Section 172 (1) statement
This statement is provided by the Company. All references to Group within this section relate to the Succession Holdings Ltd Group (the “Group”).
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 (s.172) requires directors of a company to act in the way they consider would most likely promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole. Directors must act in good faith and pursuant to s.172 consideration must be given to:
a) the likely consequences of any decisions in the long term,
b) the interests of the Company’s employees,
c) the need to foster the Company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others,
d) the impact of the Company’s operations on the community and the environment,
e) the desirability of the Company to maintain a reputation of high standards of business conduct, and
f) the need to act fairly, as between members of the Company.
The directors keep in close contact with investors, employees, customers, suppliers and local communities so they are aware of their views. This ensures the directors can appropriately consider their interests in decision making.
Strategy:
The directors of the Group spent significant time during both 2022 and 2023 reviewing the corporate strategy for the coming years. The strategy of the Group has implications for all stakeholders and the directors obtained feedback from investors, the senior leadership team, critical business partners and employees.
During 2023 the Group continued to review aspects of its culture including its vision and values and also its core proposition. A strong culture with a focus on its clients forms an important part of the strategy.
The Group formally engages with Aviva Life Holdings UK Limited through parent Board meetings (normally four times a year) providing financial, commercial, regulatory, and human resources updates.
The Board of the Company met 4 times during 2023. Details of the Company’s share capital, including the rights and obligations attached to the shares are set out in the notes to the Annual Report and Financial statements, which are filed at Companies House.
Clients:
The Group is a large national financial planning organisation operating across the country. A team of more than 200 Wealth Planners deliver high quality independent and restricted advice to more than 20,000 clients throughout the UK. The Group is committed to helping people achieve more with their money. The Company is an investment platform provider to the wider Group as well as to financial advisory businesses that are outside of the Group.
Client satisfaction and feedback is paramount and of the utmost importance, and during 2023 the Group worked with Vouchedfor and Trustpilot to gather reviews and feedback directly from clients. Some extremely positive feedback was received across both platforms. At the end of 2023 the Group had received over 1,490 client reviews on Vouchedfor with an overall rating of 4.8/5, together with a Trustpilot rating of 4.3/5. Wealth Planners are made aware of all reviews received from their individual clients, so that they’re able to address any concerns directly and in a timely manner.
Clients are communicated with on a regular basis via email with a view to providing interesting, relevant updates and articles so that they remain both engaged and informed. As part of these regular communications, feedback is invited and the Trustpilot link provided. The Group’s aim is to be open and transparent, and to make it easy for clients to provide swift, honest feedback.
The Group maintains separate quality and client engagement teams to ensure that clients have access to accurate and up to date information when they need it. A continuing programme of CPD and training ensures that the Group can act in the best interest of all customers.
A separate complaints team monitor all communication with clients who believe they have not been serviced correctly. Although the Group has an excellent record in this area, when the need arises the processes and systems are in place to ensure timely responses to clients and regular communication. When an agreement cannot be reached then the Group maintains contact when matters are referred to the Financial Ombudsmen Service (FOS). All staff across the Group receive training in relation to complaints handling to ensure client needs always take precedence.
Workforce:
The directors promote the success of the Company for the benefit of the shareholders as well as the employees of the wider Group.
The Company is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to a policy and practice of treating all employees and job applicants equally. The Company aims to ensure that the diversity of the communities in which it works is reflected at all levels within its workforce. The current report surrounding Gender pay can be found on the Group’s website.
The Company’s policy is to consult and discuss with its workforce matters that affect their interests. Information is given through information bulletins and reports which are shared via our internal online portal ‘Campus’. These seek to achieve a common awareness on the part of the whole workforce of the financial and economic factors affecting the Group’s performance.
The workforce is asked to communicate with the board by taking part in an annual engagement survey. The survey is completed anonymously with the aim of ensuring that the workforce’s voice is heard and considered when decisions are being made. Updates were provided throughout the year by the CEO, James Stevenson, who produced regular (at least quarterly) video updates with guest speakers from across the Group, where he covered financial, commercial, regulatory, HR and social updates. It is expected that this method of communication will be continued by the newly appointed CEO, Simon Roger Marsden.
During the year, the Board reviewed arrangements and approved Succession’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement, which sets out the steps taken to prevent modern slavery in the business and its supply chains. The Group’s Modern Slavery Act Statement is published on its website.
Suppliers:
The Group aims to work responsibly with its suppliers. As a Wealth Planning business, the Group controls and owns all client services and solutions and therefore the supply chain includes fund managers, investment solutions and technology providers, as well as consultants or advisors in specialist fields.
As well as suppliers of investment and insurance solutions, pension products and bespoke advice. The Group engages with many other suppliers such as business premises providers, stationery suppliers, energy providers etc. The Group operates Procurement and Third-Party policies and the business reviews all supplier contracts against these standards.
Community and Environment:
The Group launched Succession Giving in 2009 which has supported a variety of both national and local causes. Nationally, the Group supported Young Minds in 2022 and 2023. In total, £67k was raised and given to the charity. The Group changes its adopted national charity periodically based on an employee vote so that other worthwhile causes can benefit from our fund-raising efforts. The Group will be supporting Young Lives v Cancer during 2024 and 2025.
Regional offices also support local charities through fundraising and volunteering opportunities. Supporting local, as well as national charities, not only provides much needed support and donations, but also allows opportunities for smaller and lesser-known charities to extend their reach. An impressive £9k was given to charities following local fundraising efforts this year.
Throughout the year, everyone within the Group is encouraged to get involved with both well-known National events, such as Children In Need, Comic Relief and Macmillan’s big coffee morning, as well as local volunteering activities, with all funds raised split equally between the national and local charities.
In addition to the above, in April and September, the Group holds two “Communities Days”. All teams stop work and dedicate time to raising funds for charity or spending time in the local community volunteering. The proceeds from each Communities Day are matched by the Group.
Last updated: 22 April 2024