BAE Systems Chairman Dick Olver talks about the near decade-long journey of culture change he has led at BAE Systems.
Today, we are recognized for applying perhaps the most stringent anti-corruption and compliance standards, not just of any defence company, but across industry at large. Dick Olver delivered a speech entitled ‘A Journey of Culture Change’ to an audience invited by the Tomorrow’s Company organisation and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Tomorrow’s Company aims to work with companies in building lasting value for business. In his speech, Dick Olver talked about the near decade-long journey of culture change he has led at BAE Systems which has resulted our Company being ranked fourth out of 129 companies in Transparency International’s latest defence industry anti-corruption index. He outlined the importance of company boards in setting the ‘tone from the top’ and said: “The culture we’ve tried to develop is one in which our people take the company’s core ethical values into account in every decision they take. One where doing the right thing becomes an almost subconscious response.” The Chairman rejected the view that there is a conflict between good business behaviour and strong financial returns adding: “A trusted reputation for principled business conduct delivers hard benefits to the bottom-line. There is growing evidence from organisations such as the Institute of Business Ethics that companies that have implemented codes of conduct perform better overall than those that don’t.” To read a copy of the full speech click here. source: BAE Systems Newsroom