Sedex, Appointment of Chief Executive Officer. Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

Transcription

1 Appointment of Chief Executive Officer August 2018

2 Contents 1. Introduction from the Chair, Steven Esom 2. About Sedex 3. The Role 4. Person Specification 5. Terms of Appointment 6. How to Apply Sedex is a global membership organisation dedicated to driving improvements in ethical and responsible business practices across global supply chains.

3 Introduction from Steven Esom, Chair Dear Candidate Thank you for your interest in the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) here at Sedex. Over the past 15 years, Sedex has been at the forefront of enabling a truly global membership of leading manufacturers, retailers, banking and services to create and maintain sustainable and responsible supply chains. Our mission has remained constant - to allow responsible sourcing data to be exchanged efficiently and effectively, enabling members to make decisions that have positive impact. We also have an important role in convening stakeholders from many different sectors to collaborate and share our mission. As the CEO, you will be joining us at an exciting and pivotal stage in our development with the reputation and resources to have a global impact. You will be responsible for leading Sedex in a rapidly developing sector - evolving our vision and capabilities to meet the needs of our members and embracing the challenge to keeping Sedex front and centre of our industry. If you have the vision, values, ambition and skills to help lead the ongoing success and development of Sedex, then please do contact us. Sincerely, Steven Esom

4 About Sedex Sedex Information Exchange (Sedex) is a global member-owned organisation dedicated to driving improvements in ethical and responsible business practices across global supply chains. As one of the world s leading organisations for helping companies manage responsible sourcing, we operate a collaborative online platform that allows our members to collect and share responsible sourcing data and identify risks in their supply chain. Our collaborative approach helps buyers and suppliers to share and exchange data, helping to better manage their social and environmental performance and implement measures to protect people, the environment and their business. We pride ourselves on being community-led, and our tools and services are used by nearly 50,000 members in over 150 countries. We work across 35 industry sectors, including food, agriculture, clothing and apparel, packaging, chemicals and construction. Sedex is also home to SMETA, one of the most widely used social audit methodologies in the world. Our four pillars of labour, health & safety, environment and business ethics guide our goal to protect human rights and enhance environmental sustainability. We aim to unravel the complexity of supply chains and responsible sourcing, to drive transparency throughout global business, and empower responsible supply chains. This drives our purpose - to make it simpler to do business that s good for everyone. Collaboration is the centre of all our work Sedex is unique in that it is a community-led organisation with members driving the conversation for the future needs of the industry. We work in partnership with many of the world s most recognisable brands and thousands of factories, producers and industry experts. Working with the right standards, information and technologies, we believe that business can shape the future of global trade to have an increasingly positive impact worldwide.

5 Where we work Put simply, our purpose is to make it simpler for our members to do business that s good for everyone. Our members form a global community of leaders who believe in ethical and responsible business practices. Our membership is truly global, spanning a broad range of sectors:

6 Sedex Tools and Services We help members bring together many kinds of data, methodologies and certifications about their supply chain. This shared information is uploaded onto our platform, creating transparency about issues affecting the supply chain. Companies can run reports to make better-informed business decisions, driving sustainability and continuous improvement across their supply chain at an international level. Working across four pillars, we support our members to improve workers rights, environmental sustainability, health and safety and business ethics (such as anti-bribery and corruption) throughout each tier of their supply chain. Sedex provides tools that enable our members to easily gain visibility and report on their supply chain, manage risk and proactively tackle responsible sourcing issues. Our tools are based on our cycle of continuous improvement, which provides members with guidance for becoming a responsible business and continually make improvements. Sedex Advance is our online data exchange platform enabling buyers, suppliers and auditors to store, share and report on supply chain information. Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is a set of questions that enables suppliers to complete a self-assessment of their sites. A supplier will complete the questions with information about their company policies, safety standards, working conditions, and environmental, energy and waste management. The SAQ is industry specific, and only needs to be completed once. This means that a supplier can then share one questionnaire with multiple customers, reducing duplication. Risk Assessment Tool and Forced Labour Indicator Report provide companies with a risk score of the likelihood of risks in the supply chain and evaluate suppliers. SMETA is an ethical auditing methodology. It provides best practice guidance and ethical audit techniques, to help auditors conduct high quality audits for responsible business practice. SMETA provides a common audit report format and corrective action plan. SMETA is based on the Ethical Trade Initiative base code and local laws in the country an audit is conducted. Sedex e-learning is an interactive online platform that gives members access to a wide range of sustainability resources and training modules. It provides flexible and easy to use educational tools and resources in one central location. This will help companies prepare for a site audit and understand their customers needs. Sedex e- Learning was launched in 2018 to replace the Knowledge Hub.

7 Data Monitor provides bespoke reporting, allowing members to produce and export graphs, charts and reports about supply chain performance. In 2018, we will be launching new tools, including the Sedex Member Directory, the Worker Wellbeing Assessment and the Offline Audit Tool for auditors. Sedex Services provide members with support using our tools, connecting with suppliers and identifying areas of improvement to be a responsible and ethical business. Services include expert information, supplier engagement, ethical trade advisors, training, leading industry events and account management. The Sedex Stakeholder Forum As part of leading a collaborative community, we convene the Sedex Stakeholder Forum (SSF), which brings together leaders from across the ethical trade and responsible sourcing industry to tackle the challenges they face and solve issues collaboratively. The SSF is a successful group that enables brands, auditors and stakeholders to have a voice, and work together on root causes and industry-wide challenges. The SSF is a unique forum where various stakeholders convene to collaboratively push the boundaries of good practice in continuous improvement approaches. The group has input in the ongoing development of our auditing methodology, SMETA and other Sedex tools. The SSF is made up of working groups, which include brands and retailers, NGOs, industry experts/associations and monitoring firms, that are significantly involved in ethical trade auditing. It is currently active in the UK, China and Latin America. Governance We aim to unravel the complexity of supply chains and responsible sourcing. This drives our purpose to make it simpler to do business that s good for everyone. Corporate governance is how Sedex is directed and controlled to help fulfil that mission. Sedex is incorporated in the UK as a Company Limited by Guarantee. As a membership association Sedex operates for the mutual benefit of all its members. We offer three membership types for buyers, buyer/suppliers and supplier organisations. Certain auditor group companies are also eligible to have an account with Sedex. Sedex Team Sedex is made up of a dynamic group of individuals with a passion for responsible sourcing and commitment to delivering service excellence. Our employees are strong team players, who are quality driven and bring energy, ideas and pride to their work. As part of our culture, we strive to create an environment where smart, collaborative, responsible and motivated people succeed. Sedex is headquartered in London, UK, with a regional office in China, Latin America and Australia employing c.100 staff.

8 Board of Directors The Sedex Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of Sedex - they set the organisation s strategic aims, providing the leadership to put them into effect, supervising the management of the business and reporting to Sedex s members on the Board s stewardship. In line with the Sedex Articles of Association the Sedex Board of Directors comprises up to fifteen Directors. These include nine elected Member Directors who together bring a wealth of experience on responsible sourcing, four independent Non-Executive Directors who bring additional expertise, and one Executive Director (the Sedex CEO). The nine elected Member Directors are drawn from each of the three membership groups and are elected by Sedex members at the Annual General Meeting. The Member Directors are responsible for appointing up to four Independent Non-Executive Directors (one of who is the Chair of the Board) and the CEO. See the current members of the Sedex Board on the Sedex team page HERE. For more information please visit our website

9 The Role Following the departure of our former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) earlier this year, the Sedex Board is seeking to appoint a new CEO, who will be responsible for the development and implementation of a new organisational strategy and vision. The CEO will work in partnership with the board and executive leadership team to define the organisation s strategic direction. The CEO will be responsible for leading the execution of our strategy globally, ensuring that Sedex identifies and is responsive to the changing needs of its members whilst maintaining the financial stability of the company. The CEO will be ultimately responsible for all day-to-day management decisions and for implementing the company s long and short-term plans: she/he will act as a direct liaison to the Board and communicates on the Company s behalf to members, employees, partners and other stakeholders. Key responsibilities include: Vision and Strategy Lead, in conjunction with the Board, the development of Sedex s strategic and commercial direction to ensure its sustainable future Meet the individual needs of members, whilst ensuring the organisation does the greatest good for the greatest number of members Developing an industry wide collaborative approach with members, NGOs, charities, and customers. Being the face and conscience of Sedex, to ensure that the business can operate openly and with a clear mandate Propose and develop, with the Sedex Board, third party strategic engagements, commercial alignment with joint ventures and acquisition approaches Maintain awareness of the operating environment including global legislative developments, social labour, environment, health and safety and ethical markets and technology trends likely to affect demand and opportunities for service development.

10 Working with the Board Ensure a close working relationship exists with the Chairman and Board, supporting the promotion of excellence in governance thereby generating a feeling of ownership amongst board members Produce strategic goals, objectives and corporate KPIs for Board approval Provide strategic advice and guidance to the Board, keeping them aware of all developments relevant to Sedex within a global context Prepare an annual business plan and monitor progress against this plan to ensure that the company achieves its targets as cost effectively and efficiently as possible Ensure the preparation of the annual report and accounts of the Company and their approval by the Board. Management Build a positive internal culture across the global organisation Overseeing all operations and business activities to ensure they produce the desired results and are consistent with the overall strategy and mission Ensure with the CFO/COO a critical eye is maintained on financial stability, and solutions or improvements are regularly devised and maintained Prepare, gain acceptance for, and monitor the implementation of the annual budget to ensure targets are met, that revenue flows are maximised and that costs are controlled Agree Executive pay with the Sedex Remuneration Committee Promote leadership and direction within the Executive Management Team to ensure that the organisation promotes excellent employee relations, and fulfils its legal and moral obligations as an employer Ensure the recruitment and retention of well motivated, trained and developed staff Translate organisational objectives into team and individual work plans with clear and realistic targets Operate the risk management framework with the member directors at Sedex to mitigate risk.

11 Relationships and Communication Promote and protect the aims, principles, policies, interests and reputation of Sedex globally and ensure that the organisation has a high profile at all times Act as the outward face of Sedex within the Membership to influence and shape relevant policy and debate Build trust relations with key partners and stakeholders and act as a point of contact for important shareholders Ensure Sedex is appropriately aligned with global key decision makers and other stakeholders, to exchange information and views, to influence policy and thought leadership where appropriate, and to ensure that the Company is providing the appropriate range and quality of services Be the outward face of Sedex within the Membership to influence and shape relevant policy and debate.

12 Person Specification The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader who will bring a renewed ambition and drive in the organisation. The Candidate will be an experienced executive leader who brings strong commercial acumen in combination with a strong heart for Sedex s work, and an absolute conviction about its role to collaboratively drive improvements in ethical and responsible business practices across global supply chains. Working in the context of a complex, global, external environment, it will be important that the Chief Executive brings a global mindset and is primed to the nuances of working with different stakeholders across regions. The successful candidate will be a dynamic, inspiring and resilient leader who is an excellent external ambassador for Sedex, as well as internal influencer that can engage with people at all levels in the organisation. Comfortable with complexity and ambiguity, they will have a track record of successful leadership and facilitation of change in an equivalent environment. A passion for responsible sourcing will be essential, though a technical understanding or previous operational accountability for a global supply chain is not a requirement. It is likely that candidates will have gained executive experience in organisations where the supply chain plays a critical role to the business. The successful candidate will bring: Experience Proven experience at executive-level in an organisation of equivalent scale and complexity Significant senior level experience in the management of people and resources Experience of working in an international organisation, and ideally specific experience in more than one international region An understanding of financial management and wider management principles and techniques Experience developing investment strategies and creating a strong governance engagement with board level contact Familiarity with diverse business functions such as Marketing, IT, Data Science, PR, finance etc Strong understanding of corporate finance and performance management principles and an in-depth knowledge of corporate governance and general management best practices Experience developing and executing advocacy and consulting campaigns with clearly identifiable outcomes, revenue targets, and cost benefit analysis Experience leading and directing staff with a focus on performance and results. Skills and Abilities Well-developed management skills, with the ability to motivate and lead an international team of skilled specialists, creating a positive organisational culture International awareness: an ability to work with other cultures and deliver, and build, business, outside the UK Excellent communication, administration, and organisation skills Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to analyse, collate and summarise complex information Excellent decision-making skills, and the ability to be pragmatic and compromise where appropriate Gravitas and credibility at all levels of the industry including commercial, regulatory and political Media aware and able to deal with press and other enquiries into Sedex s role and activities

13 Proactive and versatile approach to implementing change An entrepreneurial commercial mindset with outstanding organisational and leadership skills, combined with a strong motivation to accomplish Sedex s vision, mission and aims. Personal Attributes A proactive thinker with a dynamic and creative approach to problem solving Socially skilled, with ability to establish rapport and professional relationships, while projecting the professional image of Sedex Possess the political acumen and the ability to operate effectively in a political environment Commitment to working in the best interests of Sedex and its members.

14 Terms of Appointment Sedex, Appointment of Chief Executive Officer The role is based at Sedex s global head office in central London Regular international travel will be required This is a senior appointment in the organisation and appropriate remuneration will be negotiated with the preferred candidate We want our staff to reflect modern society in all its diversity and positively encourage applications from suitable qualified candidates regardless of sex, race, gender and/or disability. How to Apply Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to Sedex on this appointment. Candidates should apply for this role through Saxton Bampflyde s website at using code HABAKA. Click on the apply button and follow the instructions to upload your CV and cover letter. The closing date for applications is noon BST on Thursday 6 September Process Sedex welcomes international candidates for this appointment and will provide the necessary support throughout the process. First round interviews will be completed by Saxton Bampfylde during the weeks of the 13 th and 20 th September. Client interviews with Sedex will be completed early October. Full details will be shared with candidates in advance.