Anglian Water and its reporting partners Emperor are celebrating after scooping two awards at last week’s Strategic Comms Awards.
They were awarded Best Use of Purpose as a Business Driver and Best Annual Report 2021.
Back in 2019 Anglian Water became the first major utility to change its Articles of Association to enshrine a requirement for its directors to consider the needs of communities and the environment alongside the need to deliver fair returns for investors. This is encapsulated in Anglian Water’s stated purpose: “Our purpose is to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve through our commitment to Love Every Drop.”
Since then the water company has been clear that this purpose should guide every decision made across the business, and it was instrumental in the development of the water industry’s shared sign up to five ambitious goals to tackle leakage, carbon emissions, plastics, affordability and social mobility.
Progress against its social and environmental priorities sits firmly alongside the company’s financial credentials as part of its annual reporting cycle, and was a key theme throughout the company’s 2021 annual integrated report – The more we keep exploring, the more we’ll achieve – which was also recognised at the awards.
Ciaran Nelson, Director of Brand and Communications for Anglian Water, said, “I’m very proud to see our determination to put people and the environment at the forefront of every decision we make recognised – as it really is at the heart of all we do.
“At Anglian Water we have always understood the special responsibility we hold as a monopoly provider of an essential public service. We have a duty to deliver wider benefits to society, above and beyond the provision of fresh, clean water, and to be transparent in reporting our journey to do the best we can for our region.”
Helen Dunne, Editor of CorpComms magazine and organiser of last night’s awards, said: “The clarity of Anglian Water’s vision was really apparent in their entries – it’s clear that for them, purpose is not just words on a page but really shines through in all of their actions.”
