The ICAEW Sustainability Award

This award will go to the organisation that can best demonstrate a company-wide commitment and proven business case for sustainability. Judges will look for evidence of how a sustainable approach has improved commercial performance, competitiveness, customer perception, staff engagement, and prospects for continued financial strength. Looking at examples of policies or projects that positively impact on society, the environment and the economy, judges will also look for examples of where the organisation has not only changed behaviour internally but is also helping to change behaviour among customers and suppliers.

Open to all organisations in the public, private and third sector, this Award will go to the company that best demonstrates excellence in the following:

• A sustainable business growth model
• How customers have engaged with sustainability policy or initiatives
• How sustainability has been embedded in company culture
• Impact of sustainability on profitability or financial performance
• Innovation of the sustainability model or its implementation
• Leadership and management of the sustainability policy or initiative
• Impact on attitudes in the wider business community
• How sustainability objectives are measured

While each entry form has been tailored to each category, they have been designed to draw out achievements in seven core areas. Scoring for these core areas are weighted according to the criteria for each category. For each entry in The ICAEW Sustainability Award category, judges will compare the extent to which each candidate has demonstrated excellence in the following core areas:

Core criteria                                       Proportion of overall score

Growth                                              10%

Innovation                                        15%

Engagement – staff                       15%

Engagement – customer              15%

Leadership                                      15%

Ethics                                                15%

Financial performance                  15%

 

All entries for a National Business Award are initially scored by a short-listing panel of up to 3 independent judges, with the highest scoring candidates selected as finalists. In the event of a tie, the chair of judges may contact each candidate for further information to help the short-listing panel determine which makes the final cut. All finalists are then invited to present live to a panel of judges who will determine an overall winner based on the entry form, the presentation and responses to the judges’ questions.

The judging panel selected for The ICAEW Sustainability Award will comprise up to five peers with experience and expertise specifically related to this category. Judging panels typically include a specialist editor or journalist, head of a relevant network or trade association, a senior consultant specialising in this area, someone who invests in or funds enterprises, and a previous winner in this category.

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