Looking back over the last year or so, we’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made with our sustainability agenda. During 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic brought uncertainty and some disruption. Despite this, we achieved a lot in just a few short months.
We were awarded a B grade by the Carbon Disclosure Project, an improvement from the previous year’s B-. The score is based on how we manage environmental impact as a business.
On World Environment Day 2021, we launched our Sustainability Champions Network. These passionate volunteers join forces monthly and will work together to monitor our environmental performance and drive new ideas for change.
In January 2021 we appointed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Melanie Duncan, and launched the DEI Champions Network.
The DEI Champions Network is a group of volunteers from across the company whose goal is to challenge and transform mindsets, role model behaviour and turn our commitments into tangible activities.
In 2021, we launched our rebranded and upgraded learning management system, ‘Greenhouse.’ Featuring a rich and carefully curated repository of easy-to-access and easy-to-digest online courses designed to make it easier than ever for people to boost their skills and broaden their knowledge.
Every year our people go to extraordinary lengths to raise money and lend their support to some worthy community causes. This year’s highlights include colleagues from Ashfield Engage walking 26 miles in a day to raise over £3,000 towards funding gene therapy for a colleague’s daughter with a rare neurological disorder called Canavan Disease. 103 participants from 14 countries at STEM also covered a total distance of 22,000km along the Pan-American Highway to raise £5,142 for Big Brothers Big Sisters (US), CALM (UK) and Action Against Hunger (global).
We extended our Driver Safety Program to fleet drivers in over 70% of our locations including grey fleet (individuals privately owned, hired or pool cars used for business). We also expanded our online training programme to offer multiple courses including Sharing the Road, Driving While Distracted and Training for At Risk Drivers.
We’ve implemented global KPI dashboards across much of Ashfield to improve internal quality reporting and we are now working to optimize these systems. Ashfield Health also implemented a new audit process for access control to the documentation system and a new workflow management system.
Recognizing the impact work can have on people’s mental wellbeing, we’ve continued to offer support throughout the year and, in particular during October, our Mental Health Awareness Month. We hosted InspireTalks from external experts on topics ranging from mental health in the workplace to the impact of finances and organized weekly mindfulness sessions to help people manage stress. We also provided a range of online courses with advice on topics such as how to build resilience and how to develop a wellbeing strategy, and equipped managers with resources to help them support their teams.
Ashfield Engage US was named one of the best workplaces in America by Top Workplaces, the country’s leading employer recognition program and Ashfield Engage Canada won four prestigious Great Place to Work Awards.
And for the third year in a row, Vynamic, part of Ashfield Advisory was cited as one of the Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services by Great Place to Work. Vynamic was also listed as one of the Best Workplaces for Women and was honored with a Glassdoor 2021 Best Places to Work award, based on anonymous team member reviews.
Fellow Ashfield Advisory company Putnam Associates was ranked in the Boston Globe Media 2020 Top Places to Work. Meanwhile, Ashfield Health agency MicroMass was also recognized as a Best Place to Work by MM&M.
Ashfield Health won ‘Midsize Healthcare Network of the Year’ at the MM&M Awards 2021, one of the most respected honors in the industry recognizing outstanding performance by a healthcare marketing agency.
It goes without saying that we are incredibly proud of our employees. Highlights this year included Mesrak Lissanu, Regional Business Manager for Ashfield Engage Canada, being profiled by Women Leaders in Pharma for her efforts in improving and driving awareness of diversity and inclusivity in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors.
Ashfield Event Experiences’ UK-based Production Project Manager, Alix Rollinson, made it into 2021’s C&IT Magazine’s celebrated A-List – the Top 35 UK Agency Planners under 35 – and Peter Mather won Conference News Agency Awards Hybrid Event Producer of the Year.
Following the acquisition of Ashfield by Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) and the subsequent merger with Huntsworth, 2022 will bring together many new businesses and colleagues sharing similar values, culture, and purpose to make a real difference to clients and improve patient’s lives around the world. While much progress has been made, Ashfield and Huntsworth not only understand and appreciate the scale of the task ahead, but acknowledge that there is much more work to be done to make this happen.
The role of a company’s culture is more significant than ever before, driven by a new generation of workers that expect diversity on all fronts.
Read moreSustainability is wide-ranging and means different things to different organisations.
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