Foreword

Last year we achieved a major milestone in Russell-Cooke’s almost 150 year history with the development and publication of our first ever Responsible Business Report (RBR).

As a firm, we have always promoted and participated in numerous activities that now sit under the ESG banner. We’ve tended to just get on with these activities rather than shouting about them. This is part of what makes Russell-Cooke such a great place to work – ‘doing the right thing’ is part of our DNA and we’re dedicated to taking real action on the things that matter most.

Since publishing our first RBR, a responsible business committee has been set up. The committee meets regularly to debate and propose new initiatives and to check on progress against the commitments from our last report. This new level of reporting gives us the opportunity to take a step back and see clearly what we have achieved.

From our new sustainable procurement policy, to our decision to initiate a volunteering day and to the grass roots work of our affinity groups, it feels like we have achieved a great deal in the last 12 months and I am grateful to my colleagues for all their hard work and ideas.

This commitment to responsibility is embedded in our approach to our work and we know how important it is to our people. But we have gone one step further and woven it explicitly into our three year strategic plan and the fabric of our governance structures. Every decision that goes to our board is assessed against our commitments – and particularly the centrality of climate change and social inclusion as critical issues for our business, people, industry and communities. We still of course have much to do. As the firm continues to grow and thrive it is more important than ever that we keep ourselves accountable as a responsible business. As we head into 2024 I look forward to actioning the plans currently in the pipeline and to reporting on them into the future.