Protecting our assets and reputation

Protecting our intellectual property

Intellectual property is the product of our technical excellence and can differentiate us from our competitors. When providing our services we generate and provide valuable intellectual property, over which we assert our ownership rights.

We all have a responsibility to manage and use our intellectual property appropriately, protect it from unauthorized use, and ensure rights are not granted to third parties without suitable terms in place.

It is equally important that we respect, and avoid infringing, the intellectual property rights of others. Failure to do so risks damage to us and our reputation.

Securing information

Information security is essential in every part of our business. It helps build confidence and trust with our clients, business partners, and colleagues. Information is core to our delivery of insightful and innovative projects, and to our own operations. Our services and reputation depend on maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.

We undertake to protect information and never use, offer, or accept it inappropriately. This includes any type of information that is commercially, reputationally, or legally sensitive. Information is only shared if there is a valid business requirement and a legitimate need to know.

To protect our own data and information, as well as that of our clients, business partners, and colleagues, we have controls in place governing how information should be accessed, stored, transferred, and disposed of. This applies to information held electronically or on paper.

Any organization or individual we intend to share confidential, sensitive information with must sign a confidentiality agreement in advance. Any information security incident must be reported immediately.

Protecting our systems and assets

To enable us to do our jobs, we are provided with access to systems and assets. These systems and assets must be used only for their intended purposes, with care taken not to compromise security or expose Mott MacDonald to any type of risk.

While personal use of some assets is permitted, it should be appropriate and within reason, as allowed by local policies and procedures.

In addition, we must never expose our systems or assets to unauthorized persons, cause damage to them, or use them unsafely.

We use appropriate controls when sharing confidential information or using portable storage solutions. We never use unauthorized or unlicensed software, nor make unauthorized changes to our systems or assets.

Respecting privacy and data protection

In an increasingly digital and connected world, we are determined to maintain the trust and confidence of every individual whose personal information we collect, access, use, analyze, or store.

We protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal information, are open and transparent about how we process it, and only ever use it for legitimate business purposes.

We comply with privacy and data protection laws and regulatory guidance, and respect the associated rights of our people, our clients, and members of the communities in which we work. Where it is unclear whether we are processing personal information or whether it is being processed in accordance with the law and our policies, procedures, and values, seek advice from line management, local privacy practitioners, or the legal team.

Any suspected personal data breaches must be reported immediately.

Engaging responsibly in political activity

We respect each individual’s rights to engage in lawful political activity. However, as we work closely with government departments, agencies, and regulators, it is important we keep any personal political activities separate from our role at Mott MacDonald.

Anyone undertaking political activity must do so in their own time and at their own expense. Such activity must never be attributed to Mott MacDonald and must be carried out in a way that will not conflict with professional responsibilities to Mott MacDonald and our clients.

Any lobbying of public officials or government representatives undertaken on behalf of Mott MacDonald must be approved by the executive board. Anyone we authorize to undertake lobbying activity on our behalf must comply with local lobbyist registration and transparency laws.

When we take interim roles or secondments in public bodies or government organizations, we always take measures to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

Responsible public communications

Public communication plays an important role in raising awareness of the work we do with and on behalf of our clients. Positive articles, social media activity, thought leadership, industry collaboration, and participation in events can be some of the most effective ways to publicize Mott MacDonald’s contributions and purpose.

We expect everyone who communicates publicly on behalf of Mott MacDonald to adhere to our PRIDE values, policies, and guidance, and observe our legal and professional obligations. Any public external communication must have the prior approval of our Group press office and relevant regional management and marketing leads. This includes all forms of public communication, from talking with or responding to inquiries from the media to publishing content or speaking at conferences.

We always make sure we have permission from our clients to share any information externally about work we are doing for them. We instruct our supply chain to obtain authorization from us before publishing or speaking to the media about any work they are undertaking on our behalf.

When using social media in any capacity, we recognize that what we say online can affect Mott MacDonald’s reputation. We therefore apply the principles of respect, inclusivity, and consideration to all our online communications, always present ourselves professionally, and make it clear that any personal views expressed are not those of Mott MacDonald.