BT 2016 Annual Report Download - page 120

BT Group plc
Annual Report 2016
126
Committee for Sustainable
and Responsible Business
Chairman’s report
Who we are
I chair the Committee for Sustainable and Responsible Business
(CSRB)
. Our membership and meeting attendance are set out below.
Committee members
Meetings
Member Eligible to attend Attended
Sir Michael Rake (chairman) 2 1
Tony Chanmugam 2 2
Niall Dunnea2 2
Phil Hodkinsonb,c 2 2
Baroness Margaret Jayb2 1
Gavin Neathb2 2
Gavin Patterson 2 2
Gunhild Stordalenb,d 1 0
Jasmine Whitbread 2 2
Alison Wilcoxa,e 2 1
a BT employee.
b Independent member.
c Phil chaired the CSRB at its meeting in July 2015.
d Gunhild was appointed to the committee from 1 January 2016.
e Alison replaced Clare Chapman with eect from 1 July 2015.
I am pleased to welcome Gunhild and Alison to the
CSRB , and
am delighted that Phil will be staying on as an independent
member of the
CSRB after he stepped down from the BT Group plc
Board in January 2016.
What we have done
BT’s purpose is embedded in the heart of our business; in fact,
it guides everything we do. We have brought our purpose to
life by integrating our existing programmes into a Purposeful
Business approach which has helped to maximise the social and
environmental value we deliver for our customers, and for society as
a whole. The CSRB meets twice a year to provide strategic direction
on our purpose and create a lasting positive impact on society and
the environment, whilst ensuring long term business success.
The chart below shows how we allocated our time.
Each year, we approve our investment in society. We approved a
minimum investment of 1% of adjusted profit before taxation for
2016/17, which is consistent with our investment in prior years.
In addition to this, and in accordance with BT’s updated articles
of association agreed at the Annual General Meeting in July 2015,
we agreed that the proceeds from the sale of BT Group plc shares
held by shareholders we cannot trace will form a CSRB Investment
Fund. We have chosen to invest the fund in initiatives which will
generate significant returns for good causes.
In 2015/16, we made an investment in society and the
environment of £35m. This was made up of a mixture of cash,
time volunteered by BT people and in-kind contributions.
Supporting charities and communities
This year, we visited the BT Sport studio, where we met with our
partners to discuss grassroots sport, accessibility, inclusion and
how we are driving social change through sport. It was fantastic
to see the results of the BT Supporters Club partnership with
the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, which gives opportunities
and support to improve the lives of young people in our local
communities.
We’re also making good progress on our 2020 ambitions.
We helped 2.6m people to overcome social disadvantage through
our services in 2015/16. As part of our commitment to help build
a culture of tech literacy, we’ve already reached 340,000 kids
this year. Our ambition is to reach 5m kids by 2020.
To see more detail on our 2020 ambitions and our progress so
far, please see BT’s Delivering Our Purpose Report 2015/16.
Volunteering
The success of many of our Purposeful Business programmes is
enabled by our people. We encourage BT volunteers to get involved
in local communities, and provide a wide range of volunteering
opportunities. We also oer up to three days a year for our people
to participate in volunteering activities.
In 2015/16, over 27% of BT people volunteered almost 45,000
days, worth over £15m to those communities. Find out more
information about volunteering on page 34.
Sir Michael Rake, Chairman of the Committee for Sustainable
and Responsible Business
4 May 2016
“BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications
to make a better world. We put our purpose at the
heart of everything we do. It inspires our people,
our customers and our partners to make a lasting,
positive impact on society and the environment.”
“23%
11%
25%
Strategy and governance
Supporting charities and
communities
Engagement
12%
Delivering
environmental benefits
12%
Creating a connected society
Allocation of time
17%
Volunteering