Sustainability at Speeki

Biodiversity is essential to the health of ecosystems, contributing to the balance of air, water, food and climate stability. It encompasses the variety of life on Earth, including ecosystems, species and genetic diversity. As businesses impact ecosystems directly and indirectly, assessing and managing biodiversity-related risks is critical.

At Speeki, we recognise the significance of biodiversity and the need to protect it. While our operations have a minimal direct impact on natural ecosystems, we are committed to considering biodiversity in our supply chain and business decisions. We actively promote sustainable practices, ensuring that our services and partnerships do not contribute to the degradation of biodiversity. By working with suppliers who share our values, we aim to contribute positively to preserving natural habitats and species diversity.

Speeki regards climate change not as a standalone environmental issue but as a global cross-cutting challenge to which we must adapt to remain profitable.
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The physical risks associated with more frequent severe weather events and lasting environmental changes, along with the transition risks posed by the policy and technological changes necessary to achieve a greener economy, are ever-present in our minds.

As a software company and consulting group, we do not have a significant physical footprint and we do not engage in manufacturing. However, considering the climate in everything we do is part of our approach. Given the size and nature of our business, this focus is currently directed towards reducing air travel, using greener hosting solutions where available and minimising our greenhouse gas emissions.

The planet is facing unprecedented, interconnected environmental challenges in areas including climate change, water, energy, biodiversity and agriculture. As businesses rely on natural resources directly and through supply chains, new corporate efforts are needed to address environmental responsibilities, value natural capital and better understand the linkages between these resources.

Speeki is focused on being green. We have significantly reduced air travel, have no company vehicles, operate from shared offices in environmentally aware buildings (usually located above or next to electric public train services) and rarely, if ever, use paper. We are committed to finding ways to further reduce our consumption of natural resources by banning single-use plastics and prohibiting the use of anything that cannot be recycled in our offices.

Waste management refers to collecting, transporting, processing, disposing of, managing and monitoring various waste materials. It is important to observe sustainability in this essential practice to manage waste as efficiently as possible, minimising its negative impacts on the environment, human health and future generations.

Speeki’s sustainable waste management aims to reduce the consumption of natural resources, reuse materials sourced from nature and create as little waste as possible. We do not produce much waste in our business, and our current focus is to increase recycling efforts.

Although the clean energy innovation movement began years ago, following greater awareness of greenhouse gases and their effects, its efforts have recently been bolstered by government incentives and increased attention from the global news media.

At Speeki, we work from environmentally aware buildings. Even though most of our operations are in shared offices or conducted from home, we are committed to using less energy whenever possible.

Pollution, whether in the form of air, water or land contamination, poses significant environmental and health risks. Managing pollution effectively is crucial for maintaining sustainable operations and protecting both ecosystems and human health.

At Speeki, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint. While our operations have a relatively low direct impact, we actively promote pollution control within our supply chain. We prioritise sustainable materials, reduce waste and implement energy-efficient practices to support a cleaner environment.

Human capital management (HCM) is the set of practices an organisation uses for recruiting, managing, developing and optimising employees to increase their value to the company. While human resource management (HRM) primarily focuses on core administrative HR functions, such as maintaining employee records and administering benefits, HCM is broader and encompasses HRM functions as well as strategic functions, including analytics and performance management. Effective HCM facilitates the organisation’s hiring of the right talent, ensures that all needed skill sets are present in the workforce, manages employees effectively and increases productivity.

At Speeki, we are still a small group, so our HCM initiatives are focused on ‘doing the right thing’. As we grow and expand, we will concentrate on scaling that process to create a great work environment for everyone.

Just as general society’s awareness of the importance that diversity and inclusion play in the world’s development intensifies, so does the business case for organisations to include a diversity, equity and inclusion policy in their management system.

Our diversity at Speeki will allow us to outperform our industry peers. Our focus is to have diversity in thought, styles and activities as well as diversity in language, culture, race and gender. Our business is more than 65% women of Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian descent.

Our team originates from Australia, South Korea, the United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, the United Kingdom and France, and we are always looking for more diversity.

A value chain is a business model that describes the full range of activities needed to create a product or service. For companies like Speeki that provide services, the value chain encompasses the steps involved in bringing a product from conception to sale, including development, marketing, sales and support. It also includes supply chain and partner management.

Speeki has conducted a value chain analysis by evaluating the detailed procedures involved in each step of our business. This area presents a low ESG risk, as most services we procure are development resources and technology support.

Speeki looks beyond our own business and seeks to be an active stakeholder in society over the long term. In addition to charitable giving, we are strong supporters of ESG and the impact it can have, and we will continue to raise awareness of the ESG cause. This is our way of making the corporate world more responsible.

We are interested in supporting the markets we operate in by providing services and our platform on a no-cost or low-cost basis for charities and groups focused on helping communities.

Respecting and supporting human rights remains one of the most challenging areas of corporate sustainability. Speeki has communicated our zero tolerance for any form of modern-day slavery, forced labour or human trafficking in any part of our business or supply chain. Our assessment indicates that this is a very low risk for Speeki; however, we continue to monitor the situation because it is crucial.

Speeki uses its own tools to manage aspects of these risks through the Speeki Platform.

Data privacy refers to the protection of personal information and the rights of individuals to control how their data is collected, used and shared. It is crucial to ensure that sensitive data is handled with respect and in accordance with legal and regulatory frameworks. At Speeki, we take data privacy seriously and are fully committed to complying with data protection laws, such as the GDPR. As privacy regulations evolve, we continuously adapt our practices to ensure we meet these standards. We provide flexible tools for our clients to manage their data privacy requirements, including solutions that allow clients to host data in multiple locations while keeping it within Europe, ensuring compliance with local privacy laws.

Information security is about protecting data from unauthorised access, corruption or loss. This includes the physical, technical and administrative safeguards that are put in place to prevent security breaches and ensure the integrity and confidentiality of data.

At Speeki, information security is a critical priority. We are ISO 27001 certified, demonstrating our commitment to securing both client and company data. Our security measures include strict protocols for data protection, ensuring that customer information remains secure and can be restored quickly if necessary. We continuously assess and tighten our security measures to stay ahead of emerging threats, ensuring that our clients' data is safeguarded against compromise.

Health and safety are critical to any organisation, especially when it comes to employee wellbeing. A workforce’s physical and mental health directly affects productivity, morale and overall success. Ensuring a safe and supportive environment is essential for any business.

Speeki is a small team that operates from home or the office. Our risk assessment indicates that mental health is likely our most significant risk, and we are focused on protecting our people, workplace productivity and morale. We achieve this through open engagement, dialogue, support and respect for individuals and their mental health needs.

Corporate governance is important because it establishes a system of rules and practices that determine how a company operates and aligns the interests of all its stakeholders. Good corporate governance fosters ethical business practices, which in turn contributes to financial viability. The basic principles of corporate governance are accountability, transparency, fairness and responsibility.

We are improving governance more generally through better controls, systems, signature authorities and other measures, but our governance model is still young and will evolve as the company grows.

Speeki uses its own tools to manage aspects of corporate governance through the Speeki Platform.

The framework we use is ISO 37000.

The definition of compliance is ‘the action of complying with a command’ or ‘the state of meeting rules or standards’. In the corporate world, it’s defined as the process of making sure your company and employees follow all laws, regulations, standards and ethical practices that apply to your organisation and industry.

Corporate compliance covers internal policies and procedures as well as national and local laws. Enforcing compliance helps your company prevent and detect violations of rules, protecting your organisation from fines and lawsuits.

The compliance process at Speeki is ongoing and continually improving. Its purpose is to grow and protect our business by helping us avoid waste, fraud, abuse, discrimination and other practices that disrupt operations and put our company at risk.

Our corporate compliance programme is integrated with all compliance efforts company-wide, from managing external regulations and internal policies to comprehensive employee training. By ensuring that all departments and staff work together to maintain standards, we mitigate the risk of major failures and violations.

Speeki uses its own tools to manage compliance aspects through the Speeki Platform.

The framework we use is ISO 37301.

Corruption impacts every aspect of society. Its effects are not always immediately obvious, but if left untreated it will inevitably erode trust in systems and institutions. Corruption is a malign force that perpetuates poverty, sows insecurity and robs the world’s most vulnerable people of desperately needed public services. Given our business, corruption poses a very low risk at Speeki.

We do not engage with government officials, are not highly regulated, and never deal in cash or cash equivalents. We do not currently sell products to government departments.

Additionally, we do not give expensive gifts, engage in lavish entertainment or pay for travel for customers. Our charitable donations are limited to large, well-known entities and are never associated with clients.

The framework we use is ISO 37001.

Speeki understands its risks and manages them proactively. We focus on minimising the potential negative consequences of risks while maximising positive outcomes. Our risk management practices make jobs safer, enhance project success, reduce unexpected events and result in significant financial benefits.

We conduct an annual risk assessment of our business, which is documented at both board and management levels. We use our own tools to manage the collection of risks annually through Speeki Survey.

The framework we use is ISO 31000.

Ethics are principles that guide behaviour, while integrity suggests that we should carry out ethical principles in our daily lives and activities rather than espousing one ideal and then doing something contradictory. A person of integrity will demonstrate good character by being free of corruption and hypocrisy. Integrity is revealed when people act virtuously regardless of circumstances or consequences. This often requires moral courage. Integrity is the critical connection between ethics and moral action.

Integrity in the workplace is paramount at Speeki. We encourage all our leaders to lead with integrity and understand that their actions, words and decisions shape the company’s values, culture and morale. Honesty and integrity at Speeki establish trust among stakeholders, strengthening the organisation’s credibility. As we strive to retain customers and employees, our credibility serves as the driving force influencing their decision to stay.

Speeki takes whistleblowing seriously as it is central to our core business. We use our own tools as part of our reporting system so whistleblowers and others who raise concerns understand that there will be no retaliation.

Our programme is based on the ISO 37002 framework, and we adopt those guidelines as part of our approach to managing whistleblowing.

Sustainability governance refers to the systems, policies and practices that an organisation establishes to oversee and drive its sustainability initiatives. It ensures that sustainability is integrated into the decision-making process at every level – from the boardroom to day-to-day operations – and aligns with long-term business goals.

At Speeki, not only do we help our clients understand the importance of strong sustainability governance, but we are also committed to embedding sustainability into our own operations and decision-making processes. With clear policies and a dedicated team, our approach ensures accountability, transparency and measurable progress towards our sustainability goals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn. As AI continues to evolve, it presents both significant opportunities and risks for organisations, particularly in areas like data processing, decision-making and automation.

At Speeki, we recognise the transformative potential of AI and its impact on sustainability and ESG efforts. We are committed to ensuring that AI is used responsibly and ethically in our own operations and when helping our clients integrate it into their business practices. Our approach to the use of AI focuses on transparency, fairness and accountability, ensuring that it aligns with ethical standards and contributes positively to long-term sustainability goals.