Governance

We recognise the value of good corporate governance in every part of the business and, whilst we have adopted the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) Corporate Governance Code, which is appropriate for the size and maturity of our business, we meet the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code where possible and appropriate. The Board takes seriously its responsibility to take account of the interests of key stakeholders in its decision-making.

The Group is committed to the highest levels of integrity and accountability and fosters an environment where employees feel confident and supported by the Group in speaking up and shining a light on unethical behaviour. In 2022, we implemented a new whistleblowing portal which allows colleagues and third parties to raise any concerns about possible financial or other irregularities, anonymously should they wish to.

At Keywords, we do not tolerate any form of modern slavery or human trafficking in any part of our business. Our annual Modern Slavery Statement is published here. We operate to international standards and principles, including the International Bill of Human Rights, the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles. Through our Supplier Code of Conduct, Keywords makes all reasonable endeavours to ensure all employees and suppliers are not subject to any form of forced, compulsory/bonded labour or human trafficking.

Keywords is committed to processing data in accordance with its responsibilities under applicable data protection legislation, and has created the Keywords Privacy Framework, based on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This framework is constantly updated to take into account other applicable privacy regulations. We regard the lawful and correct processing of personal information by the Group as very important to our successful operations and for maintaining confidence between our clients and ourselves.

The Group takes a balanced approach to the management of its tax affairs and has a tax policy which is approved by the Board. Our overall strategy is to meet our tax obligations and ensure that long-term shareholder returns are responsibly optimised by structuring our business and transactions in a tax efficient manner, while taking into account reputational factors. Tax risks are regularly reviewed by the Board and the Audit Committee.