Chairman's statement
We need to go further
A message from Sir David Arculus, Chairman O2 plc
O2 operates in one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy. In a relatively short time the mobile phone has become a mass consumer product, seen by most people as an indispensable part of life, at home and work, and a force for good in society. With innovative new products and socially useful services emerging all the time we are confident this will remain the case.
Since becoming Chairman I have been impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of O2 people, evidenced by the building of a successful business, and ensuring that mobile is a force for good. Whether it is delivering a fun ringtone or an important message from a relative, whether it is sending a vital piece of information to a police officer on the street or enabling a donation to a charity, or whether it is simply letting people talk to each other, O2 is focusing on enriching people's lives and contributing to safer communities.
Of course, we start from an ambition to provide great experiences, good products and excellent service to all our 24 million customers in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Isle of Man. We are also determined to ensure that in every way we touch people's lives it is for the better, and adverse impacts are minimised. We have clear strategic objectives:
- to make our employees proud to be working for O2 - whilst observing highest levels of ethical business conduct;
- to achieve continuous and measurable improvements in our operations in all areas that affect our customers, the physical environment and society;
- to be proactive in developing exciting mobile services that contribute to wellbeing and safety in society.
As Chairman my role is to lead and inspire from the top. I have set out to make clear that whilst we want to create value for our shareholders, we also have a duty to contribute to wellbeing and safety in the community. Indeed I do not believe we can do one without the other. I know we will have succeeded when 100 per cent of our employees are proud to work for O2, live to the highest levels of integrity, and pursue the most responsible business practices. This report shows that we have made great progress in this regard, and also sets out some of the ways in which O2 takes its responsibilities seriously.
We believe we have successfully embedded the social and environmental significance of what we do throughout our business. We believe we have put in place the structures and processes to ensure that the strategic framework adopted by the O2 Board is being delivered through every business decision we make. Backed up by risk management, internal audit, remuneration based on meeting targets, and external auditing of this report, we have succeeded in remaining the highest scoring mobile operator in some of the key indices. O2 was also awarded best Corporate Responsibility Programme of the Year in the European Strategic Risk Management Awards.
We are trying to meet our social obligations in a number of ways. Most notably the work we have done to make sure that mobiles are safer for children to use, with information leaflets, texting clinics and technology to prevent access to inappropriate contact and content.
We have made efforts and investments to ensure that the best possible knowledge about the health effects of mobile is available to all our customers. We have recently committed a further half a million pounds of funding for independent research, and we continue to work towards ensuring that our masts are sited sensitively through public meetings, consultation, and a dedicated helpline.
Our efforts to reduce our environmental impact are bearing fruit. We have reached our highest level of electricity from renewable sources, whilst 48 per cent of our office waste has been recycled. We were the first mobile operator to achieve accreditation to the environmental management standard ISO 14001 across all our operations.
Over 80 per cent of our employees say they are proud to work for O2. In Ireland we have been recognised as the Best Company to Work For with more than 1,000 Employees, and are in the top 5 best workplaces in Europe.
We have completed the roll-out of the UK's first national police communications service which is already helping to build safer communities by delivering communications where and when it is most needed.
Beneath the headlines lies a detailed attention to the particular impact we can make on individuals. Of course there is more to do. We met most of our corporate responsibility objectives this year, and we have set additional and more demanding goals for 2005/06. We will continue to measure and monitor our impact on the physical environment and on society. We strive towards excellence.
Sir David Arculus, Chairman, O2 plc
24 June 2005
