Boston Limited is sponsoring the award for Corporate Social Responsibility at this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.
Director Katherine Ellis explains why this is such an appropriate category for Boston…
‘For us, corporate social responsibility is not just lip service – it’s part of our DNA.
‘We’re a firm that believes deeply in investing in our people, investing in our clients for long term relationships and investing in the communities in which we operate, both here in the Isle of Man and in Malta. That’s visible in lots of ways, such as Boston’s three-year strategic sponsorship of Junior Achievement and the fact that nine of our staff took part in the Parish Walk for a range of local charities.
‘The company holds regular social events for staff and their families. We do that because we believe in it for itself but we also believe it builds a great organisational culture and creates a working environment where people want to remain for the long term. This then transposes into the service we deliver to clients over the long term, so it’s good for Boston, it’s good for our people and it’s good for the Isle of Man and the other communities in which we operate.’
Boston Limited originated from the family office established for the Moore family over 10 years ago. Mr George Moore CBE KStJ was, until 1987, the chairman of the George A Moore Group in the UK which comprised several multi million pound companies engaged in various business interests from manufacturing to direct retailing. The company was established by Mr Moore in 1945 and by the time of its sale, the group employed approximately 1,000 people. He is now retired and the mantle of running the main family estate has been vested in Richard Moore, his son who performs an active role as chairman to the Boston Group of companies. Richard Moore is also involved in the family’s investment, property and venture capital portfolios. Aside from his business interests, Richard is a philanthropist who actively seeks to promote the welfare of others.
‘A good example of that is the Boston Charitable Foundation which is the philanthropy vehicle for our founding family and for decades before Boston they, through all of their businesses in the UK and further afield, have always invested in local charities and organisations,’ explains Katherine.
Having started out on the Isle of Man with its first employee in 2002, Boston has diversified its services from being a single family office and grown into a full service trust company and multi-family office with a head count of 55. In 2012 they opened an office in Malta which now has five staff.
‘There are several reasons why Boston has grown and has been successful,’ explains Katherine, and she goes on, ‘we are highly focussed on customer service: we have looked after our staff and looked after our customers very well.
‘We have also been able to move quickly, so we’ve been able to take advantage of acquisitions when the opportunity has arisen. We’ve brought in people with the right experience, technical expertise and knowledge in niche areas of the business which have aligned with niche areas that the Isle of Man has been successful in, such as shipping, aviation and ecommerce. Boston has grown in all of those areas because we have worked closely with the Isle of Man, and worked closely with government, to further the island as a place for diverse international business.
‘We believe we’re one of the strongest, most innovative and dynamic trust companies, not just in the Isle of Man but in the British Isles and I think that’s been built upon the essence of the family that are behind Boston. They have always built for the medium and the long term and have weathered storms in the economy and other challenges.’
When it comes to facing challenges, Katherine believes that the people of the Isle of Man have a key trait which helps them to deal with them and overcome them:
‘When they’re faced with a challenge, the people of the Isle of Man don’t overreact,’ she says, ‘they size it up and see it for what it is. With that kind of composure they are then able to think clearly about what needs to be done and get on and do it.
‘I think the Chief Minister in his various roles over recent years has been a good example of that. His interaction with the business community has put the island on a really steady course to deal with a lot of those challenges.
‘Boston is a business with strong foundations and we’re growing very well now but we’ve got far more ambitious plans for the future and we’re very confident that we will achieve them.’
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Does Your Organisation Have a Strong Corporate Social Responsibility Ethic?
Entries are now being invited for this year’s Awards for Excellence. There are sixteen award categories which include the Isle of Man Bank sponsored Young Achiever Award.
This year’s Awards night takes place on November 21. The event will be compered by Hugh Dennis, star of the hit TV comedy ‘Outnumbered’, and screened live via the web to a worldwide audience.
For further details on how to enter the awards, go to www.iomtoday.co.im/afe