Sean Haley on Sodexo's half year fiscal results
We have delivered a very solid half year and made great progress delivering our strategy to grow with purpose. We have been successful in retaining significant clients and winning exciting new business in both the private and public sectors who have recognised the strength and value of our services and people.
We have been pleased that many of our long-standing clients have chosen to retain our services, including Oasis Community Learning, BASF, and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to name just a few. We were also successful in winning important public sector contracts including HMP Altcourse in Liverpool and HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire; and just a few weeks ago, following a competitive procurement process, HMRC awarded us the contract to manage operations at two inland border facilities at Sevington in Kent and Holyhead in North Wales.
These significant public sector contract awards reinforce our long history of working as a trusted, strategic partner to the UK government and its agencies, delivering valued public services with excellence and integrity.
As companies continue to attract colleagues back to the workplace and compete for talent, our Vital Spaces proposition has helped us to retain TriRx Pharmaceutical Services and win new business, including a global banking firm based in London, by offering excellent workplace and exciting food experiences.
Our success is of course reliant on the talent and hard work of all our colleagues. We are resolute in our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace where colleagues feel they belong, where they can act with purpose and thrive in their own way.
One highlight was our Spirit of Sodexo Awards gala event where we recognise those who, through their everyday actions, live and breathe our values and help us grow with purpose. We received over 1,000 nominations for these awards – a testament to both the great work being done, but also to the culture of recognition we aim to foster throughout the business.
As we reflect on the last six months, I cannot stress how important it for us to also support the communities in which we live, work and serve. We were delighted to host our Stop Hunger Foundation Dinner last month which added a further £144,000 to our fundraising which will go to our local and national charity partners who are making a difference to communities across the UK.
But it is not just about the financial support we’ve given. Last financial year, our colleagues recorded an amazing 4,443 hours of volunteering time spent with our charity partners and helping out in their local communities.
Reviewing the progress we have made, not only in growing our business but also by delivering our social value strategy, I feel an intense sense of pride in what we have been able to collectively achieve and have confidence in our teams and our business to continue that success into the second half of the financial year and beyond.
