Cadence Innova obtains B Corp verification
Cadence Innova has achieved B Corp status and joins a global network of businesses whose unified goal is to transform the economy into an inclusive, transparent, and sustainable system, confirming the firm’s long-standing dedication to ESG values.
Gita Singham-Willis, founding partner and board lead for ESG strategy at Cadence Innova, said, “We are incredibly proud of our B Corp certification, signifying adherence to top-tier sustainability standards encompassing social and environmental performance with board-level accountability.”
Founded in 2007, Cadence Innova is a consultancy focused on public transformation. Specialising in change consulting, the advisory firm is known for working across public services and road and rail.
The firm is committed to going net zero by 2050, and is a signatory to the SME climate commitment, recognising climate change’s widespread threat. In its work, Cadence Innova is partnering with its suppliers and clients on projects to minimise activity with an environmental impact and define a low-carbon future enabled by digital technology.
At the same time, the organisation fosters a supportive environment where employees can openly communicate and receive assistance. Employee happiness is systematically measured as part of the business plan, providing insights for continual improvement and action at the board level and regular impact assessments inform continuous improvement aligned with the company's ESG strategy and social mission.
“Our culture is built on diversity, collaboration, and inclusion, exemplified by its 60% female, ethnically diverse, and socially varied Board, serving as staff role models. We are a signatory to the Tech Talent Charter, a non-profit organisation addressing inequality in the UK tech sector and industry partner of Durham University’s TechUp Skills Bootcamps empowering minority groups and the underserved. We are currently undergoing assessment to level 1 Disability Confident Commitment ensuring we recruit, adjust, and support our colleagues with disabilities, and we work with charities supporting children in care and vulnerable women to make a broader societal impact,” added Singham-Willis.
B Corp certification assesses the entirety of a business’ operations and currently covers five main impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. During the certification process Cadence Innova needed to obtain 80 points across these categories, but scored 102 as part of its first-time certification. According to a statement from the firm, this “formally verifies Cadence Innova as an organisation that is a force for good and confirms its standards of high social and environmental performance, demonstrating the firm’s purpose to drive positive change for clients, people, communities, and the planet”.
The consulting industry’s B Corp cohort has been steadily growing, alongside consumer expectations for serious ESG commitments from companies they spend money on. Campbell Tickell, Moorhouse and OC&C Strategy Partners also recently passed the strict criteria to gain B Corp status, for example.
However, there is a continuing debate around what being a B Corp actually means. While it is often billed as being a ‘movement’, or an indicator of ethical business practices, some certified B Corps maintain that their status should not depend on which companies – such as big oil firms – they work for. A recent opinion piece from And Rising CEO Jonathan Trimble argued that B Lab “has no inherent duty to review anything beyond a score for certification.”
