CR Report 20077MB - Essent

www.essent.eu
> Business is something
that involves us all
We are society
This was the guiding principle in 2007 that helped us to even
deeper entrench Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in
our corporate policies and our business practices. The Business
Plan, which defines a number of explicit CSR targets,
was an important tool in that regard. In 2008 we will continue
to translate these targets into concrete measures for each
business unit, including key performance indicators (KPIs)
and target values.
Announcing new policies is not enough, not when it comes
to CSR either. An enterprise also has a responsibility to report
on the degree to which its policies have been executed.
For this reason, we published our first separate CSR Report
(for 2006) in 2007. This explicit report on our CSR efforts
allowed us to initiate highly concrete discussions with our
internal and external stakeholders about our ambitions. In
addition, the publication of the report resulted in a gratifying
rise of Essent’s position in the annual Transparency Benchmark
of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Our CSR policy is continually gaining momentum thanks to
our dialogue with stakeholders. We try to align our policies
to their expectations as much as we can by listening carefully
to their recommendations and criticisms. In this report,
sixteen internal and external stakeholders present their
opinions on topics that matter to Essent, including energy
technology, the use of bio fuels, staff diversity and our regional
anchorage. We will take their comments to heart
where possible when planning any future steps.
Staff commitment is an absolute prerequisite for the success
of our CSR policy. After all, it is our collective staff
who help us achieve our ambitions. In 2008 we will launch
an internal campaign with a view to bolstering our staff’s
inspiration and motivation. Spurred on by the campaign
motto ‘How on Earth’, every staff member will be asked to
join in on activities to literally improve the social climate
both in and outside our company.
2008 is promising to be an earth-shakingly dynamic year!
Arnhem, the Netherlands, 27 February 2008
Michiel Boersma
Chairman of the Executive Board
4 Essent N.V. 2007 CSR Report