Scott Logic has become a certified B Corp 🥳 So I wanted to share why that’s important for our business and what it means to me personally as someone who has been in the organisation for a long time.

Becoming more intentional about the why

Scott Logic’s technology consultants collaborate with some of the world’s biggest enterprises, engineering bespoke digital solutions and driving a pragmatic approach to software development. We have a long track record of being the trusted partner for organisations wanting to tackle large, complex software challenges.

That’s what we do, but why? Well, we believe Scott Logic exists to create opportunity and sustainable prosperity through technical innovation. Could anyone have articulated that ‘why’ to me when I joined the business fresh out of university in 2006? Probably not. But, with hindsight, my lived experience here says it has been true all that time.

I was attracted to join the company because it was an opportunity to do the kind of work that was only really available in London at the time (and I specifically didn’t want to move to London!). It was also an opportunity to do so alongside super-capable and, more generally, “good” people. Since then, we’ve matured from just being a bunch of good people, to intentionally shaping our business’s behaviours and actions towards creating benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

And now, being certified as a B Corporation, feels like external validation of our purpose. It’s a significant point on our never-ending journey to be a force for good.

Value creation for the many rather than value extraction by the few

When I first joined Scott Logic, the business was in its early days and (rightly!) focused on just being. But I got to see first-hand what a business managed sustainably from day one looks like; a business that wants to exist and prosper for the long term, rather than being entirely focused on short-term shareholder returns. That is why we survived our clientbase being upended in the 2008 financial crash. That is what has seen the business and the people who work here grow and blossom. That is why we can confidently stand behind our People Promise.

My own career has undoubtedly prospered because of the endless opportunity working here has given me. I’ve been able to contribute to some of the world’s most complex and demanding organisations with confidence because of the incredible capability and backing of all those around me. I was given the space and support to move laterally from coding to design (which didn’t exist in Scott Logic at the time) driven by personal interest, before then being challenged to establish, grow and lead design as a formal new service offering. I was offered the role to combine my design and deep tech experience to push at the boundaries of what is possible both with clients and in Scott Logic as Innovation Director. And that’s just my easy personal headlines!

Shortly after becoming Innovation Director, I had the privilege of witnessing how Gary Scott, our founder/owner, turned financial echoes of the events that had so negatively impacted us ten years earlier into positive impact beyond the boundaries of our organisation over the coming years. Altitude Foundation was born, focused on creating a world where all young people with a passion for technology are enabled to smash barriers in order to achieve a successful career. Two new scholarship programmes at Durham University were launched, designed to support students from under-privileged backgrounds to study Computer Science and Mathematical Sciences.

At this point, Scott Logic was of a size where we were relying on the “good” actions and behaviours of our owner and fantastic individuals in the business; we weren’t yet coordinating these actions to achieve the impact I believed we could and should have. I wanted to embed our social consideration and impact systemically across the business. And, Gary handed me the platform to do just that when he asked me to become a statutory director of the business.

Our annual sustainability assessment by EcoVadis has verified much of the progress we have made, currently putting us in the top 8% of assessed organisations in our industry. We’ve ranked in the top 30 Most Loved Workplace list for two years running. We’ve set out a solid, validated net zero target, and are sharing our progress towards it publicly, warts and all. And those are just some of the easy public headlines to point at.

Along this way, and as we continue to improve and evolve into the future, B Corp has been and will continue to be a guiding light.

Why B Corp

B Corp is a movement built on the simple fact that business should serve more than just shareholders — it has an equal responsibility to people and the planet. The “B” stands for “Benefit for all.” The movement is supported by B Lab, a global network creating standards, policies, and tools for business. B Corp certification means a company has passed a rigorous assessment by B Lab, proving that they meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

B Corps believe:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world.

• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.

• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.

• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

When I first stumbled across the B Corp movement, it hit me that this was a wonderful articulation of what I believe Scott Logic and its leadership are about. Regardless of certification, here were words, tools and expertise that would help accelerate us in the direction we are already going.

By formally joining the B Corp community, we openly stand alongside over 7,000 other businesses in 93 countries, covering 161 industries and 640,000 employees, in being a force for good and influencing wider change. We want to be part of an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy for all people and our shared planet.

Where next

I’m proud to be part of a leadership team that is taking the business to new levels, while maintaining true to who we have always been. We are continuing to sustainably and profitably grow the business, and, thereby, the force for good that we are. Our behaviours and actions are having ever more impact, on more stakeholders. We are creating ever more opportunity and sustainable prosperity through technical innovation. And, B Corp is helping us chart our course.