Client Stories

Blick Rothenberg

A partnership to empower change by putting people first

Paving the way for compound impact.

Blick Rothenberg is an accounting and business advisory firm that believes in doing what’s right for others – colleagues, clients and communities alike. As well as prioritising the wellbeing of their people, Blick Rothenberg aspire to be a constant force for positive change. Their responsible approach demonstrates a determination to create wider impact.

B Corp
Comms

Key Information

Service
B Corp + Comms

Industry
Financial Services

Size
600+ Employees

Challenge

“Knowledge is one thing, but helping businesses such as ours utilise and put that knowledge into the heart of the business is a deeper challenge. Seismic has ably delivered on this and as a result we are excited to continue our journey with an ambition to become a certified B Corp.”

Nimesh Shah
CEO at Blick Rothenberg

Challenge

Shifting expectations to support change

Blick Rothenberg embarked on the challenge to empower their employees to take on a more proactive role in decision-making, to bring about a balance between business, people and planet.

Although social and environmental improvements were in place, other demanding priorities hindered the ability to focus on specific improvements. Without a designated team to drive the impact, it was difficult for Blick Rothenberg to undertake the necessary research, planning, and implementation required for a purpose-led transformation. Most of the tasks fell under the responsibility of the Head of Diversity and Inclusion, who needed additional brainpower and capacity to consolidate the various initiatives into an overarching theme and action plan.

Approach

London,Street,From,Fabulous,Holborn,Viaduct,Side

“With over 600 people in our team, it has been vital that our B Corp advisor is not only an expert in the B Corp framework and process, but also understands our internal business landscape. The team at Seismic has the experience and skills to be able to do that and move us forward with our B Corp certification process.”

Nimesh Shah
CEO at Blick Rothenberg

Approach

Leveraging the B Corp framework to catalyse change

As Blick Rothenberg’s chosen impact partner, Seismic began with a diagnostic assessment to forecast their B Corp certification score. The initial B Impact Assessment (BIA) scored 40-50 points and informed comprehensive and valuable insights, highlighting areas for improvement. In a positive sense, a great amount of clarity was created at this point. Blick Rothenberg could see what opportunities lay ahead and also how transformation might be achieved through collaboration and support.

The next step was to instil the belief that commercial and strategic decisions have wider environmental and social impacts. Such was CEO Nimesh Shah’s passion on this, that he was naturally able to inspire his colleagues. Then came the co-creation of the action plan, designed to prioritise initiatives to exceed the certification threshold.

By coaching Blick Rothenberg on how to prioritise and implement their action plan, we ensured its people-centric culture thrived, day to day.

This was furthered by internal communications support. Blick Rothenberg as a business stand as ‘change leaders’ and felt ready to empower individuals with the ownership and accountability to drive new initiatives. Seismic also guided Blick Rothenberg in developing a narrative to showcase its journey externally to stakeholders.

Impact

“We started out with a score of 67, but you need a score of 80 to be accredited for B Corp. We’re now at a benchmark of 85 to 87. So we’ve really shown progress already, and we’re looking at how we can build in a plan for the next two to three years, to continue that progress”

Jim Brown
Partner at Blick Rothenberg

Impact

Better-engaged employees, building towards certification

Blick Rothenberg’s progression across the Impact Pillars of the BIA – Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers – was reflected in the improvements seen in their latest score.

In the first instance, plotting out the opportunities through the B Corp framework focused Blick Rothenberg’s attention, allowing them to look into practical improvements and adopt a growth mindset.

Blick Rothenberg now feel empowered to identify and prioritise responsible improvements, creating a catalyst for change within the organisation and its broader group, Azets. By facilitating the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) to measure and define environmental targets specifically, Blick Rothenberg can confidently claim to be pioneers in impact literacy for their group.

Diversity & inclusion as a springboard for change

Having created a foundation that instils confidence in its people, Blick Rothenberg has been able to pull various social and environmental initiatives together into one overarching people-first theme. The results include improved transparency and an increased understanding in diversity and inclusion whilst ensuring B Corp certification was seamlessly integrated into the company culture and governance.

This journey has led to enhanced employee engagement and greater clarity around resource allocation. With Seismic’s support, Blick Rothenberg has instilled a learning culture, prioritised their people, and aligned their business decisions with the principles of environmental and social responsibility.

“Seismic’s collaboration with Blick Rothenberg has paved the way for a purpose-led organisation focused on being a responsible business, leading by example and challenging convention. By leveraging the B Corp framework and implementing transformative initiatives, Blick Rothenberg sets a refreshing example of responsibility and change within the accounting industry.”

Mike Wilson, Sustainability Consultant, Seismic