ESG Bi-Annual Update - April 2025

Welcome to MRK’s first bi-annual ESG report for 2025, where we aim to share our progress and efforts towards building a more sustainable future. ESG factors are becoming increasingly important for companies to consider, not only in terms of compliance and risk management, but also as a means of creating long-term value and securing client trust.

One of our values is to always give back to our clients by offering free resources such as business reports on the current market, salary guides to determine competitive salaries and market rates for certain positions, creating platforms to support business development.

In this report, we will highlight our ESG initiatives and performance over the past quarter, including our progress towards reducing our environmental impact, enhancing our social responsibility, and improving our DE & I practices. We believe that transparency and accountability are essential for driving positive change, and we look forward to sharing our journey with you!

Environment

• Thanks to our flexible working policy, we worked from home for an average of 56% of our working days this quarter. If everyone in the office commuted five days a week, our fuel consumption would average 497 litres per quarter. With our flexi schedule, we saved approximately 139 litres—enough to drive from Hemel Hempstead to Brussels and back 3 times!

• We are taking the first steps to cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2028, and aiming to reach Net Zero by 2030. No matter how small your business, what industry or part of the UK you’re in, your commitment could make a real difference – to the planet, to your customers and to your running costs! Even the smallest businesses produce carbon emissions – it could be through your building, your vehicles or your suppliers.
• We have calculated our carbon emissions for the last quarter…

Social

• Google review emails are sent out on a weekly basis to candidates and clients who we have placed the week before. So far, we’ve received 18 very positive reviews since our last report in September from some happy candidates and clients!

Employee Wellbeing:

• We have 2 Mental Health First Responders in the team who have been awarded with the FutureQuals Level 2 Award in Mental Health: Workplace Responder qualification, which gives them an understanding of mental health issues that can affect individuals at work, and how to spot the signs.

• Lucy achieved a huge milestone at MRK, as we celebrated her 6 year anniversary in November. Roland had this to say about Lucy - “6 years with us and I feel I say the same thing every year. Lucy has developed so much over the years to become the great recruiter she is now. What hasn’t changed is her honesty and integrity which are by far the most important traits in building relationships and partnering with both clients and candidates. Lucy’s strength is her thoroughness and desire to always deliver – doing the best job she can. Her move to Dubai has only developed her further and can’t wait to see her further successes in the future." We couldn't be more thankful to have you on our team!

• Chris also achieved a huge milestone at MRK, as we celebrated his 5 year anniversary in February. Roland had this to say about Chris – “What a 5 years to have joined MRK. Chris joined us c.6 weeks before the pandemic hit in 2020 and I don’t think anyone could have predicted the 5 years, with its ups and downs, that we’ve seen in this time. However, a massive thanks to Chris for his continued focus and commitment throughout this period with his level-headed and calm approach which has been vital. Thank you for your constant desire to want to look after all your client relationships and service every job as best you can. We wish you continued success and all our support for the next 5.” We couldn't be more thankful to have you on our team!

MRK Internal Diversity

Customer

• We’ve received over 4225 adverts responses over the last 6 months for the jobs we had registered these last 2 quarters. Every response will receive either a rejection to any unsuitable candidates, or suitable candidates then get shortlisted and approached – every candidate will get a response from us whether positive or negative! We don’t leave them in the dark with their application.
  • 94.01% of applications were considered Unsuitable for that particular role.
  • 5.99% of applications made it to the shortlist.

• Our salary guides provide clients with market insight and trends within Revenue Management and Finance, with comparisons across the UK, to ensure they’re up to date with the latest salary information for their hiring process. Don’t begin your search without being equipped with up-to-date salary information!
  • Revenue Management salary guides downloaded: 42
  • Finance salary guides downloaded: 12

• In February we released our latest South-East England Business Forecast Report for 2025. As businesses in South-East England prepare for the year ahead, MRK Associates surveyed industry leaders to understand their outlook. The findings provide valuable insights into the key challenges, priorities, and strategies shaping 2025.

Clients worked with 

Events we hosted and attended

• Roland spent the day at the RMPI event in March. Lots of key insights about revenue management and how Revenue Managers can transform the industry moving forward. Thank you to the insightful speakers from Great British Railways Transition Team, Silverstone, Edwards & Finn, Klarent Hospitality, Carnival UK, Align Analytics and University of West London.

• On the 23rd of January, Roland attended Longdean Secondary School’s annual Speed Networking event. This involves talking to over 200 students in groups of 6-8 students in Year 9 discussing the world of work, what we do at MRK Associates, and how to think about what GCSEs to pick, answering any questions they may have.

• As a member of the Board for HSMAI Region Europe, Roland attended their Commercial Strategy Conference on 16th January at The Savoy Hotel, London, for an insightful panel discussion: Maximizing Revenue Through Payment and AI.

• Lucy hosted an insightful virtual roundtable with revenue leaders across Europe in October. The agenda covered a broad spectrum, from 2024 industry overview to 2025 outlooks and emerging trends in revenue management.
   

DE & I

• We make an effort to reduce any unconscious bias from employers; before a CV gets sent to the client, we remove any personal contact details, D.O.B’s, religion/ethnicity.

• We took a look into the diversity of our candidates we’ve registered, placed, and clients we’ve worked with, as well as our own internal diversity.

Candidates registered:

Placements: