RWS Annual Report 2022 web - Flipbook - Page 23
Following the lifting of restrictions in the majority of
geographies, we have been able to return to onsite
engagement with universities, and hosted 90 workshops,
talks and events during the year. We also expanded the
RWS Campus programme in Africa, with 12 universities
joining the programme for the first time, as we focused
on eight languages, including Amharic, Hausa, Swahili
and Zulu. Trados Studio is now provided free for teaching
purposes to universities (moving from a discounted
approach previously). A third of interns who spend time at
RWS through the RWS Campus programme are offered a
full-time career after completing of their degrees.
We also relaunched the RWS Foundation during the year,
with a key aspect being its response to those impacted by
the conflict in Ukraine. The Foundation’s Ukraine Appeal
raised £34,436 from colleague donations and donated an
additional £15,000 to the International Committee of the
Red Cross. The Foundation also made further donations
of £10,000 each to the UNHCR, the UN’s Refugee Agency,
and to UNICEF, the UN’s Children’s Fund.
On governance, we completed the harmonisation
of policies across the Group and shared these with
colleagues in the first quarter of the year. In the second
half of the year, we launched a Group-wide Code of
Conduct, with associated training, giving all our people
a simple guide to what is expected of them at work, as
well as easy access to the resources that will help support
effective action and decision making. With our ambition to
be the best-run business in our sector, it is vital that our
teams are given the framework and the tools to act with
integrity at all times.
We have continued to make progress on the actions
and investments that we set out at our Capital Markets
Day and we are very encouraged by the early signs
of delivery against our organic growth initiatives,
particularly eLearning and Linguistic Validation. We are
also encouraged by the impact of our pricing programme
and the Group's focus on its transformation projects. The
simpler, more efficient and accountable organisational
model we have put in place to deliver our strategy is
already making a difference.
We also believe that the current environment presents
an opportunity for us to strengthen our leadership in our
markets, as a well-funded business of unique scale, sector
diversification, footprint and capabilities. In parallel, the
Group’s strong cash generation means that we retain
the ability and appetite to make strategically-compelling
acquisitions.
As we enter FY23, our outlook is in line with market
expectations and our capex and investments in line with
plans presented at our Capital Markets Day.
Ian El-Mokadem
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
14 December 2022
Shortly after the end of the year, we were delighted
to be awarded a silver medal by EcoVadis, the world’s
most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings.
EcoVadis gives silver medals only to the top quartile of
companies participating in its programme worldwide.
RWS was also placed in the top 10% of companies in
the industry category ‘Other professional, scientific and
technical activities’.
CURRENT TRADING AND OUTLOOK
Against a backdrop of wider global economic uncertainty,
RWS has delivered in line with market expectations. The
Group is in a robust position, with resilience afforded
by its diversified capabilities and end markets. We also
remain confident in the long-term opportunities provided
by a range of growth drivers across our markets.
STRATEGIC REPORT RWS — Annual Report 2022
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