Utrecht, May 2010

SUSTAINABLE INTERIM MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT OFFERS INSIGHTINTO INTERIM MANAGER´S CORPORATE RESPONSABILITY

Atos Interim Management is the first to offer clients and interim managers tools for implementing an environmentally-responsible way of thinking and acting

By signing the Sustainable Interim Management (VIM) Agreement interim managers commit to carrying out their assignments in a responsible way through concrete arrangements. The Atos Interim Management Agreement is the first in the Netherlands to offer tools to both clients and professionals for managing projects in a sustainable way and with a clear focus. This serves as a framework for a VIM-declaration, in which the environmental impact of the interim manager is made clear to all parties.

Sustainability and corporate responsibility is an increasingly important selection criterion. Clients now prefer interim managers who can demonstrate their corporate responsibility. This is true for 6 out of 10 companies in some market segments, especially in organizations in the public sector and the financial services industry.  The question then arises how interim managers can distinguish themselves in this respect by their thinking and actions. This is not limited to behavior and etiquette, but also affects the way professionals adapt their commuting behavior to minimize its environmental impact.

New way of thinking and acting

"Wherever an interim manager is brought in - in whatever setting or in whichever organization - corporate responsibility is important. We therefore strive for the best possible match between client and interim manager. The extent to which an interim manager wants and can influence the environment plays an important role here. We want to ensure that our professionals consider the environment when working on a project and that they act from an informed perspective," says Piet Hein de Sonnaville, director of Atos Interim Management. To stimulate this approach, Atos Interim Management concludes a VIM-agreement with interim managers, by which they agree with clients that the assignments will be carried out in a responsible way. "All parties commit themselves to these agreements, not as an end in itself, but as a new way of thinking and acting. Afterwards, Atos Interim Management draws up a VIM-declaration to highlight the environmental impact of the interim manager."

Minimal environmental impact

The VIM-agreement must ensure that assignments do not cause any additional environmental impact for customers. Thus, the amount of travel is minimized by letting interim managers work as close as possible to their place of residence and / or by making facilities available for working from home or for using teleconferencing.  The CO2 footprint of projects is calculated based on the commuting distance. The environmental effect of any necessary travel is minimized by using public transport, encouraging a new environmentally friendly driving style, car-pooling, and the use of low-emission cars. In addition, the average fuel use per car is measured and the use of environmentally friendly cars is encouraged. Any remaining greenhouse gas emissions will be offset by participation in the Hivos Climate Fund. For this purpose, Atos Interim Management  has concluded an agreement with Hivos for the purchase of environmentally friendly wood stoves and biomass power plants in the Third World.

About Atos Interim Management

Atos Interim Management has been a leading interim management services provider for over 20 years.  The service is designed to quickly and efficiently find the perfectly fitting freelance interim managers at board and senior management level. Atos Interim Management takes responsibility for and stays heavily involved in the execution of the assignments, which are implemented in both the profit and nonprofit sectors. Atos Interim Management came third in the top 10 of the Management Team Advice Top 100 in 2009. The MT100 is a list that offers an overview of consultancies ranked according to their perfomance in the opinion of clients.

Atos Interim Management holds an independent position within Atos Consulting, the international business and IT consultancy provider with more than 2,500 dedicated professionals worldwide. Atos Consulting is itself an autonomous part of Atos Origin, the largest publicly traded European IT services company (turnover of more than 5.1 billion euros), with over 49,000 employees. For more information about our practices, clients, and results visit the renewed website of Atos Interim Management: www.atosinterimmanagement.nl

For more information:

Erica Prins
+31 6 30 43 73 29
erica.prins@atosorigin.com