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| We made it our priority in 2003/04 to ensure our approach to corporate responsibility was consistent and properly understood at every level within mmO2. |
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"...it is often the things which are hardest to see which make the most difference."
Peter Erskine, Chief Executive Officer, mmO2 plc |
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I am pleased that, while we still have more to do, we have made real progress in achieving this goal.
Often companies are judged by what's most visible. I am tremendously proud of some of our high-profile activities in the last financial year. Simple and effective campaigns – like the award-winning 'Teach UR Mum 2 TXT' with Milly's Fund in the UK, the Schola-21 project in Germany and our continued support for asthma trials using our Xda device – demonstrate how we can bring mobile technology and our skills together in innovative ways to enrich society.
Yet where corporate responsibility is concerned it is often the things that are hardest to see that make the most difference.
Corporate responsibility challenges conventional commercial thinking. It
pushes companies to assess their impact beyond financial performance and to run themselves in a way that benefits society and protects the environment.
Our commercial success depends on how we behave as a company. Companies that win trust by being open and direct in all aspects of their business can build important links with the very people they depend on: their customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, interest groups, local and national governments, regulators and investors.
From the outset we were determined to adopt the ethos of corporate responsibility and create a robust framework for our activities. We set ourselves the target of pursuing best-in-class corporate governance, ensuring that we weigh the social, environmental and ethical impacts of the business in managing risks to the Group.
This is not, perhaps, the most evident aspect of corporate responsibility. Yet it is vital. It enables us to mitigate risks to our reputation and brand, and identify opportunities to differentiate ourselves from our competitors based on genuine dialogue with our stakeholders.
I'd like to highlight one particular area where we have made progress on this.
For the last two years our corporate responsibility programme has been overseen by the mmO2 Corporate Responsibility Advisory Council, under David Varney's leadership. Thanks to our progress, we decided the time was right to transfer its work to the Company's Executive Committee and to the individual business units. This is the clearest signal we can give of our determination to integrate and embed corporate responsibility into the
very bones of the business.
This move should help the individual operating businesses to define goals that meet local expectations, meet customer needs and translate them into appropriate action in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
I am confident that this and other initiatives will help to promote an awareness of our responsibility agenda across the Group. We know from research among employees this year that this is their preferred path and I am determined we will continue to take it.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the 2002 GRI Guidelines. It represents a balanced and reasonable presentation of our organisation's economic, environmental and social performance. The report includes specific country supplements to give greater insight into our operations in different markets. We aim to improve our reporting continually and welcome your feedback, ideas and comments. Our contact details can be found on the back cover of this report, which I hope you enjoy reading.
Peter Erskine,
Chief Executive Officer mmO2 plc
30 June 2004
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| MEASURING OUR PERFORMANCE |
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| We try to measure our performance in realistic and detailed ways. Are there things you would like to know more about? > |
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| Are we doing enough to make sure our suppliers behave ethically? |
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| The amount we contributed to charitable causes in 2003/04 in direct funding and in-kind donations. |
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