SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING
Case study Galliford Try
BUILDING FOR THE
FUTURE
When Jon Bailey, Galliford Try’s corporate responsibility manager, was asked to
produce the firm’s second CR report, he knew that having an outside perspective
would help. Hyder Consulting proved to be the perfect partner, hears Tom Idle
I
t is early days in the history of
sustainability reporting at Galliford Try.
Operating in some key sectors (including
housebuilding, railways, water and
renewable energy) under a myriad of
brands, the business is a huge operation,
turning over £1.4B last year. And
monitoring, recording, documenting and
communicating its corporate responsibility
activity is no mean feat.
Corporate responsibility manager, Jon
Bailey, joined the ranks a year ago, and
among other tasks, was charged with
bringing to fruition the company’s second
CR report. “It’s been a real challenge,” says
Jon, who has been with the firm for four
years and previously worked on a number
of projects, including the Olympics site.
His time in his current role has included
collecting stories of best practice from
around the business. “The spread and share
of information is a challenge not just for
CR reporting, but also a key challenge for Galliford Try installed the retractable roof over Wimbledon’s Centre Court
CR across our group. It is one of the
things we make reference to in this year’s “It’s about building up relationships with, but the interest in CR is very high.
report: we are trying to get better at with the different business units and Everyone recognises that this is something
sharing data and stories – it’s about getting support services.” we need to tackle and are interested in
that information. The fruit of this labour is due to be hearing about.
“When people in the business talk to published this month. Guided by a group- “If my company didn’t feel that, they
investors or clients, they say Galliford Try level CR policy structure, it doesn’t follow wouldn’t have employed me in this role.”
is doing some really great things because any standards guidelines, like the Global Gusto among the 3,850-strong
we know about them from our own Reporting Initiative, and Jon relied on both workforce is evident in Jon’s summary.
experience.” But the information needed his expertise and that of his publisher when “People’s enthusiasm for the non-financial
pulling together and that has been Jon’s deciding what to include in the report and things has been absolutely fantastic. And
focus this year. “I’ve talked to people, how it ought to be structured. And despite when you drill down into it – the
explained how CR fits and how it can the much-publicised fact that the sustainability of the projects – people really
benefit us – and in doing so, found more of construction sector is struggling to emerge do consider it. Once you start talking to
these stories about what’s going on in from the sinking sand effected by the people in a bit more detail, you find out we
the business.” global financial crisis, the enthusiasm for are doing a tremendous amount of stuff,
And it isn’t just about getting stories for what Jon is trying to do hasn’t waned. “It’s but not communicating it very well.”
his report. It is about developing a process gone the other way actually,” he says. “Yes, But for all his success in improving
so that he can be updated with good people have less time and there are lots of internal relations, Jon recognised the need
sustainability examples on a regular basis. pressing issues that people have to deal for an outside perspective on the current
10 October 2009 ❘ SB FutureProof
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