The Crown Estate is a diverse property business with a capital value of £8.6 billion, and a total property value of £8.1 billion. The property managed is owned by the Crown but is not the private property of the monarch.

Mark Gough is the Head of Sustainability at The Crown Estate, and is responsible for developing and delivering innovative ways of embedding sustainability into the business. He is on the Natural Capital Committee (Landowners Group) and is a Sustainability Champion of the Scottish Public Sector Climate Leaders Forum (PSCLF). 

Ethical Corporation: How are corporate communications around corporate responsibility and sustainability evolving in your business?

Mark Gough: We aim to communicate the value that sustainable thinking delivers. This can be seen through our Total Contribution Report and our first Integrated Annual Report, which we are continuing to evolve and improve.

Ethical Corporation: Is there, in business generally, too much of a disconnect between reporting and communications teams? If so, why?

Mark Gough: In some companies there is a disconnect, but through our integrated approach the Finance, Communications, Sustainability, Risk and Strategy team meet regularly to build integrated communications.

Ethical Corporation: Does your company do tailored sustainability and CR messaging to different groups, if so, can you give us some examples?

Mark Gough: We do focus our messaging to different groups, but attempt to always produce integrated messages that explain the value of a sustainability action. An example might be the new fuel cell we have installed in one of our developments. This is creating competitive advantage and commercial value for us. The message therefore is not this is a nice green installation, but that this activity is part of how we do business.

Ethical Corporation: What's your view on integrated reporting? Trojan horse, trojan pony, or neither?

Mark Gough: We are passionate supporters of Integrated Reporting and we are part of the International Integrated Reporting Councils’ Pilot Programme. Integrated reporting is better way of communicating with stakeholders and explaining how we create value. The Strategic Report requirements that have just come in are an in fact an Integrated Report lite, so companies will be moving this way even if they do not yet realise it. 

Mark Gough will be speaking at the 7th Annual CR Reporting and Communications Summit, 27/28th November 2013. He will be part of the opening keynote session for the Summit, presenting alongside Unilever and Pirelli.

communications  corporate responsibility  CR Reporting  Crown Estate  Management spotlight 

The 7th Annual CR Reporting and Communications Summit 2013

November 2013, London, UK

Add materiality to your business CR disclosure strategy, get to grips with all the latest CR reporting guidelines and bring your CR communications to the next level for increased brand loyalty and stakeholder engagement. Real life examples from Unilever, Virgin Media, IKEA, Nestle and more!

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