Q&A with Carmel Halpin, Corporate Citizenship, Accenture
We are delighted to kick off our new Q&A Series with the recipients of the Business Working Responsibly Mark with Carmel Halpin, Corporate Citizenship at Accenture.
1. Why did you decide to sign up for the Business Working Responsibly Mark?
Corporate Citizenship is so important to us in Accenture. We already invest a huge amount in community affairs through cash giving, pro bono consulting and volunteering. We are doing so much in this space that we knew we would be, at least, a good candidate for obtaining the Mark. We were also really keen to benchmark what we do in this area against other companies in Ireland. One of the biggest reasons for signing up was to allow us to conduct a thorough gap analysis across our entire business, not just our Corporate Citizenship activities.
2. What are the benefits to Accenture ?
Participating in the BWR Mark process has allowed Accenture to demonstrate our leadership in this area. It was great to get the external endorsement or our entire business operations from the NSAI following the detailed audit of our submission. Obtaining the Mark has allowed us to promote our Corporate Responsibility practices to all stakeholders and has resulted in positive profiling opportunities and media exposure. Above all, it has given us a useful gap analysis report to help us identify areas for improvement across our entire business.
3. What competitive advantage does it give, in Accenture’s view?
Accenture is currently one of only 8 companies in Ireland who have been awarded the Mark so it has been hugely beneficial to us in terms of differentiating ourselves from our competitors and adding value to tender submissions. It’s a real stamp of approval for what we do in Corporate Citizenship as well as how we run our entire business.
If you are interested to find out more about the Business Working Responsibly Mark please get in touch with Elise McCarthy, CR Advisor emccarthy@bitc.ie
Click here to visit the news section of our website and learn more about CSR in Ireland
