Corporate Social Responsibility 2009 - 1st Directory

---

Asia-Pacific CHP Consulting Australia Level 8, Challis House 4 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

Corporate Social Responsibility 2009

Europe CHP Consulting Limited 20 Gresham Street London EC2V 7JE

North America CHP Consulting Inc 31 Milk St Suite 510 Boston MA 02109

www.chpconsulting.com

www.chpconsulting.com

01 CSR at CHP Consulting

“” CHP’s approach to Corporate and Social Responsibility recognises that, as a leading corporate organisation, we can make a real difference by acting responsibly and ethically.

In 2009, our CSR initiatives have focused on four key strategic areas: energy, community, giving, and staff. Benefiting from an agenda which is motivated from the ground up, initiatives are supported by genuine investment. We are proud of the external recognition we continue to receive: this was the fourth consecutive year that we have achieved the Investors in People award, and our third first-class rating in the Best Companies guide. Taking our responsibility as a member of the community seriously means CHP employees are encouraged to seek opportunities to get involved, offering their skills across a variety of volunteer activities. Over the past year, our people have taken part in numerous schemes, under which they have been able to offer IT skills, advice and interview training including assisting at local schools and community centres. I personally took great enjoyment from my stint acting as a ‘Dragon’ in a local school’s charity-focused rendition of the well known Dragons’ Den television show, reviewing the viability of students’ business ideas. Experiences like these not only benefit the recipients, but also bring tangible benefits to our staff to develop their skills and careers in a different environment. We further support staff development through encouraging active career management, supporting external and accredited training courses, and ensuring effective staff communications to allow efficient and

valuable knowledge sharing throughout the organisation. Building on our achievements in 2008, CHP continues to focus on reducing our carbon emissions and conserving energy. Year-end results have shown that, from employee efforts alone, we have saved the equivalent of over 35 trees - that’s one for every five employees. We are so passionate about being green that our efforts have stretched beyond our own offices to include client sites too, and here we advise and assist with green initiatives wherever possible. At CHP, we don’t see CSR as a series of targets to be achieved. It’s more of a bar which should be continually raised and challenged.

Andrew Denton

About CHP Consulting CHP Consulting is a leading provider of software and consulting services to the global asset finance industry. Established in 1990, CHP has grown steadily and had a turnover of over £22m in 2009. Our clients include top banks, equipment manufacturers and finance companies, such as: • Bank of America • Commonwealth Bank of Australia • ING Lease • Lloyds Banking Group • National Australia Group • Nissan Finance • Royal Bank of Scotland • Textron Financial

CHP was named in the The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Small Companies to Work For in 2005 and 2006, and has received the ‘Best Companies’ accreditation every year since 2007. We have an exceptional track record and a proven ability to deliver projects on time and on budget. With headquarters in the UK and offices in the USA and Australia, CHP Consulting is a successful international company. CSR at CHP Consulting In 2007, having worked at CHP for nearly 10 years, Steve Donelan knew that the culture within the company was perfect for a CSR initiative. His vision was a companywide programme that would benefit both staff and the local community alike.

Our CSR initiatives have focused on four key strategic areas: energy, community, giving, and staff.

After discussing the idea with colleague Jo Rolland, they took the concept to the Directors. They supported it and challenged Steve and Jo to come up with a framework that would allow CSR initiatives to fit with CHP’s core business values. This framework became the foundation of the programme. A management team for CSR was formed and Team CSR was born in early 2008. This group of volunteers meets regularly to prioritise CSR tasks and turn ideas into reality. Representatives from each CHP office take part, helping to deliver the programme worldwide. Having grown from Steve’s original vision back in 2007, the passion and commitment of this global team has led to the CSR initiatives covered in this report.

CHP took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning supporting Macmillan Cancer Support.

02 Giving

Sponsored Events Numerous staff at CHP participate in events to raise money for charity through sponsorship. For example, CHP people have raised funds for charity by running in the London marathon for Seafarers UK, the Prague marathon for Help the Aged, the Reading half-marathon for CLIC Sargent, the Great Gorilla Run in London for the Gorilla Organisation and the Royal Parks Half Marathon for the NSPCC.

At CHP we understand that we hold a relatively privileged position in society, and with that privilege there is an associated responsibility. CHP donates to both local and national charities, while many staff members undertake sponsored activities in their own time, to which their colleagues contribute generously.

CHP donates throughout the year to a variety of charitable causes. Specific charitable events, such as Red Nose Day for Comic Relief, provide a focus for raising funds. In addition, CHP events also provide an opportunity for staff to contribute money to charities. At this year’s Christmas party, money was raised for the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), Barnardo’s, and Cancer Journey.

In addition, CHP’s in-house design team provided professional assistance with the design for Cancer Journey’s new business cards. Our staff return regularly from business trips with foreign coins which cannot be changed into the local currency. We arrange for the collection and donation of these coins to charity, with Help the Aged being our chosen recipient this year.

One member of staff swam 5km as part of the Marie Curie Cancer Care Swimathon, while four others took part in the New Zealand Oxfam Trailwalker Challenge around Lake Taupo. All members of the walking team completed the 100km course in just over 20 hours, with a CHP support team providing help along the way. Laptop Donations The fast pace of technology sometimes means that the hardware that was top of the range a few years ago is now no longer able to run today’s power-hungry applications.

The safe and environmentally sustainable disposal of IT equipment presents a considerable challenge to the entire IT community. CHP’s approach to this issue is to donate laptops - as well as any other IT equipment that is still functional - to schools and charities. This not only reduces our impact on the environment, but also allows schools and charities access to IT hardware that they may otherwise be unable to acquire. In London, we have donated equipment to St. Andrews School and the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability, and in Sydney to the Old Bar Public School. Charities • SPANA • Barnardo’s • Cancer Journey • Help the Age • Seafarers UK • CLIC Sargen • Marie Curie Cancer Care • Oxfam • The Gorilla Organization • NSPCC • Macmillan Cancer Support

Four CHP staff walked over 100km in New Zealand to raise money for Oxfam.

projects. All employees are encouraged to take an active part in the schemes offered, and volunteers range in seniority from Junior Consultant all the way to Director.

03 Community

City Gateway An organisation local to CHP’s London office, City Gateway works with disenfranchised people, offering opportunities to those who have finished school with no qualifications. It does this by providing training in IT, sports, media design and helping to equip people for the workplace. CHP has assisted City Gateway by implementing a new Content Management System (CMS) to encourage and improve knowledge sharing across teams and individuals. CHP identified and configured the CMS software on City Gateway’s web servers, while also providing project management and planning assistance.

Our programmes enable us to strengthen our links with the local community, while providing our staff with an opportunity to use their skills outside of the workplace. CHP has built mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with a number of community organisations to which we provide volunteers.

Ultimately, we want these relationships to be good for the individual, good for CHP, and good for the community. CHP selects community programmes that can bring real benefits, matching our core business of providing IT expertise and consultancy.

day-to-day role. These placements allow our staff to be exposed to new experiences and develop new skills, while also giving the community access to technical, consultancy and design services that would not usually be available.

Volunteering opportunities allow our staff to take on new responsibilities that would not normally be available to them as part of their

Staff can take up to three days of charitable allowance per annum - days which are matched by CHP - to work on community

Following the successful implementation of the CMS, CHP provided further training to City Gateway IT support staff. The CMS is now used for two of their enterprise websites. Gumley House Convent School Gumley House Convent School is a voluntarily-aided state school. It is also a Business and Enterprise Specialist College. Gumley believe that academic success, no matter how brilliant, is of little value unless coupled with the real world.

CHP has provided training in project management to A-level students by running a case study for planning a Christmas party. We have also provided guidance on career advice, as well as inviting students into our London office to see the day-to-day operations of an IT consultancy. As part of PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and Citizenship lessons, our staff have sat on panels that judge which local charity should receive a donation based on pupil’s presentations. And during “Earth Day”, we have assisted pupils with identifying an environmental issue, providing a solution, and then presenting their approach to a panel. Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership is a registered charity local to CHP’s London office. Its role is to encourage the public and private sectors to work with schools in Tower Hamlets on a range of projects. The projects are designed to raise achievement and provide pupils with opportunities to improve their work-related skills. Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership regularly conducts interview practice and CV review sessions for school pupils with members of the business community.

CHP staff have conducted one-to-one interviews with Year 12 pupils, as well as answering questions and providing advice on the working environment.

CHP staff assisted by identifying four potential systems and then helping in the selection of one system for further investigation.

Giving World Online CHP was introduced to Giving World Online through IT for Communities, the UK’s leading national IT volunteering programme.

ELFA Conference CHP also regularly sponsors industry conferences in each of the global regions in which we operate.

Giving World Online receives surplus goods from businesses and distributes them to charities; for example, clothing to homeless shelters, goods to women’s hostels, containers of clothes, medical supplies, blankets and toys abroad. Giving World Online requested assistance in selecting and defining requirements for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

During October 2008, CHP sponsored the Equipment Leasing Finance Association’s (ELFA) Annual Conference in New Orleans which, as well as being an opportunity for leasing industry experts to pool their knowledge, raised money for the Katrina relief funds. CHP US’s President also took a hands-on role, helping tend an area of land that had been damaged by the hurricane.

“ Over the last year, CHP Consulting has provided invaluable support to Gumley House School, helping us to achieve a number of our objectives as part of our Business and Enterprise specialism.” Loredana Roberts, Gumley House Convent School

Personal Profile: David Genn As a Trustee of the Canaan Project, I help run a charity that works with young people on a deprived estate in the East End of London. It’s very rewarding to be part of a small organisation and see it grow and develop. We now employ two youth workers and come into contact with almost 200 young people every week. My role involves helping to develop the long-term strategy of the organisation and then draw up budgets and forecasts to help achieve those goals. I also manage the day-to-day finances of the charity. Most recently we have been contracted to help develop the plans for a new £5m youth centre on the estate where we work. It’s great to be able to take the skills I’ve learnt at CHP and use them to develop exciting new projects for young people that will hopefully give them opportunities they may otherwise not have had.

We recognise that developing the best people is key to providing our clients with service of the highest quality.

04 People

We provide a world-class training programme for our staff. On joining, a CHP consultant receives twenty days’ training on asset finance, accounting, consultancy skills, and ALFA Systems development and user training. The first year sees another twenty days’ training, on advanced ALFA Systems development and the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA)’s foundation course in asset finance. In the following year, nine days of training are provided in the areas of introductory management, introductory lease accounting, and the FLA’s intermediate leasing course. After two years at CHP, our staff complete the core training programme by attending courses in intermediate accounting and project planning and management.

CHP’s success is built on its people. We provide a culture that challenges and excites our staff. As a responsible employer, we look to provide professional development opportunities for our staff and encourage the exchange of views and information which makes CHP such a vibrant organisation to work for.

Through our training and personal development programmes, staff can shape their careers to realise their full potential. The benefits offered to CHP’s staff allow them to access high-quality health and lifestyle services as well as providing the flexibility to manage their responsibilities outside the workplace.

Staff Development CHP is committed to developing all of its staff and encourages a culture of continual learning. While it is recognised that much training occurs on the job and through effective promotion of knowledge management by senior managers, there are still core skills which can be developed through a more structured learning process both in-house and externally.

At the end of the standard curriculum, each member of staff draws up a Performance and Development Process (PDP) plan in consultation with his or her manager as part of an annual review. The individual’s PDP forms the basis of his or her development over the coming year. To allow individuals to pursue the interests identified within their PDP plans, CHP provides its staff with a budget of up to five days’ training per year.

Staff Comms We want to ensure that our staff are fulfilled, and that CHP is providing all the support necessary. In Staff Communications - known as Staff Comms - we provide a forum for concerns and suggested improvements. Staff Comms is an ongoing process through which nonmanagerial staff can voice any opinions, comments or suggestions concerning CHP confidentially. Centred around an annual meeting. the Staff Comms process provides a constant line of communication designed to improve the company. All questions or issues raised by staff during the year are answered, and the responses are published for the entire company to view. Staff Benefits To increase flexibility in working practices, CHP covers the cost of home broadband so that staff can work from home when required. For employees with children, CHP provides a childcare voucher scheme to cover day care while the parent is at work. The health and wellbeing of our staff is important to CHP, so to encourage a healthy lifestyle we provide health insurance, private health care, an employee assistance programme, and access to a confidential 24-hour helpline. To protect our staff’s future and that of their dependants, CHP provides each member of staff with insurance cover for life assurance and serious illness.

Flexible Working CHP recognises the responsibilities that our staff have outside of the workplace. We offer flexible working hours to those with young children and some elect to work part time. For long-serving members of staff, along with an increased annual leave entitlement, we offer the opportunity to take a sabbatical to allow them to pursue outside interests. Staff Mobility Being an international company, CHP can offer our staff the opportunity to work in some of the most exciting cities on the planet. Staff can spend long-term secondments at our central locations in London, Boston and Sydney, while project placements allow experience throughout North America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Australasia.

Staff can indicate their preference for travel and are consulted before the arrangements are put in place. CHP provides all staff with worldwide travel insurance and supports staff and their families throughout their international relocation. Staff Clubs and Sports CHP staff take part in a range of sporting activities and clubs which help towards providing a good work/life balance. Aside from individual events, such as running marathons and swimming for charity, our staff have also formed rugby, football, squash and cricket teams. The CHP Football Club plays throughout the season and this culminates in the CHP-hosted 5-a-side tournament for staff and clients. The highlight of the CHP rugby season is the CHP-sponsored ‘Fat Bloke Sevens’ tournament held at Reading Abbey RFC.

CHP provides five days, training budget per annum for each employee.

We host regular golf days, popular with both staff and clients. The cricket team plays against all-comers all over London, while the Surf Club runs biannual trips to catch the best waves around the country. As well as attending a number of the sporting events, the CHP Photography Club also hosts its own events, such as the recent night trip to the London Eye. One of the traditional fixtures in the CHP calendar is the ‘Good Grub Week’. Staff select five local eateries which they sample during their lunch hours. At the end of the week a winner is declared.

off lights is a simple step we take to reduce our energy consumption. In taking responsibility for their own energy usage, staff share knowledge so others can benefit from their experience, one recent example being the use of Bye Bye Standby® products to minimise energy usage at home.

05 Environment

Recycling and Waste Management Recycling schemes are in place at all of CHP’s offices. CHP has seen a consistent quarter-on-quarter improvement in the recycling of paper, cardboard, cans, plastic and glass. Our payroll has stopped printing payslips and instead emails them to each member of staff.

As a company with over 180 staff, CHP realises that its actions can have a significant impact on the environment. Just as we use video conferencing to reduce travel, there are many more simple measures in place, such as using double-sided printing to reduce our energy consumption. Recycling waste and reducing the amount of

paper we consume are areas that we review constantly. We encourage ideas from staff on how to reduce our energy usage, and these have led to the implementation of companywide polices.

for high levels of energy usage. We have made use of the latest server virtualisation technology to ensure that our IT infrastructure energy consumption is kept to an absolute minimum.

Energy Management As a company with expertise in IT and technology, we acknowledge that the equipment we operate can be accountable

Staff are encouraged to be responsible for their own energy usage by switching off their computers overnight and using laptop standby mode whenever possible. Turning

Some of the items that we recycle • Paper • Cardboard • Glass • Plastic • Tin • Aluminium cans • Batteries • Ink cartridges/toner • Organic waste • CDs • Hard drives • Other electrical waste

Active participation in our recycling scheme has meant that one tree was saved for every five employees last year.

Asia-Pacific CHP Consulting Australia Level 8, Challis House 4 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

06 In Review

Europe CHP Consulting Limited 20 Gresham Street London EC2V 7JE

North America CHP Consulting Inc 31 Milk St Suite 510 Boston MA 02109 Looking back, 2009 has been a very successful year for Corporate Social Responsibility at CHP. The community work our staff has undertaken has helped give school leavers a better start, assisted charities with their websites and given students a chance to improve their presentation skills. Overall we have been able to support 11 charities.

Raising staff awareness of our energy consumption and working with local recycling companies has meant we have been able to reduce our impact on the environment. During the year our staff have arranged a variety of sporting events and activity clubs which are open to all. This has promoted social interaction outside of work and helped ensure a good work/life balance.

In summary, our employees have volunteered, recycled, suggested ideas, saved energy and run marathons, but most of all they have simply got involved and made a difference. We’re looking forward to 2010, where our challenge is to meet and exceed the level of CSR activity in 2009 and to continue to make a difference that counts.

www.chpconsulting.com