People drive change. That’s why Softcat puts people at the heart of everything we do – whether that’s our employees, customers or the people of the future. By opting in to sign the Microsoft Partner Pledge, we’re actively committed to developing diversity and inclusion strategies, driving a sustainable world and nurturing talent in the tech world.
Diversity
Softcat and Microsoft are both proactive founding members of TC4RE (Technology Community for Racial Equality). TC4RE support businesses in the technology sector to drive equality and transform organisations on their D&I journey by equipping them with the right tools and knowledge to generate conversations and create allyship within their community. Through this shared ambition, we have had the opportunity to nurture our partnership by making a true, genuine difference in our industry. Microsoft bring to TC4RE passion, enthusiasm and authenticity which resonates with us, namely Jeramie Sutton (Technology Expert at Microsoft) and Apay Obang-Oyway (Partner Sales Director at Microsoft) have been integral to ensuring we remain true to our objectives and strive forward within this space. It is also clear that Microsoft place as much value in their ERG’s as we do, which is why Microsoft were the perfect partner for our D&I Leads celebration that took place on the 30th of March. Microsoft kindly hosted Softcat at their Experience Centre, and the day included the two companies sharing experiences, learnings and attending an Unleashed International Workshop on how they can continue to develop our D&I efforts both internally and externally. The commitment from Brad Barker (Partner Development Manager at Microsoft), Richard Ellis (SMC General Manager at Microsoft), and Apay Obang-Oyway (Partner Sales Director at Microsoft) to support and organise the facilitation of the event was fantastic and their understanding of our objective of providing a celebration for these leads was fantastically met.
Apay Obang-Oyway shared on LinkedIn “Your tireless efforts in helping to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace and society are truly inspiring. It is heartening to see the commitment and passion you all bring to your work daily on top of your regular job responsibilities. Your contributions make a real difference and help create a brighter future for all.” Full post here
Brad Barker on LinkedIn: "An energising day spent alongside Softcat plc’s Employee Resource Groups sharing experiences, learnings, and an Unleashed International workshop on how we can continue to develop our diversity & inclusion efforts both internally & externally. Looking forward to continuing our work together!" FULL POST HERE
Anushka Davies on LinkedIn: "It was an absolute joy to spend a day with all of our fantastic D&I Network leads to celebrate all our achievements to date and reflect on how far we have come as a company Softcat plc on creating an inclusive culture.
Huge thanks to Brad Barker Apay Obang-Oyway Simone Warren for hosting us at the Microsoft Experience Centre and to Martin Mason for facilitating a great session with us all to recognise what we've achieved. Absolutely loved our cooking experience together, to have some downtime and enjoy a meal together. THANK YOU to you all Softcat plc #teamculture #inclusionmatters #diversityintheworkplace full post here
Sustainability
As the first FTSE 250 company to achieve 5-star Support the Goals status, we lead in sustainability. Softcat will become ‘Carbon Net Zero’ ten years ahead of government targets, being the first IT company in Europe to have these targets approved by SBTi , and we’re already backed by accreditation such as ISO 14001 and 50001. We’ve had five years of growth and ongoing CO2 reduction – down by 37% from 2016 to 2020. We’ve also added to our credentials as Sustainable IT Solutions Provider of the Year winner at CRN Tech Impact Awards for the second year.
Working with Alex Smith (Surface Commercial Partner Director) and the Surface UK team, we’ve aligned our shared ambitions on sustainability and circular economy. This collaboration allowed us to identify new business opportunities, such as product sustainability, data, and incentives – driving focus and enhancing customer choice. But, by listening and supporting one another, we’ve been able to boldly challenge the modern notion of ‘circular economy’ and ‘closing the loop’, uncovering additional opportunities in the space. This has opened a proven market in B2B and B2C, generating incremental growth while also helping us to minimise the impact of manufacturing stages and address digital poverty and the digital divide.
“Softcat are leading the thinking in the UK partner ecosystem on how a circular economy should be embraced. They are tenaciously driving forward the sustainability agenda, which is impressive and will have incredible impact now and into the future. Outstanding thought leadership!” Alex Smith, Surface Commercial Partner Director, Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft UK.
We’re also helping customers reach net zero through the launch of Enexo – our free sustainability insights platform. We developed this cloud-based platform, collaborating with Microsoft to ensure optimisation, so customers can measure, manage and minimise their carbon footprint. It’s unique, easy-to-use, and allows users with little sustainability knowledge to input the required data to manage their carbon footprint figures, displayed on an intuitive dashboard. Enexo draws on data from approximately 12 million points of record and Softcat’s own experience in decarbonising it’s business, allowing our customers to benchmark their emissions against other organisations and review historical data which will help them in planning their net-zero journey and exploring emission reduction mitigations across the supply chain and investments.
Talent
As part of our overall services programme, we’ve established Tech Starter to provide equitable opportunities to individuals, whether new or returning to the industry. It combines on-the-job learning with formal training from a specialist external supplier, leading to career growth for individuals, diverse talent acquisition for Softcat, and support from the brightest talent in the industry for customers. This has positively impacted our Cloud Services development, with many joining us in this area.
If you would like to discuss how Softcat can help you on your Microsoft journey, then please get in touch.