental impact:

Travel, Communications and Company Vehicles (air, public transport and company vehicles)
Energy, Buildings and Air Conditioning (Electricity usage – lighting, heating, cooling and energy to power office equipment)
Waste (including general, mixed recycling, paper, toners and IT and non-IT equipment waste)
Office Materials and Supplies (IT equipment, furniture, consumables etc)
Water (Water usage)
Abnormal and Emergency Situations (Business Continuity incidents that cause an environmental impact)

Accountable: Group CIO

Training: All employees receive a comprehensive induction from the GRC Team, where our environmental practices are discussed. Green awareness programmes take place at least annually.

Health & Safety Policy

Our Executive Team recognise the significance of Health & Safety and is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment to all employees and visitors. Our Global HR Director has overall responsibility for Health & Safety and has assigned day-to-day management of Health & Safety to the Office Manager.

The Office Manager is responsible for conducting regular workplace inspections and risk assessments (including work-station assessments) and taking appropriate actions as a result. Appropriate Health & Safety documentation and records (eg accident logs, hazardous substance data sheets and training certificates for fire wardens and first aiders) are maintained appropriately in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Planned evacuations occur at all office locations at least annually and areas for improvement are logged and addressed by the Office Manager. Emergency exits and evacuation signage is clearly displayed.

Health & Safety due diligence is carried out on suppliers who provide a service physically at Reed & Mackay’s site, or a site where they have responsibility for Health & Safety.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: Reed & Mackay has implemented mandatory 'Health & Safety in the Office' training and 'Display Screen Equipment (DSE)' training.

Whistleblowing Policy

Reed & Mackay developed and published a Whistleblowing Policy in 2022. The aim of the policy is to encourage employees and contractors to report suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, in the knowledge their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate, and their confidentiality respected. The policy provides examples of the types of misconduct or behaviour that could give rise to a report and outlines the processes for reporting their concerns.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: Our Whistleblowing Policy and the process for reporting concerns is communicated to employees via the company intranet. Contractors are provided with Reed & Mackay's Supplier Operating Principles and must inform their Reed & Mackay contact if they are unable to comply with these principles.

Menopause Policy

At Reed & Mackay, we are dedicated to providing a supportive and inclusive working environment for everyone. We recognise that women who experience the menopause, whether it be before, during or after this time of hormonal change and the associated symptoms, may need additional consideration, support and adjustments. We also recognise menopausal symptoms can affect transgender and non-binary people.

We are committed to developing a workplace culture that supports workers experiencing the menopause, so they feel confident to raise issues about their symptoms and ask for reasonable adjustments at work.

Accountable: Global HR Director

Training: A copy of the policy is included on Reed & Mackay's intranet.

THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR PEOPLE AND THEIR WELLBEING

We welcome, grow and celebrate the extraordinary; it is our mission to emanate our values across the globe encompassing a variety of perspectives and a commitment to our people that everyone matters. We seek to be inclusive and diverse, creating a working environment where everyone is appreciated and encouraged to thrive.

We have four main pillars to the foundation of our approach in this area.

Pillar 1: Human Rights

Our workforce is made up of individuals with their own unique identities. They represent a variety of ages, ethnicities, abilities, faiths and beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, parental and caring responsibilities, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. It is important we promote an open, respectful and transparent culture, where difference is encouraged and everyone can be appreciated for who they are.

Pillar 2: Talent Development

Talent Development plays a key role within our business by retaining, attracting, developing and motivating our employees, ensuring everyone is working towards our organisational goals. Every employee’s development and aspirations are listened to and valued, creating career paths and opportunities for all. Employees must feel comfortable being themselves, leveraging their unique strengths and sharing their perspectives. This allows everyone the chance to make an impact and understand why their work fits into the bigger picture.

Pillar 3: Wellbeing

We want our employees to thrive and enjoy a positive working environment where both physical and mental wellbeing is always high on the agenda. Knowledge is key and we empower our employees to know and understand how important it is to look after your body and mind. As a business we have built a culture designed to protect and nurture our employees. In order to create organisational and individual resilience we intervene early and support through every step of recovery.

Pillar 4: Employee Engagement

Our employees' commitment, both mentally and emotionally, to the organisation is never taken for granted. In order to succeed, we all work towards one organisational goal. It is through high engagement that drives Reed & Mackay and its employees to be exceptional, in turn providing the best service to our clients. Our culture is at the heart of our business allowing everyone to play an important and invested role in its success.

GLOBAL COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIPS

As identified by UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, partnerships and collaboration are essential for businesses striving to be more sustainable. Organisations within and across industries can share knowledge and expertise, leading to more innovative and sustainable solutions. Reed & Mackay seeks out forums we can contribute to and learn from different perspectives, knowledge and experience. This will allow us to develop more effective and efficient practices and work on jointly solving shared problems.

GBTA Sustainability Leadership Council

In 2022 our Director of Sustainability Chris Truss became a founding member of sustainability experts from across the business travel sector. The panel aims to bring the industry together to address sustainability challenges and, each year, will define priority areas for collaborative and global action. This will help raise the bar for the business travel industry overall.

UN Global Compact

As members of both the UNGC UK and Australian networks we participate fully in the cross-sector networking and collaboration initiatives, as well as the training opportunities available through the UNGC Academy. In 2022 our employees participated in a number of UNGC events and programmes, including Climate Ambition Accelerator and Target Gender Equality Accelerator.

Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge

Reed & Mackay Meetings & Events signed the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) pledge at Cop27 in November 2022 and has since joined the Travel & Accommodation workstream, a group of industry peers working together on the development of the NZCE Roadmap. This will provide guidance to event industry stakeholders on best practices for reaching net zero. This initiative is hosted by The Joint Meetings Industry Council, supported by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

British American Business Association

This partnership helps us strengthen relationships with leading multinational companies, mid-market businesses and non-profit organisations, through various programmes and networking opportunities. It enables us to be a part of conversations on sustainability, transatlantic business growth, travel and more.