Being a responsible business means doing the right things, for the right reasons, in the right way. That’s the Marshalls Way. In a year that has seen so much disruption and change, it’s been really important to us to stay connected to our values as a business.

I’m really proud to say we’ve been signatories to the UN Global Compact since 2009. Part of our commitment is adopting the UNGC’s principles under the pillars of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

According to the World Economic Forum*, corruption has been rife during the global pandemic. At Marshalls, we’ve worked hard to build a culture of trust and this summer, we launched our Code of Conduct – and it applies to our people as much as it does to our suppliers, our partners and our stakeholders.

The Code of Conduct covers different areas of our business that demonstrate our commitment to creating better places for everyone – from paying a Living Wage and respecting human rights, to protecting the environment to create better spaces for everyone. It also covers the way we do business.

Ethical and Sustainable Procurement

We’ll only do business with responsible suppliers and contractors who can demonstrate a clear understanding of their supply chains and a commitment to quickly making things right when they go wrong. We insist on robust monitoring of processes and procedures and, where the rights of others have been breached, swift and meaningful resolutions are delivered.

Anti-Bribery and Corruption

Our Anti-Bribery Code sets out our definition of bribes and the different ways bribes can be evident in business. We have a Serious Concerns Policy which is based on our commitment to creating a working environment where everybody feels able to raise legitimate concerns about any wrong-doing without fear of criticism, discrimination or reprisal.

Safecall

Last year, we launched Safecall in the UK – our independent whistleblowing service which enables any of our people, contractors, suppliers and other stakeholders to raise their concerns. Safecall is in place to enhance a culture of openness and demonstrate that malpractice is taken seriously and dealt with at the highest level. We are now extending the use of Safecall to supplier operations in India, China, Vietnam and Brazil.

* https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/corruption-covid-19-how-to-fight-back

Written By

Shiv Sibal

Shiv Sibal is Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Marshalls plc, the market leading supplier of hard landscaping products. He is an experienced corporate finance lawyer by trade with nearly 20 years’ experience in the legal sector, the last 6 of which have been in industry at FTSE businesses.

Shiv has extensive leadership and legal experience and is helping to transform the legal team’s role is supporting governance and risk management in the business.
 
Before moving into industry, he was a corporate partner with international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson LLP focused on supporting public companies with IPOs, equity fundraisings, mergers and acquisitions, governance and their continuing regulatory obligations. He also spent more than 8 years working for international law firm Pinsent Masons LLP in their corporate team and qualified with international law firm CMS in London.