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Integrated ESG Advisory Services

Our team of experts partners with clients to navigate the current ESG landscape

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Overview

Teneo’s purpose is to partner with our clients globally to do great things for a better future. It is a reflection of our own personal values and the aspiration of virtually every leader we have the privilege to counsel.

We believe the futures of our firm, our people and our planet are inextricably connected. We are committed to operating responsibly as we create long-term, sustainable growth for Teneo and our stakeholders. We are also deeply committed to helping our clients develop and execute their own sustainability efforts.

Our business thrives because our people bring diverse perspectives from different nationalities, cultures and life experiences to solve emerging and intractable problems in a dynamic and inclusive environment. We are therefore dedicated to fostering an environment of dignity and respect for all.

Sustainability Reports

We are pleased to share Teneo's inaugural environmental, social and governance (ESG) report. In this report, we outline our commitment to corporate responsibility and actions we are taking to benefit all our stakeholders.

We recognize that embedding relevant ESG matters into our business strategy helps position Teneo for better risk management and supports long-term value creation. Evaluating and managing ESG issues also enables us to create better business outcomes for our clients and other stakeholders, while simultaneously having a positive impact on the world around us.

Despite recent debates around what ESG is and its value to a corporation and its stakeholders, Teneo believes that managing the risks and leveraging the opportunities of issues such as climate change, diversity and corporate governance is a business imperative.

Download the report here:

2022 Sustainability Report

Our Targets

Teneo believes that positive contributions can be made to a sustainable environment through the development of business practices that aim to reduce the impact on, and use of, natural resources.

Our environmental initiatives are reinforced through the adoption and focused communication of sustainability policies, which encourage staff to support and enforce our sustainability goals. We also aim to understand climate-related issues facing the environment and the resiliency of the built environment to identify areas where we can help and inform future goal setting and targets.

Commitment to Achieving Net Zero

Teneo is globally committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and provide a reference point against which change is measured.

Baseline Year: 2021

In 2021, Teneo began a process to measure its global carbon footprint, including scopes 1, 2 and 3, to establish a baseline from which to develop strategies for emissions reduction. The analysis leading to the baseline footprint is being developed in coordination with and support from Teneo’s equity partner CVC, utilizing the services of an expert third-party GHG analytics and strategy vendor. A leading global CEO advisory firm, Teneo operates from offices leased in shared premises around the world. Data on which our baseline emissions footprint will be estimated therefore will be largely and necessarily dependent on data supplied by landlords.

We expect to work closely with our landlords in the future to deploy effective strategies for emissions reduction. In addition to office space selection and outfitting, a natural area for examination is travel for client service and development purposes. We plan to partner with our clients to develop an optimal balance for client service while limiting our carbon emissions from business travel.

Interim Emissions Reduction Targets

Teneo is in the process of measuring its global carbon footprint to establish credible and achievable targets for future emissions reduction between now and 2050. These targets will be set in line with recognized science-based good practices. Once interim targets have been established, we will develop a holistic carbon reduction plan for achieving these targets as key milestones on our journey to net zero.

This report will remain an evergreen document and will be updated when the baseline measurement process has been completed.

Existing Carbon Reduction Projects and Strategies

While the formalized sustainability journey utilizing carbon measurement techniques has only just begun, Teneo has long been conscious of the desirability of carbon reduction and has recognized its responsibility to continuously improve the sustainability of its operations.

The sustainability and energy efficiency of its largest offices has been a focus for the business. These offices utilize motion sensing technology to control and reduce power consumption, equip water conservation controls to limit water use and enforce careful and sustainable waste disposal protocols. These strategies effectively reduce consumption of energy, water and office consumables. These initiatives have been reinforced through adoption and focused communication of policies which encourage staff to support and enforce company sustainability goals.

Teneo utilizes outward-facing written policies to communicate the company’s expectations to vendors regarding compliance with standards for legal and ethical conduct. Extending those policies and practices to request larger vendors to disclose their carbon reduction plans annually is a focus for 2023 and beyond.

Teneo is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and has for several years participated in the EcoVadis sustainability assessment. These initiatives have helped shape our sustainability goals and develop channels and themes for communication of company goals to our worldwide staff. Centralized and local office working groups are being built in offices around the world in an effort to drive local practices which support the global net zero commitment.

Declaration and Sign Off

Standards to which this plan will conform will be identified upon conclusion of our baseline carbon footprint measurement and development of future emission reduction goals.

This Carbon Reduction Commitment has been reviewed and authorized by the Teneo Global Executive Committee (GEC).

DEI at Teneo

We believe that different perspectives and new ideas are essential for us to meaningfully partner with our clients globally. We are committed to investing in our people and fostering an environment of dignity and respect to create a sense of purpose and belonging for all.

We recognize that each of our employees has a wealth of experience and perspectives to draw from and that we are responsible for ensuring that all our people are, and feel, equally empowered. We also believe that improving the diversity of our workforce and providing an equitable and inclusive culture promotes strong business performance as we leverage our team members’ different skills, perspectives and experiences to deliver sound advice to our clients.

In support of these objectives, we engage in targeted action to support our people, especially those from under-represented groups, in overcoming barriers and ensuring that each person is afforded the same opportunities to grow, develop and bring their whole self to work. We are taking active steps to build a culture of thinking, acting and leading inclusively that is embedded throughout our business. We are investing in our headcount, DEI subject matter expertise and executive sponsorship of DEI ambitions in all segments of our business.

Employee Resource Groups at Teneo

DEI Programs and Initiatives

Following are examples of just some of the DEI programs and initiatives at work on a global, regional and local level.
board-diversisty-action-alliance

Board Diversity Action Alliance

In partnership with the Ford Foundation and The Executive Leadership Council, Teneo founded the Board Diversity Action Alliance (BDAA) to increase the representation of racially and ethnically diverse individuals on boards of directors. The BDAA is led by Teneo Chairwoman Ursula Burns and Teneo’s Global ESG Advisory Chair Gaby Sulzberger.

cross-teneo-uk-womens-mentoring

Breakthrough

Achieving gender balance is critical to our success as a business. Breakthrough, Teneo UK’s women’s development program, helps enable and support women for career success within leadership roles and provides a springboard for breaking through the barriers that exist for women in the workplace. This program offers immersive learning sessions, strengths identification, group coaching and senior sponsorship.

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DEI Steering Committee

Teneo Chairwoman Ursula Burns serves as Executive Sponsor of the DEI Steering Committee, comprised of cross-functional members of Teneo’s global team. The committee is charged with charting the course for Teneo’s global DEI strategy and is addressing such issues as leadership competencies and resourcing, pay equity, benchmarking and data collection.

dei-training

DEI Training

As part of our ongoing commitment to build a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, Teneo offers a range of DEI training programs. These include foundational programs to help define and mitigate the negative effects of bias. Specific upskilling sessions, such as Active Bystander training, address microaggressions and inspire strong allyship. We also embed inclusive leadership skills into all of our flagship leadership development programs and train hiring managers on inclusive recruitment practices.

breaktrough

Early Careers Partnerships

Working with our diversity partners, Teneo offers several internship programs to provide meaningful work experience to early careers talent. Interns are guided by an experienced team that provides hands-on learning opportunities as well as structured training. Each intern is supported by a mentor who takes an active role in developing their skillset. Global partners include: 10,000 Black Interns, America Needs You, College to Congress, Prep for Prep and Goldberg Scholars.

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Family-Friendly Policies

We offer comprehensive family-friendly policies and support for all parents at Teneo, with each region providing competitive policies for birthing parents, adopters and their partners. In addition, we offer a range of policies to support life events related to reproductive health and caring responsibilities.

The trust that we foster with each other is critical to the success of the firm, because through open and very respectful communication, everyone's views are respected. And regardless of what title you hold, you are free to express your views – not just when working on client projects, but also through daily interactions with colleagues. This creates an open environment for us to exchange ideas.
Liu-Mayjo
Mayjo Liu
Senior Associate
Hong Kong SAR
One of the core values that Teneo has is inclusivity and initiative. This speaks to me, not just because I am the co-lead of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practice area. It's also because I know exactly how being inclusive helps propel the individual.
Lisa Davis
Lisa R. Davis
Senior Managing Director and Co-Lead, DEI Advisory
Washington, D.C.
If you've got a great idea for a client, that shouldn't be driven by where you are in the business, where you sit and what you do. Being inclusive means that we're bringing the best of everyone together for our clients, and we're also bringing the best of everyone together for our employees. If you feel excited, and you feel valued as an individual in a business, you're going to give your best. And that's what we need.
Sue Obrien
Sue O'Brien OBE
Executive Chair, People Advisory, UK & Vice Chair, Teneo
London
I am thrilled and honoured to be the Executive Sponsor for our UK women’s development program, Breakthrough. Improving women’s representation, particularly in our most senior leadership roles, is something that I and my fellow business leaders are unanimously passionate about. The Breakthrough programme has been designed to help us realise this ambition as part of our commitment to building a strong pipeline of future female leaders.
Tim
Tim Nixon
CEO, Management Consulting
London
The richness of Teneo is the diversity of our people. We have 16 different nationalities in our Brussels office providing us with a rich cultural heritage to draw knowledge and insights from. Bringing the different perspectives together adds joy and value to the work we do at Teneo.
Deborah Nash
Deborah Nash
CEO, Brussels, Strategy & Communications
Brussels
As lead of Teneo’s African-American/Black ERG, I am proud to actively foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment within Teneo. It is important that we strive to create a culture where everyone feels encouraged and able to bring their whole self to work.
Khary Ward Headshot
Khary Ward
Recruiting Associate
New York

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Creating communities and networks of individuals who share similar characteristics and/or interests is an important way to increase a sense of belonging and engagement. Sponsored by senior leaders across the global business, our ERGs ensure that DEI is regularly celebrated and discussed.

These grassroots initiatives help inform our understanding of the diversity within our organization and shape our DEI agenda at the global and local levels.
African American Black

African American/Black
US

Facilitates the recruitment, retention, wellbeing and development of Pan-African/Black employees of Teneo
Generations

Age & Generation
UK

Seeks to champion better understanding of the benefits and opportunities of generational diversity
Neurodiversity

Disability, Neurodiversity
& Allies Network
UK

Provides a safe space for colleagues to share their experiences and increase awareness on topics related to employees with disabilities and/or neurodiversity
Family care

Families & Carers
UK

Provides a support network for professionals who provide care to friends or family, offering a place to support one another and share useful information and resources
DE&I-teneo-pictogram

Gender
UK

Educates colleagues about the importance of gender diversity, equity and inclusion and marks key events related to gender
Person centered connections

Multicultural Network
UK

Aims to help Teneo foster a culture of belonging, respect and recognition by providing educational resources, celebrating culturally significant events and advocating allyship
LatAm

Presente
US

Seeks to promote cultural awareness and professional development, networking, mentorship and leadership opportunities for members
Pride

Pride
UK
US

Helps create a sense of community for the queer population and allies at Teneo and gives back to the LGBTQ+ community
ESG Hands

Sustainability Initiative
US

Educate and engage employees on sustainable practices both in and outside of the workplace
Candle Holder

Teneo Shalom
US

Fosters awareness of Jewish culture, facilitates inclusion and serves as a resource and support network for members
American flag

Veterans of Armed Services
US

Fosters awareness of military and veterans’ issues
Female Gender

Women’s Initiative
US

Builds a community of women internally and externally to support the personal and professional growth and success of female colleagues across the company
Parent

Working Moms (Parents) of Teneo
US

Offers members an opportunity to connect with other parents and to share strategies to navigate the issues many working parents encounter