Foreword
It is clear to me that we live in uncertain and challenging times. The world seems to be a much more volatile place than it was even a few years ago.
However, that feeling of ‘permacrisis’ (Collins Dictionary’s depressing word of the year for 2022) is probably due to an increased awareness of fundamentally important issues and risks which perhaps have been hiding in plain sight for too long.
These range from the threat of unchecked climate change, brought home by the recent COP27 deliberations, through to the burning need to continue to improve access, equity and inclusion across society, including the workplace.
Acknowledging these challenges and raising awareness and understanding is critical and individual businesses, including Russell-Cooke, have a responsibility to play a part in this journey.
This, our first ever Responsible Business Report, is an important milestone in this regard. We seek to shine the spotlight on that which has perhaps been hiding in plain sight for us: both our achievements, and areas where we must make progress.
The purpose of this report, then, is twofold.
Firstly, to take stock of, and celebrate, what we have already achieved. Our firm is built on strong values of integrity and social responsibility. As lawyers we stand for the rule of law and access to justice, and we live that culture every day in what we do and how we treat one another and our clients.
But we must also go further.
And so the second, and even more important, purpose of this report is to transparently set out where we are today and where we are aiming to get to across a range of critical areas, including the environment and climate change as well as our business’s impact on our people and broader communities.
Through transparency we will hold ourselves to account, ensure that these issues are central to our business decision making, and challenge ourselves to do even more.
Our approach is intended to reflect the fact that we are both an ethical and a resilient business. We recognise that we won’t always meet every objective in full but that is not a reason for not accepting the challenge.
I welcome this report and its aims, and thank my colleagues across the firm for their continued support for this important initiative.