Our Responsible Business team
Being a responsible business is embedded in our culture: 71% agree
This statistic is up 5% from previous year. This result shows that our people are increasingly seeing and recognising how responsible business is woven into the fabric of our culture and daily ways of working. We continue to embed and operationalise our responsible business approach, working with colleagues and stakeholders.
Fenella Martin-Redman, Partner
Responsible Business Partner and Chair of the Responsible Business Cornerstone Read more about Fenella
In our first Responsible Business Report, we introduced Responsible Business (RB) as one of our four strategic Cornerstones, alongside People, Client Service, and Chosen Markets. The RB Cornerstone, made up of senior partners and subject matter experts from across the firm, drives our strategy and ensures responsible business is embedded in everything we do. If you'd like to know more about this or our governance, please see last year's Responsible Business Report.
This year, we’ve made strong progress – supporting our ED&I strategy, ‘Everyone Belongs,’ approving our social impact strategy, and advancing our climate goals. We’ve welcomed our first Responsible Business Director and developed policies on volunteering and charitable giving. While we’re not quite ready to publish our climate pledge, we’re actively gathering data and working with Net Zero Now to prepare for a practical pledge.
RB is also integrated into our other Cornerstones, helping to embed responsible business across all areas of strategy. This collaborative approach is key to building a sustainable future.
Nadia Al Yafai
Responsible Business Director
Since joining in December 2024, I’ve been struck by the firm’s commitment to responsible business. Our RB Cornerstone and local RB Groups are passionate about making a difference, and our colleagues are positively engaged in ED&I, environmental initiatives, and community impact.
My initial focus was on listening – understanding what matters to our people and clients. Social impact, diversity, inclusion and climate action are top priorities, and the new strategy we have now launched, ‘Helping Build Sustainable Futures,’ reflects that. Developed through stakeholder engagement and a materiality assessment, it was enthusiastically approved by our Leadership and Management Boards.
We’re now working with all nine UK offices to identify local charity partners. With our new volunteering and charitable giving policies in place, we’re ready to scale our impact. We’ve also evolved from our original four-pillar framework to a more integrated approach, starting with developing social impact KPIs and metrics. These will help us track progress and shape our future direction.
Responsible business, social impact and sustainability is a critical part of Saffery's strategy, and our work to embed and operationalise this with colleagues across the business demonstrates the commitment to making a genuine difference.
Freya Strawson
Responsible Business Coordinator
At the start of this reporting period, I helped deliver our first Responsible Business Report, a milestone I’m incredibly proud of. It reflected our values and the thoughtful approach we’ve taken.
This year, we’ve streamlined our efforts, established local RB Groups with strong governance, and welcomed our new Director. We’re now focused on developing meaningful KPIs and preparing to share our climate pledge.
It’s also been encouraging to see growing client interest in responsible business. The volume of information requests we receive shows that sustainability and social impact are becoming priorities across industries. I’m excited for the next chapter.
Ruth Evered
Director, Sustainability and ESG service line
The last year has been an exciting opportunity to continue to embed responsible business within Saffery and externally, sharing what we’ve learnt with our colleagues, profession, and clients.
A key highlight for me has been the opportunity to share Saffery’s journey through events at the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and across our Nexia network .
I have now moved to a new role within our Sustainability and ESG service line working directly with our clients. I’m proud of how we’ve demonstrated the strategic value of responsible business and look forward to supporting others on their journey.
