FEATURE
30
TUNBRIDGE WELLS BUSINESS MAGAZINE JUNE 2024
“B Corp status commits to sustainability and purpose” Following the successful launch of amplifi, a community-led initiative which aims to help raise awareness of sustainability among local businesses, Victoria Usher of GingerMay and Tom Chown of Digitom tell Eileen Leahy about their commitment to the organisation and to being a B Corp accredited business…
O
ver the past few years the B Corp sustainability movement has steadily grown with now over two thousand UK businesses signed up as members. The scheme, which originated in the US, provides certification for companies, both large and small, who meet the ‘high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability’. B Lab UK is the body that approves accreditation here. On its website it states it is a non-profit network that is ‘transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet.’ Here in Tunbridge Wells there are a number of businesses who have already gained B Corp accreditation. They include Yoyo Design and Cripps Law Firm - with Jenny Kitchen from Yoyo and Pete Kenyon from Cripps going one step further by creating amplifi – a communityled initiative which aims to help raise awareness of sustainability among local businesses working in all sectors. Other B Corp businesses in Tunbridge Wells include GingerMay and Digitom. Here we speak to their respective founders Victoria Usher and Tom Chown about their companies and why they are committed to spreading the word about sustainability and social responsibility…
VICTORIA USHER, FOUNDER & CEO GINGERMAY
“
Achieving B Corp certification benefits our business community by fostering proactive collaboration and encouraging higher standards of social and environmental responsibility
”
Since then GingerMay has grown into a globally recognised, multi-award-winning agency specialising in integrated B2B technology and professional services communications. Why and when did you start your business? I previously worked at media and PR agencies that openly discriminated against working mothers and I was forced to return to work three weeks after my daughter’s birth or face dismissal. As a result, in 2010, I founded GingerMay, an independent PR and communications business, which puts people at the heart of the company and where flexibility is embedded into its DNA.
And who are the type of clients you have on your books? We primarily work with clients in the digital and emerging tech sectors across the UK, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the US. However, we believe that supporting cleantech and sustainability-focused solutions is crucial to support the global fight against climate change, so are actively seeking to partner with more businesses in these industries.
What makes you stand out from the crowd? Our unwavering commitment to exceptional client service and the ability to deliver beyond traditional PR support. This is consistently reflected in the satisfaction and recommendation scores from our client surveys and high Net Promoter Score. This year, we went above and beyond supporting clients impacted by war zones, providing a flexible service to navigate challenging economic periods. Our mission to deliver exceptional results for our clients, protect the planet, and give back to our community in equal measure is a unique balance that we have managed to strike. Tell us about your B Corp journey... when and how did it begin - and why? GingerMay was founded on the premise that businesses have a responsibility to positively influence their communities. From the start, we put our team front and centre of the business, giving back to the community, and protecting the planet. Pursuing B Corp certification was a natural progression of these goals. Our B Corp journey, which started in 2022, has allowed us to uphold even higher standards in five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. Why was it important for you to achieve B Corp certification? It was essential as it signifies our commitment to ethical and purposeful business practices, which are increasingly important to our partners and the planet. We are proud that our agency’s ethos is recognised as genuinely sustainable and in line with the B Corp philosophy. It really has been worth the team’s hard work. What kind of difference does it bring to what GingerMay offers? Gaining B Corp status was a significant milestone for GingerMay, reflecting our commitment to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. GingerMay’s impressive score of over 50% higher than the 50 median score of applicants, underscores that we meet these high standards. This certification