41061 Unite AR22 HI-RES WEB-READY - Flipbook - Page 69
STRATEGIC REPORT
GOVERNANCE
Student safety is our utmost priority and in response to
customer needs, we introduced a new operating model so
that all our buildings have 24/7 staff presence, 365 days a
year across both frontline and management staff.
Our city teams engage with our student customers on a dayto-day basis covering welfare issues, complemented by our
Resident Ambassadors, who provide peer-to-peer support
to students, and organise activities in our properties to help
foster like-minded communities.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OTHER INFORMATION
Suppliers
We work with a wide range of suppliers across our
operations and development activities to deliver a highquality, affordable customer offer. Our teams maintain
strong relationships with suppliers and ensure that the
contractors we use have the right skill set and accreditations
to undertake the work in our buildings. The Board recognise
the importance of supplier relationships and is provided with
regular updates throughout the year.
University partners
Our impact on the community and the environment
Universities are key strategic stakeholders, directly
accounting for around half of our reservations each year
under nomination agreements and the other half indirectly
through their students who book directly with us. The
reputation, health and future growth of our University
partners remains central to our business prospects.
Home for Success is about creating a sense of belonging and
community in our properties and beyond and we’re ensuring
our actions have a positive impact. To maximise the value we
create for communities and ensure our ability to continue
to operate and grow within them, we seek to play an active
role in local communities and build trusted, long-term
relationships with community partners. This can be seen in
our development activity where we actively engage with local
communities to ensure the design of our buildings, public
spaces and community facilities also meets their needs.
Our Positive Impact programme encourages our people
and teams to work with local stakeholders on community
impact initiatives.
The Group supports the growth ambitions of its university
partners through a range of different approaches from
single-year accommodation arrangements to more strategic
on-campus relationships. Through this partnering, we can
explore opportunities for new University partnerships,
where we can unlock operational efficiencies, alongside new
accommodation options.
Our Higher Education Engagement team and Student
Support team meets regularly with university leaders and
teams at various levels enabling us to discuss this strategic
planning as well as day-to-day operational requirements.
This feedback is shared with our Board who in turn consider
our strategies for delivering value to universities. Our
Student Support team also engage and have collaborative
relationships with Higher Education institutions and
provide the Board with insight into trends and specific
themes relating to student wellbeing across the Higher
Education sector.
Our annual Higher Education Engagement survey provides
the Board with key insight into our reputation and
performance with our University partners as further detailed
as part of our Higher Education trust operational KPI on page
31. This helps inform the way we improve our product and
service. The Board is also regularly updated on trends in the
Higher Education sector in the UK and globally, which inform
the Group’s strategy around the universities with which it
seeks to partner over the long-term.
As a responsible business, our wider stakeholders
demand we proactively manage environmental, social and
governance risks. Moreover, we understand the significant
contribution that property makes to global carbon emissions
and how essential it is that we play our part in the fight
against climate change.
Through the Sustainability Committee, the Board has
oversight of our environmental impact through continued
review of our sustainability strategy launched externally
in 2021. This strategy specifies clear targets to reduce our
environmental impact over time. In addition, our Net Zero
Carbon Pathway, published in December 2021, details our
approach to reach net zero carbon across our operations and
developments by 2030.
Engagement around environmental impact comes indirectly
through feedback from investors, students, universities and
local communities, all of which is considered by the Board.
During the year, the Sustainability Committee considered the
Group’s communication of the sustainability strategy and
feedback received from internal and external stakeholders.
Following review, we launched an updated and more
engaging communication framework.
Further information on our sustainability strategy can be found on pages 125–127
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