b'Annual Report & Accounts 2022 Mercia Asset Management PLC 35Strategic reportStrengthening our commitment Last year, we took the first steps in our journey of formalising our commitment to responsible investment. We have already made progress in the area of diversity and inclusion within Mercia; initially, by improving gender equity in the investment team, before going onUniversity of Warwick to launch our first fund dedicated to investing in impactful businesses. Moreover, ESG principles have been incorporated into our formal legalDevelop a carbon-reduction plan University of Warwick Partnershipagreement with portfolio businessesWe have begun to work with PositiveThe Responsible Investment Committee for the first time. Planet to offset our carbon emissionshas embarked on a collaboration with in the current year in order to achieveUniversity of Warwick, which has long Next year, we intend to build onnet-zero. However, that is merely thebeen a Mercia university partner. We these successes by continuing to putstarting point in our carbon-reductionintend to recruit students from socially ESG principles at the heart of ourstrategy.and economically disadvantaged investment strategy and raising ourbackgrounds into our paid internship profile as an impact investor. Positive Planet has assisted Mercia inprogrammes. Our first interns will identifying how most of our carbonbe joining us in the Autumn of the emissions are generated. We canacademic year 2022/23. These interns now begin to actively reduce ourwill potentially join Mercia in graduate emissions across these defined areasroles once they have successfully by developing a reduction plan thatcompleted the internship programme focuses on emissions per employee.and graduated.E-learning Mercia launched the e-learning platform Kallidus to facilitate the training of new colleagues, in addition to providing further access to professional development resources to anyone within Mercia who might benefit from them. All Mercia employees now have unlimited access to Blinkist book summaries and courses from Harvard Business School, as well as our own internally devised courses that enable professional growth.Michelle Heaselgrave Head of People & Talent'