Becoming a B Corp: What does this mean to AMBITIOUS?

We’re pleased to share that AMBITIOUS is now a Certified B Corporation.  

B Corps are businesses certified by B Lab for high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. 

Why did we decide to go down this route?

In short, B Corp aligns with our values, and our goals for our team, our clients and beyond. The B Corp framework helps us structure what we do and continue to evolve. In addition,  

• It’s the way business is heading, and we want to be part of it. The wider B Corp movement demonstrates that a balance of profit and purpose is possible, with recent research showing that B Corps consistently outperform non-B Corps in terms of growth.  

• We’re joining a community of leaders. Over 2,600 B Corps in the UK are setting the standard for transparency, accountability and impact.   

This milestone reflects our belief that business should be a force for good and reinforces our core mission: partnering for impact.  

How did we achieve B Corp certification?

We have a small but mighty ESG & Sustainability Team, consisting of ESG Lead, Katy Barney, PR Consultant, Elli Robinson and Founder & Director, Lis Anderson.  

Our team has been working towards this for over a year, navigating a rigorous assessment across five impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.  

We had initially explored the assessment a few years earlier, but eventually decided to commit fully to the B Corp route in 2024. We underwent a period of initial research to understand the certification process and the requirements, including speaking to other B Corps, doing a lot of desk research, and attending PurposeFest in Bristol.  

The B Corp assessment requires input from across business functions, particularly when  going it alone without the support of a B Corp consultant. From making sense of Impact Business Models, to exploring new ways to consult and engage our clients, we brought in members of the wider team to understand our current approaches and opportunities to improve.   

We’re proud to have achieved a strong score of 99.8, which is a very strong result from a truly team effort.   

What did we learn?

The B Corp assessment was a fantastic exercise in benchmarking our processes and thinking about how we measure our activity.  

For us, positive impact might feel tangible, but filling out the B Corp application forced us to think about positive impact in metrics: how many people are we impacting? Why is this particular group impactful? How are we measuring ‘positive impact’, really?   

The process also highlighted areas where we were already doing well but could strengthen further – for example our approach to transparent reporting and team engagement. Rather than representing a step change, we were pleased to find we have been on the right track, and to get a helping hand to embed best practice to ultimately make the business more robust long-term.   

What is next for AMBITIOUS and B Corp?

We know from conversations with clients and partners that while the conversation around responsible business and sustainability may have shifted, the forward-thinking bet is to remain steadfast. The current landscape makes it even more essential that businesses working in this way continue to collaborate.   

We’re also pleased to be joining the B Corp movement at a time when B Lab are revising and reviewing the requirements for re-certification, ensuring that the standards continue to raise the bar on social and environmental performance. While our own recertification may be a little way off, we’re looking forward to engaging with fellow B Corps on what these will mean for us in time.  

Since launching AMBITIOUS in 2012, we’ve held firm to the belief that PR and communications can make a significant, positive difference in the world. Our work is to engage audiences, influence attitudes and inspire change, while taking care of our people, our community and our planet.  

We are committed to this pioneering with purpose and to achieving the future laid out by B Corp: one of shared prosperity, and a secure and safe future for generations to come.   

What do the team think?

Our A-team make AMBITIOUS what it is. To celebrate this achievement, we spoke to several of our team members about what it means to them.  

Laura Lear, Managing Director 

“It’s really exciting that we now have the B Corp certification as it aligns well with our own Thoughtful Leadership Platform. For me, B Corp is all about the fact that we should be operating as a business that’s looking at growth and profit, but that is balanced with supporting our planet and our people.” 

Sarah Woodhouse, Co-Owner and Director 

“B Corp gives us clarity on the defining principles that we use to govern our business, and it gives us clarity on the types of clients who we’d like to work for. Choosing clients is quite a nuanced, but the process itself which B Corp lays out will help us all align on this.” 

Elli Robinson, PR Consultant  

“Recent research by B Lab found that if all businesses adopted environments and impact management practices at the same rate as B Corps, average global warming could be reduced by 0.5°C by 2100. Half a degree doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a huge stride for average global temperatures, saving lives, and improving livelihoods. I’m proud to work for a company that is committed to this future through the B Corp framework.”  

Chloe Tonkin, Senior PR Consultant 

“AMBITIOUS becoming a B Corp means that I’m working for an organisation that cares about what their clients do, and works with clients that are aiming to drive change – which align with my personal goals for my career of using my own skills to drive change.”  

Zoe Bagnall, PR Consultant 

“Being a B Corp means really connecting my values to the work that I do.” 

Will Reid, PR Consultant  

“For me, it means that I work for a business that cares about its local community. We’re rooted in Bristol, and there are many B Corps in Bristol. It shows that we care about the people we work with day to day, and we have a positive impact on the people we work with and are around.”  

Lis Anderson, Founder & Director  

“Achieving B Corp certification is a proud moment for AMBITIOUS and for me personally. Not only does this milestone mean a great deal to team, joining the B Corp movement also means we’re part of a global effort to raise the bar for accountability and impact and our clients and wider community will welcome that.”  

We’ll continue to deliver exceptional communications campaign that connect, and taking active steps to engage with our local Bristol community, reduce our environmental impact and support and nurture the team and much more.   

Read more about our values here: https://www.ambitiouspr.co.uk/our-values/ 

About B Corp

About B Lab: B Lab is a nonprofit transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, their global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business.   

About B Lab UK: As part of this global non-profit B Network, B Lab UK’s purpose is to redefine success in business through building a community of engaged businesses, raising awareness of the B Corp movement and influencing change in the UK economy. 
About B Corp Certification: Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified to meet B Lab’s standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Based on stakeholder input, research, and established best practices, B Lab’s standards are the basis for B Corp Certification requirements and B Lab’s impact management tools, and they inform the network’s programs and collective action initiatives.