INSPIRING BETTER OUTCOMES : OUR COMMITMENT TO POSITIVE IMPACT

In today ’ s rapidly evolving world , the concept of environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) factors has moved from the sidelines to the forefront of corporate strategy . Unfortunately , the term has somewhat lost its appeal recently . Contributing to this are lack of clear definitions when it comes to ESG and sustainable investing , and the highprofile greenwashing scandals we ’ ve been reading about in the news . Embracing ESG as a genuine opportunity to create positive impact and drive meaningful change is not a common practice , with many companies using it as a ‘ box-ticking ’ exercise to merely meet minimum compliance requirements . The SimplyBiz purpose is to help finance professionals to shape a better financial future , and we see our ESG strategy , shared across the entire Fintel family , as a catalyst to help us create long-term sustainable value , delivering better outcomes for our customers , the market , our people and the planet . We ’ ve taken a tailored approach to developing our internal ESG strategy , considering our impacts , market trends , strategic direction and , most crucially , the views of our stakeholders , including our Member and Client firms . Reflecting the needs and views of our customers is fundamental in everything we do , which is why in 2021 we conducted our first assessment of impact priorities – in ESG jargon known as a materiality assessment . We will refresh this assessment later in the year , and I ’ d like to use this opportunity to invite you to participate and help us prioritise our efforts in the coming years . We ’ ve been keeping busy since launching our ESG strategy in early 2022 , with achievements such as co-founding the Mortgage Climate Action Group , being recognised as one of the top 20 best financial services companies to work for by Best Companies and becoming finalists of the ‘ ESG Initiative of the Year ’ award at the ICA awards , to name a few . What I really want to focus on , however , is the tangible changes we ’ ve implemented to continue providing high-quality services to you , in a more sustainable way . One significant change we ’ ve made is in the way we package and distribute your favourite The Adviser magazines ( and our other publications ). We ’ ve removed plastic packaging entirely , reducing our environmental footprint and eliminating c . 20kg of plastic waste per year from circulation . This shift towards eco-friendly packaging is part of our broader commitment to sustainability , demonstrating our dedication to reducing plastic pollution and promoting responsible resource consumption , with other highlights including :