These are exciting times for Aker Solutions. We are operating in a strong market with a favourable outlook that offers many interesting opportunities, strengthening our global presence. It is a given that our commitment to corporate responsibility remains.
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Corporate responsibility at Aker Solutions is a matter of making good and sustainable business decisions.
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2012 generated strong results and we are growing in line with our five-year strategic plan. We now see the potential to double in size between 2012 and 2017. In 2012 we welcomed 3 300 new employees, established new locations in six countries and incorporated new companies. Our commitment to corporate responsibility remains fundamental.
Stronger direction for corporate responsibility
Corporate responsibility at Aker Solutions is a matter of making good and sustainable business decisions. Since 2008, we have been members of the UN Global Compact and have demonstrated our commitment to human rights and labour rights, environmental responsibility and to combatting corruption. We remain committed to the UN Global Compact and aim to continue improving in line with its ten principles. In 2012 we developed Aker Solutions’ Corporate Responsibility Strategy for 2013-2017, which was approved by the Board of Directors in January 2013. This strategy provides a stronger direction for corporate responsibility, which will make it easier for the organisation to set business-relevant goals and prioritise its efforts.
Closer to markets
Customer relationship management was a key focus atAker Solutions in 2012, and several improvements were implemented, such as in internal coordination and key account management. Since 2011, our new regional model has been developed and a regional matrix organization model is underway. 2012 has seen the development and completion of the regional structure in North America and Brazil. The regional structure is a key growth driver at Aker Solutions, with the objective of improving knowledge about our markets and establishing closer proximity to our customers. The regional structure will also facilitate interaction with communities and other local stakeholders.
Increased awareness of business ethics
In 2011, we set an ambitious goal of training 12 000 office-based employees in business ethics in 2012. I am proud that we have achieved what we set out to do. By the end of 2012, 12 400 office-based employees had participated in 2.5 hours of class-based training to discuss human rights, conflicts of interest and corruption risks. In addition to sharing information about procedures and regulations for preventing unethical conduct, the class-based setting also offers an opportunity to discuss challenges and dilemmas. Along with the training, we have also run awareness campaigns to spread information about our whistleblowing channel, and have revised our code of conduct to provide more detailed guidance. I feel confident that these initiatives have had a positive impact on corporate culture. We are already seeing more questions and dilemmas being raised.
Continued focus on HSE
Despite continuous efforts to prevent serious incidents, Aker Solutions regrettably suffered thirteen serious personal injuries in 2012, compared with ten in 2011. Thankfully, no lives were lost in 2012. All serious incidents and near misses are investigated and the lessons learned are implemented with the aim of preventing similar incidents in the future. Several incidents involved people working for sub-contractor companies. This fact has resulted in renewed actions to ensure that sub-contractors are made aware of the safety procedures in force at Aker Solutions and that they receive appropriate training. This report presents our efforts in integrating our commitment to corporate responsibility into our everyday operations during 2012. It also describes our new Corporate Responsibility Strategy 2013-2017 which will guide our ongoing work to improve our performance and strengthen our management of corporate responsibility risks across our operations.