As the dust settles on B Corp Month 2026 and our recent recertification, we’ve been reflecting on a question we’ve been asked a lot over the past few years – and one we’ve asked ourselves, too:
How does a business grow fast, scale across geographies, quadruple its headcount, integrate multiple acquisitions, and still stay true to the values that got it there?
For CP, the answer has been treating our B Corp commitments not as a certificate or badge, but as a north star. A framework for every decision. And as we’ve discovered, when your values are real – lived, not laminated – rapid growth doesn’t dilute them. It strengthens them.
Below, we’ve touched on how we’ve kept our values burning bright as the UK’s largest accountancy B Corp.
GOVERNANCE: EMBEDDING ACCOUNTABILITY
Strong governance is the backbone that ensures our B Corp commitments remain non-negotiable at CP. It touches every corner of the business – and guides decisions at every level.
Ollie Vaughan, CP’s CFO, commented:
“Our commitments are clearly communicated in our 3 Year Vision, and we hold ourselves accountable at board level and to our investors. Governance around ESG touches every part of the business. Not just delivery, but reporting, measurement and strategic decision-making too.”
That includes maintaining a deliberate and ongoing focus on standards, ensuring our governance aligns with B Corp expectations. Crucially, all potential additions to the business, including M&A activity, are assessed through an ESG/B Corp lens. This is a core part of our M&A due diligence criteria.
There is full visibility of ESG performance across the firm, and our Sustainability team and board work closely with our M&A and Facilities teams to address ESG targets and cross-functional integration.
CULTURE AS THE ANCHOR
Growth brings excitement, opportunity, and naturally, complexity. New teams. New locations. New clients. New ways of working. It can be energising – but also destabilising without something solid to ground it all.
For us, that grounding force is values.
As April Homer, Partner & Chief People Officer, says:
“Just like the CP Values, the B Corp values aren’t just words to us; they are our filter for real decisions and action. Who we hire, who we promote, which businesses we acquire – it all comes back to, ‘does this feel like us?’”
This values-led approach allows us to move quickly without losing sight of who we are. It acts as a shared language and expectation as new people join and established teams evolve.
April also highlights the role leaders play in embedding culture:
“Leaders don’t just talk about culture, they show it – especially when things are hard or tough decisions need to be made. It’s part of everyday life rather than something separate.”
That matters. Because you can’t protect a culture through rules or PowerPoint slides. You protect it by modelling it – especially when pressure is high or change is intense.
That’s why, during periods of growth and acquisitions, we’ve focused heavily on belonging, openness and clarity. These three have been cornerstones of CP’s culture for decades, and they’ve only become more important as we’ve grown.
GROWING OUR BUSINESS. GROWING OUR IMPACT
From the moment we certified as a B Corp in 2023, the intention was clear: as CP grows, our positive impact should grow too.
We first certified with a B Impact Score of 84.3. Fast forward to 2026, with our headcount having jumped from 400 to almost 2,000, and we’re on track to recertify at 99.6 – one of the biggest upward jumps in our size bracket.
As Nicoleta Voicu, Head of Sustainability, puts it:
“Despite massive growth, we’ve increased our positive impact. Growing to over 1,900 employees and still improving our score to 99.6 is a massive achievement.”
We’re proud of these numbers because of everything they stand for – measuring our impact at every level and across all stakeholders – and they show a values-led approach works.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS: FROM MEASUREMENT TO MEANINGFUL CHANGE
In just three years, our environmental actions have gone from foundational to transformative, reflecting our commitment to the B Corp values. They include:
- A shift from light carbon assessment to full footprint measurement across the business.
- A complete re-baseline of emissions to account for multiple acquisitions.
- SBTi-approved Net Zero targets for 2045.
- Achieving Net Zero across Scopes 1 and 2 – and a commitment to maintain it year on year.
- A policy decision that any new CP controlled office must be gas-free. Full stop.
Sustainability is – and always will be – a strategic priority woven into decision making.
STRENGTHENING OUR WORK WITH COMMUNITIES
Our Community score is another standout area of progress – rising from 20.7 to 29.2 points.
This reflects:
- Increased and more strategic community giving
- More sustainable supply chain practices
- A deeper focus on equality, diversity and inclusion
- Stronger governance around how we engage with our stakeholders
These changes strengthen both our internal culture and the communities we belong to.
A TRANSPARENT LENS: OUR IMPACT REPORT
Every year, our Impact Report brings together the depth, detail and data behind our progress. A clear signal of accountability and ambition, it documents everything we’ve done to measure and improve our impact at CP, as well as all the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
As Sustainability Manager, Rhona Pearce explains:
“The Impact Report encompasses many elements of the B Corp Impact Assessment. The fact that we’ve been driving to increase our scores is the strongest signal of our commitment – even while experiencing huge growth.”
You can explore our full FY25 Impact Report here.
And if you want a deeper dive into how we combine profit, purpose and balance sheets, B Lab UK captured our approach here.
HOW TO SCALE AND STAY TRUE TO WHAT MAKES YOU, YOU
- Make values the starting point, not the afterthought
- Build sustainability directly into your strategy and decision-making
- Link growth with responsibility, not treating them as trade-offs
- Be transparent about your wins and your work-in-progress
- Expand your impact in line with your ambition
The past few years have reshaped our business. But they’ve also reaffirmed something fundamental: growth is the platform for impact, not the enemy of it.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come – and even more excited about what comes next.
If you’d like to discuss what that looks like and how we can help your business on its own sustainability journey, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Here’s to scaling good, not just scaling up.
