Sage Group PLC/The – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

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Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Moderate	Sage Group PLC describes a structured process for keeping its policy engagement aligned with its climate strategy, noting that “Our stakeholder engagement and communications activities are governed as part of our Sustainability and Society Governance Framework” and that “stakeholder engagement plans are developed and reviewed for each pillar of our strategy, for example Protect the Planet.” Oversight responsibilities are clearly assigned: engagement consistency is “monitored within our Sustainability and Society Steering Group, chaired by our Chief People Officer (C-Suite),” while “The CEO and ELT are accountable for our ESG and climate strategy” and a Board-delegated Audit & Risk Committee “implements appropriate oversight of ESG risks.” The company also states it has “a public commitment … to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement” and reports that the Sustainability and Society Committee, now “a formal management committee comprising ELT members and senior leaders,” meets quarterly and shares reports with the CEO and Board, indicating a recurring monitoring mechanism. However, while these disclosures show a policy framework and identified senior-level oversight of engagement, Sage does not disclose a separate lobbying-specific policy, provides no evidence of systematic reviews of the climate positions of its trade associations, and does not describe concrete actions to address any misalignments between its direct or indirect lobbying and its climate goals; therefore the governance appears moderate rather than comprehensive. View Sources	2

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Moderate

Sage Group PLC describes a structured process for keeping its policy engagement aligned with its climate strategy, noting that “Our stakeholder engagement and communications activities are governed as part of our Sustainability and Society Governance Framework” and that “stakeholder engagement plans are developed and reviewed for each pillar of our strategy, for example Protect the Planet.” Oversight responsibilities are clearly assigned: engagement consistency is “monitored within our Sustainability and Society Steering Group, chaired by our Chief People Officer (C-Suite),” while “The CEO and ELT are accountable for our ESG and climate strategy” and a Board-delegated Audit & Risk Committee “implements appropriate oversight of ESG risks.” The company also states it has “a public commitment … to conduct your engagement activities in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement” and reports that the Sustainability and Society Committee, now “a formal management committee comprising ELT members and senior leaders,” meets quarterly and shares reports with the CEO and Board, indicating a recurring monitoring mechanism. However, while these disclosures show a policy framework and identified senior-level oversight of engagement, Sage does not disclose a separate lobbying-specific policy, provides no evidence of systematic reviews of the climate positions of its trade associations, and does not describe concrete actions to address any misalignments between its direct or indirect lobbying and its climate goals; therefore the governance appears moderate rather than comprehensive.

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Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Strong	Sage Group provides a relatively detailed picture of its climate-policy advocacy. It identifies concrete regulatory initiatives it works on, most notably its participation in “the EU’s public consultation on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) Voluntary Standard for SMBs” and its focus on forthcoming UK rules on “mandatory climate-related reporting,” as well as its involvement in global standard-setting processes such as the ISSB climate-reporting consultation. The company is also open about how it seeks to influence these frameworks: it describes submitting consultation responses, publishing analytical reports, convening multi-stakeholder dialogues, and making representations at high-level events such as COP26-28; it names the policymaking forums and officials it targets, including BEIS, the ISSB, the COP26 Presidency, the G7, the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on ESG, and coalitions such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Bankers for Net Zero. Finally, Sage states the policy changes it wants to see, calling for “simplified standards” that “put SMBs at the forefront of the transition to net zero,” urging governments to provide “consistent reporting and support” and to introduce “a comprehensive suite of fiscal interventions, including tax credits” so that small businesses can decarbonise and access finance. Together, these disclosures show a strong level of transparency on the company’s lobbying mechanisms and desired outcomes, while providing a reasonable—though not exhaustive—list of the specific climate-related policies it seeks to shape.	3