Modern Slavery

At OC&C, we are committed to upholding high standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our business activities. As a Certified B Corporation™, we recognise the interconnectedness of our actions with the well‑being of the environment, society, and our stakeholders.

Established in 1987, OC&C is an international strategy consulting firm with offices in Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the USA and the UK. We specialise in addressing complex business challenges for clients across sectors.

We acknowledge the pervasive issue of modern slavery and human trafficking and are committed to ensuring that these practices have no place within our operations or supply chains. This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes OC&C’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for the financial year ending 30 April 2025.

Progress in the year

This year, we strengthened our approach by:

  • Introducing a Whistleblowing Policy and enhancing reporting routes, including access to an independent external ombudsman.
  • Launching a refreshed Supplier Code of Conduct and rolling it out to our most material suppliers, supported by updated contractual clauses.
  • Providing annual modern slavery learning for relevant colleagues.
  • Ensuring facilities and cleaning staff in our offices are paid the Real Living Wage.
  • Publishing our annual ESG Impact Report.

 

Our approach

We take a proactive, risk-based approach to preventing modern slavery and embedding responsible business practices across our operations and supply chain. Our framework is built around clear standards, transparency, and continuous oversight.

Ethical conduct and governance

Ethical behaviour is fundamental to how we work. Our Employee Code of Conduct and Professional Standards Handbook set clear expectations for integrity, professionalism and compliance across all offices. These are supported by global policies covering anti-bribery, confidentiality, workplace conduct, modern slavery, social media and whistleblowing. All colleagues complete annual compliance training and formally reaffirm their commitment to the Code.

Whistleblowing and speaking up

We maintain open and secure channels for raising concerns at any time through our Whistleblowing channels. Colleagues can report issues through internal routes or directly to an independent external ombudsman, ensuring confidentiality and protection from retaliation. The ombudsman has a clear mandate to investigate matters under the policy. All alleged breaches of the Code are investigated, and strong compliance systems and project governance processes help us identify risks early and uphold the highest professional and ethical standards in all client work.

Extending governance through our supply chain

This year we strengthened responsible sourcing with the launch of OC&C’s Supplier Code of Conduct. This sets out our expectations for suppliers on labour rights, environmental stewardship and legal compliance. In its first year, we are rolling the Code out to our most material suppliers, supported by direct communication and formal acknowledgement. Updated contractual clauses now require suppliers to align with the Code and cooperate with due diligence or audit activity.

Supplier engagement and due diligence

We operate a risk-based supplier onboarding and review process. For higher-risk categories, such as facilities management and cleaning services, we engage more closely with suppliers to understand their controls, reinforce expectations, and address any concerns promptly.

Training and awareness

We provide mandatory modern slavery training for our global business services (central support) colleagues and continue to embed awareness more broadly so that teams can recognise potential indicators of modern slavery and know how to escalate concerns.

Continuous improvement

We remain committed to continuous improvement in addressing modern slavery risks, enhancing transparency, and safeguarding human rights across our operations and supply chains. Our goal is to improve transparency, reduce risk, and safeguard human rights across our operations and supply chains.

Will Hayllar
Global Managing Partner

This statement is approved for and on behalf of OC&C Strategy Consultants LLP and its applicable subsidiaries in accordance with section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending 30 April 2025.