'This was two years in the making': Natilik CEO on B Corp coup

B Corp and similar certifications will become ‘non-negotiable’, Mike Danson claims

Natilk has become the first sizeable UK IT solutions provider to secure B Corp status, a process its CEO has told CRN took nearly two years.

Mike Danson (pictured) also predicted that certifications like it will soon become "non-negotiable" for firms across the sector.

Aimed at companies who balance profits with purpose, the B Corporation movement requires those it certifies to meet "the highest standards of social and environmental performance". There are around 1,100 in the UK and 6,300 worldwide.

Although distributor QBS Software and AWS consultancy Steamhaus both gained B Corp status last summer, London-based Cisco partner and CRN Top VAR s regular Natilik is thought to be the first sizeable VAR or MSP to gain the accreditation.

Led by Natilik chief people officer Kelly White, the process was completed when Natilik legally embedded its commitment to purpose beyond profit in its company articles.

"I think we're definitely the first to do it [in our market]," Danson said.

"And I honestly think that it will become a bit like audited accounts. I think it will start to become almost non-negotiable that people have to prove the stuff they're saying they're doing."

The B Corp certification addresses the entirety of a business' operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. Well-known B Corps include outdoor clothing outfit Patagonia, cosmetics firm The Body Shop and ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's.

The movement has been in the news recently after beer brewer Brewdog was stripped of its B Corp status.

Danson admitted that gaining the status was "bloody hard work" and had been "two years in the making".

"You can't fake it. You have to prove you're doing it. It costs money and time, and we got an external consultant to guide us through the process," he said.

Going for B Corp "goes back to our DNA," the Natilik chief added.

"We've always believed that growing a business is more than just about shareholder return, but we've never been able to really prove to anyone objectively that we're actually stepping up on those things," he said.

"That's what we were looking for: something that would allow us to prove that - a bit like how audited accounts force people to a common standard. B Corp is one of the ways that's now internationally recognised to say, objectively, that you're stepping up on some of the things you should be doing around the broader stakeholder community."