Anti Modern Slavery Statement
This statement is made on behalf of Equisoft Ltd. (‘Equisoft’) pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the ‘Act’) and constitutes our group’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31st December 2022. Note that Altus Consulting is a trading name of Equisoft and is therefore included within the scope of this statement.
The management of Equisoft understands and deeply values its responsibility to respect human rights in its operations and supply chains, and this includes taking all necessary steps to assess and address modern slavery risks.
Our business and structure
Altus Consulting is a trading name of Equisoft Limited and registered at Companies House, with board directors located in both the UK and Canada.
Equisoft provide management consultancy and software products for the financial services industry, predominantly in the UK.
Purpose and voice
As an organisation we wish to safeguard our employees, society and the environment, and wholeheartedly endorse the legislation as a crucially important development in tackling slavery and human trafficking and we will not trade or partner with any business or organisation which is involved in this practice however remotely or indirectly.
Our supply chains
Our supply chains include IT services, employment agencies, hospitality and venue suppliers, training providers and consultants, and office supplies. We have reviewed the risks that these supply chains can present and whilst we consider our exposure to modern slavery to be limited, we expect our suppliers and contractors to demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach to exploitation.
To this end, all new contracts, and those renewing, must include a clause requiring the supplier, and their subcontractors, to comply with the Act and include Equisoft’s right to terminate in the instance of any breach of this obligation.
Taking action
As part of our procurement process, we monitor all large suppliers and contractors to confirm their compliance with the Act. This financial year, we will again contact all suppliers where our spend is in excess of £10,000 to raise awareness and seek assurance of compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Our people
We have promoted to all our employees that modern slavery is a global problem that affects us all. We have shared examples of how individuals can unwittingly be part of the cycle. We have highlighted that everyone has a vital role to play in tackling the issue.
We have adapted and re-promoted our existing corporate policies to incorporate modern slavery and human trafficking issues, including our whistleblowing policy which allows employees to report any concerns confidentially.
All staff across the entire organisation are required to complete a specific training course every year (or for new hires, within one month of joining and every year thereafter) to ensure their awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking so that they are able to understand, identify and report any risks or breaches. This training course is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is up to date and incorporates any legislative amendments. The most recent all-staff training took place in this financial year.
Signed by Kevin Okell, Equisoft Chairman and Board Member.
July 2022