AVEVA GROUP PLC
Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 is a United Kingdom law focused on the prevention and prosecution of all forms of “modern slavery,” including human trafficking and forced or compulsory labor. Section 54 of the Act requires certain business organizations to prepare and publish a statement regarding the steps they have taken during the preceding financial year to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in any part of their business or supply chains.
About AVEVA
The AVEVA Group is a leading global provider of engineering and industrial software. It consists of a parent company, AVEVA Group plc, incorporated in the U.K., and a number of subsidiaries held directly or indirectly by AVEVA Group plc, which are incorporated in various jurisdictions around the world (including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the U.A.E., the U.K. and the U.S.), each contributing to the Group’s profits, assets and cash flows. On 1 March 2018, AVEVA Group plc completed the combination with the Schneider Electric Industrial Software Business ('the Combination'), creating a global leader in engineering and industrial software.
This statement is prepared in connection with financial year ended 31 March 2019 in respect of AVEVA Group plc and its subsidiary AVEVA Solutions Limited.
Slavery and human trafficking are serious crimes and human rights violations, and AVEVA strongly condemns them in all of their forms.
AVEVA Group plc maintains a group-level Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy, which is now available here, and which states our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. That Policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners, and states that breaches of the Policy may result in disciplinary action (and potentially dismissal) against employees and termination of our relationships with other parties.
AVEVA maintains a central procurement function which is primarily responsible for procurement in relation to customer contracts. Other procurement within the AVEVA Group is handled directly by individual business units and subsidiaries.
In light of the nature of our business and our supply chains, which are generally comprised of office space, office-related supplies, IT and other technology, personnel, facilities, transportation, recruitment, legal and financial services and sourced primarily from within the United Kingdom, we believe the risks of slavery and human trafficking taking place in any part of our business or supply chains are relatively low. We are not aware of any instance in which a modern slavery concern has been raised with us by an AVEVA employee or third party in either our business or our supply chains, and we have not to date otherwise identified any instances of modern slavery in either our business or our supply chains. We note in that respect that AVEVA maintains a Whistleblowing Policy, in respect of which mandatory staff training is delivered.
Notwithstanding the above, we remain committed to taking steps to prevent modern slavery arising in any part of our business or supply chains. During our last financial year, we have taken the following steps in this respect:
- We have continued to consider the risks of slavery and human trafficking taking place in any part of our business or supply chains. In particular, staff within our Legal team (acting on advice and guidance of external counsel) have considered our existing procurement arrangements with relevant members of staff, with a view to identifying any elements of those arrangements which give rise to heightened modern slavery risk.
- We have developed staff training on modern slavery risk which is planned for delivery in Q2 2019, and will be mandatory for all AVEVA Group plc staff. That training will address the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and our obligations under it, the supply chain, key issues relating to modern slavery risk for commercial organisations and what our personnel should do if they identify or suspect modern slavery.
- We have begun to seek to include in contracts with suppliers and contractors, on a rolling basis as existing contracts come up for renewal or new contracts are entered into, provisions requiring such suppliers and contractor, in the discharge of their contractual obligations to AVEVA, to comply with all applicable laws in force from time to time including the Modern Slavery Act 2015, to take steps to ensure that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in any part of its business and to confirm the absence of historic offences, investigations, inquiries or other enforcement proceedings in connection with slavery or human trafficking. We are currently developing standard contractual terms for use in procurement of goods and services, with those terms to include provision on compliance with applicable laws relating to modern slavery.
This statement has been authorised and approved by James Kidd, a director of AVEVA Group plc.
James Kidd
Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
AVEVA Group plc
