Chris Cracknell recently addressed the Institute of Family Business (IFB) 8th National Forum Conference in Newcastle. The IFB aims to promote the vital long-term contribution that family businesses make to the UK and the issues that family firms face. Sharing knowledge and experience through their network is a key focus for IFB and their events provide opportunities for family businesses to gather and learn from each other.
At the conference, Chris spoke about taking corporate social responsibility seriously, stressing that it should be being a strategic social investment which is about caring, integrity and giving something back – to staff and the wider community. Chris described many of the charitable activities OCS staff are involved in around the world such as supporting children affected by HIV and educational scholarships in Thailand. He appealed for recognition of the ‘invisible services’, such as cleaning and security, where staff who perform these roles can make a significant contribution to their communities.