Message from the Chair of the Boards of Directors

GRI: 2-22

Dear partners and colleagues,

Let me present you our first Sustainability Report 2023. It summarises our experience, describes our approach to sustainable development, discloses our most important achievements over the period under report and our plans for the years to follow.

Sustainability Agenda

As one of the ambassadors of the sustainable development agenda, Expert RA shapes its everyday life in accordance with the ESG principles. Despite recent worries about the ESG agenda falling by the wayside, we see that it not only doesn’t stop being relevant, but, quite the opposite, becomes increasingly important. This is largely due to the advent of a national taxonomy and the corporates’ commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

There are still not many companies in the Russian market issuing ESG bonds and receiving ESG ratings, but we see the potential for a greater interest in these instruments. It demonstrates itself in a gradually increasing customer demand for services related to sustainability assessment. Our ratings and verifications have become an important benchmark for companies implementing this agenda. During our business activity, we fully support the aspirations of our clients for the ESG transformation and, for our part, adopt the best practices.

Environmental Protection

Notwithstanding the changing external context, the climate agenda continues to play a significant role in Russia and worldwide. The Agency plans to assess Scope 2 and Scope 3 indirect greenhouse gas emissions and disclosure the results in our next Report. Also, during the reporting year, we introduced environmentally friendly solutions and energy-saving technologies in our office, developed resource-efficient solutions, and converted our business processes and documents from paper form to electronic one.

Social Responsibility

Our personnel are the basis of our success and our key asset. Our important achievements in the area of corporate social responsibility include the improvement of working conditions, the development of personnel skills, the introduction of training and advanced training courses, and the refinement of our labour protection policies. We have built a corporate culture, where human rights are acknowledged and respected, and everyone is encouraged to grow professionally and personally. In the context of the Russian rating market, we are unique in that we only recruit professional environmentalists. This sets Expert RA apart and highlights our competence-based position as a leading provider of sustainability assessments. Another important aspect of the Agency’s social agenda is cooperation with charitable foundations and volunteer organisations, which we plan to expand in the medium term.

Effective Governance

The Agency’s corporate governance system mees the highest standards for an effective business development, and we are constantly improving our practices. The Agency has approved a sustainable development policy; our Board of Directors has been formed in full accordance with the principles of independence and gender equality.

In conclusion, I would like to note that these achievements are the result of the coordinated work of the Expert RA Team. And I am confident that this will allow us to continue to cope with all the challenges facing us.