About Us

CSR-A is a leading UK based company delivering a global standard for social responsibility.

It is now more important than ever to show that we are doing everything we can to improve the world for future generations, by reducing the negative impact we have on the environment and by building a better and cohesive society. It is amazing what many of us are already doing that we don’t talk about. CSR-Accreditation provides the perfect opportunity for you to tell your positive story.

Meet the team

Richard Collins

Founder and Managing Director

As an experienced brand strategist and creative I have pursued a passion for helping companies in the public, private and third sector promote their brand reputation to create differentiation and improved audience engagement. I have helped organisations promote their CSR and sustainability efforts as an integral part of their brand personality. Ethical responsibility is becoming an increasingly important part of every organisations brand reputation.

I established CSR Accreditation in 2018, we are a leading UK based company delivering a global standard for social responsibility. It is now more important than ever to show that we are doing everything we can to improve the world for future generations, by reducing the negative impact we have on the environment and by building a better and cohesive society. It is amazing what many of us are already doing that we don’t talk about. CSR-Accreditation provides the perfect opportunity for you to tell your positive story.

I am President of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Bucks Council, a Leadership Fellow at the Society of Leadership Fellows, St Georges House, Windsor Castle, a Trustee for Wycombe Arts Center a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability and senior advisor to the PLG for ESG

Paul Roberts

Communications Director

With a background as a senior creative in graphic design, I have held several senior positions managing design teams and latterly as a creative director. I co-founded Ecobrand in 2012 with Richard Collins. Ecobrand specialises in brand strategy and communications, specifically for clients with an environmental or CSR related focus. I have a wide experience conceptualising and designing campaigns and managing clients from sole traders to large corporate accounts in all business sectors. I strongly believe that all organisations from the smallest micro business to large corporations should be fully involved with CSR. We now live in a world where positive reputation is the only true measure of the value of a brand.

Jennifer Clark

Operations Director

Jennifer is a seasoned sustainability leader, qualified coach and consultant with a pragmatic and empathetic approach to all sustainability and people challenges. With 28 years experience, Jennifer was Director of Sustainability for Skanska UK leading them to being a leader in their field and winning Sunday Times Best Green Company. More latterly she was Senior Executive Vice President for Skanska construction at the global level and a non-executive on the board for Skanska USA Civil Engineering, driving sustainability strategy and combining it effectively with business goals. Jennifer combines these two aspects to support and encourage people and companies to become more sustainable as she believes the urgency for change is becoming ever more apparent.

David Arkless

Director Global Initiative - CSR-A Ltd Chairman

David Arkless studied at the University of Durham, where he read for a BA in General Studies. He subsequently attended INSEAD, IMD and the San José College of Business Arkless is currently Professor at The University of Durham and CEO/Founder of his own consulting company, The ArkLight Consulting Group. Between 1992 and 2013, he was employed at ManpowerGroup, and was President of Global Corporate & Government Affairs. Prior to this, he worked for Hewlett-Packard and thereupon founded his own consulting company, Caden Corporation. He also served as President-International for CDI Corporation.

David Arkless is a regular advisor to the US Department of State, and various EU departments, also he serves as both board member and corporate committee member of CIETT, the international confederation of private employment agencies. Since May 2010, Arkless has worked as vice president of the China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations (CICPMC) in Beijing.

Emmanuel Audu

Technology Manager

Technology consultant with experience both as a Data Scientist and Full Stack Software Engineer; I have worked on a range of systems from educational web applications, online food ordering mobile applications for companies across the world to improving conversion rates on both web and mobile applications for businesses across the world. I enjoy working with StartUps because I believe there is nothing more satisfying than watching one grow and knowing you were a valuable part of that process, I am very opportune to work for a company with a mission as powerful as that of CSRA.

Dr Hana Albanna

MENA Region Executive Director

Dr. Hana Albanna is a Senior Social Researcher at Faith Regen Foundation, the International Initiatives Manager at Global One and an Adjunct lecturer at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Hana holds a PhD in Marketing, Social Media and Public Relations from Cardiff Metropolitan University, a Public Relations professional diploma from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and a Master degree in Marketing.

Hana is part of a United Nations funded program called “the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South South Cooperation”.
Hana worked closely with international development and non-profit organisations and have more than 15 years of experience in the field of international development. Hana delivered many training programmes worldwide covering strategic management, corporate communications, corporate social responsibilities and the sustainable development goals.

Muryel Boulay

Consultant and Trainer

After 20 years in the food industry working for UK Household Food brands, while trying to convince people to eat locally on the side, Muryel reconciled heart and mind and have been studying and practicing sustainability, CSR, ESG... and whichever other acronyms doing good for people and planet falls under!

Muryel is an advisor for SEED1, a local zero waste shop. She also advises S.E.E.D. on their CSR strategy and finally has recently joined the advisory board of Ability Bank,

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Alumni, B Leader, Terra Insitute Certified Partner, Future Fit Certified Partner.

Muryel is currently a partner of CSR-A for whom she delivers CSR trainings. She is also a Senior Environmental Sustainability Consultant for SCALA, a supply chain consultancy and partners with Fulcrum Protect on all ESG matters. She is the sustainability advisor for Sustainabl., an application enabling firms to measure their employee related emissions.`

Umbreen Lenoire

CSR Digital

Umbreen has over 12 years’ experience in direct marketing and customer communications and has worked as a campaign manager across a number of industries including financial services, utilities and the weight loss sector. An all-round marketer, she has significant experience in managing marketing projects using both digital and traditional media. She is also an accredited copywriter. Making sure key messages are on point at all times, she can produce creative web copy and online content which is written to engage and optimised for search. Umbreen has an holistic approach to a client’s digital requirements. She will ensure your online marketing project is not considered in isolation but fits with your overall business objectives, your customers, and other marketing activities.

Alex Foley

Communications Consultant

A dual British-American citizen, Alexandra has specialised in strategic communications on both sides of the Atlantic for over 25 years. She founded her own London-based public relations agency Alex Foley and Associates Ltd. in 2001 specialising in corporate communications, explorers and expeditions and latterly sustainability.

Alex has had a successful career in New York working for two leading corporate communications agencies, Abernathy MacGregor Scanlon and Robert Marston Associates, in the 1990’s. While a director of Robert Marston Associates, Alex orchestrated press tours for the CEO of Honeywell, Michael Bonsignore, across China and Latin America. AlixPartners, the US turnaround firm, grew its presence in Europe as a direct result of Foley’s efforts. Alex took a break between her agency roles in New York to direct communications for and during the 1996 Titanic Expedition. While on the expedition itself, Alex worked with the Discovery Channel, Titanic survivors, Buzz Aldrin, Electra Marconi, Bob Ballard, the French oceanographic organisation IFRAMER and leading Titanic experts.

Alex Foley and Associates has represented explorers including David Hempleman-Adams, Rosie Stancer, Alex Hibbert and Roz Savage; corporates including AlixPartners UK, the Association of Relocation Agents and The Art Loss Register. During the pandemic, she switched her focus to green technologies, renewables and sustainable transportation. Alex is delighted to join the CSR-Accreditation team to raise their profile globally.

Alex is a member of the Explorers Club, Scientific Expedition Society and Royal Geographical Society. She grew up in England, Southern Spain and California. Her interests include the American West, music, writing, exploring and photography.

Owen Hughes

CSR Strategic Consultant

A commercially astute and innovative marketing leader with a proven track-record of generating significant return on investment and planning strategies to drive continuous improvements. I am experienced in directing commercial projects and apply an entrepreneurial mindset to generate revenue in challenging circumstances. My experience covers a wide range of sectors from technology to health and leisure with an emphasis on professional services. My focus is for developing marketing strategies that utilise the latest technology to achieve results. This includes a passion for CSR which I have used as a marketing tool for nearly two decades. In the past ten years, this passion has evolved and has seen me working with many charities and organisations to help them develop CSR strategies to get the maximum benefit.

Peter Leigh-Quine

Treasurer

Peter has 30 years experience as an accountant, working predominantly in the creative industries supporting musicians, artists and live events. He has many successful and notable clients in his portfolio. He also specialises in helping start up business with compliance, advice and general support. Peter has been involved in the judging for The Green Apple Awards and The Built Environment Awards for many years. ‘I set up my business to work for people I have respect for and empathy with, such that I could provide low cost professional services for those who have chosen to use their creative talents as a career despite the low earnings that involves’.

There is now increasing recognition of the fact that Social Responsibility can be used as source of competitive advantage through good corporate governance, effective execution of innovative social projects and ethical management. In order to maximise this potential, it is essential for organisations to smartly communicate their Social Responsibility efforts to ensure that consumers view them as driven by intrinsic (genuine) rather than extrinsic (profit led) motivations.

Having been involved with the establishment and running of the International CSR Excellence Awards, which recognise and reward Social Responsibility best practice, we naturally wanted to look at a CSR Accreditation scheme. It was clear to us that organisations that deliver on their Social Responsibility promises needed a platform other than the CSR Awards to communicate their Social Responsibility success stories.

We have embarked on a journey to define a Social Responsibility framework which we will use to establish a global CSR Accreditation scheme. With backgrounds in brand reputation and the establishment of Ecobrand we understood very early on that achieving a CSR Accreditation offers organisations the opportunity to talk about the positive Social Responsibility activity they are engaged in. It is an invaluable marketing tool that improves a company’s public image and relationship with consumers. The application process provides a template for an organisations Social Responsibility Policy. A Social Responsibility Policy connects you with the community that surrounds you, ensures you act responsibly with regard to the environment and helps you value and look after your staff while ensuring that your products and services are delivered ethically and responsibly.

Challenging the ‘C’ in CSR

Increasingly the term ‘corporate’ has been challenged.
This is because it excludes a large number of stakeholders, specifically the third and public sectors and because ‘corporate’ does not encompass sole traders or smaller SME’s. For this reason we have defined the ‘C’ in CSR to be more inclusive. We now recommend that the ‘C’ has a wider focus of audience specific meanings.

• Large Companies – Corporate Social Responsibility (Private Sector)
• Sole Traders and SME’s – Company Social Responsibility (Private Sector)
• Local Authorities, Schools, Hospitals etc – Community Social Responsibility (Public Sector)
• Charities – Charitable Social Responsibility (Third Sector)
• Products & Services – Consumer Social Responsibility
• Training & Workshops – Citizen Social Responsibility
• All of Us – Collective Social Responsibility

We can then surround these meanings with a Caring, Cohesive approach Common to the wider Collective.

Following 18 months of development ensuring transparent processes and the establishment of a totally independent CSR Accreditation Assessment panel represented by organisations in the public, private and third sectors we launched the scheme in July 2018.