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ADEC Innovations listed among Impact Sourcing Specialists in Impact Sourcing State of the Market Report 2023, Everest Group, 2023

London, 16 January 2024 – The growing interest in sustainable and responsible business factors is driving the widespread adoption of impact sourcing amongst enterprises and providers. That’s according to the Impact Sourcing State of the Market 2023, Everest Group, 2023  The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the market, unpacking the concept of impact sourcing, the impact sourcing landscape, provides perspectives from both provider side (talent management) and buyer side (what buyers are seeking), and forecasts an outlook for the industry in 2024.   ADEC Innovations has a long history of creating employment opportunities for remote and underprivileged communities both onshore and offshore, and as an impact sourcing provider, we’re proud to be mentioned in the report as an impact sourcing specialist.  Impact sourcing speaks directly to our brand values to drive organizational value and deliver impact, for our clients and the communities in which we operate.   We remain committed to sustainable development and developing our impact sourcing initiatives and, as such, are expanding our delivery capabilities by opening new centres. For more information, contact us.  Read the full report: Impact Sourcing State of the Market 2023, Everest Group, 2023 
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Impact Solutions

A brief history of Impact Sourcing and why it’s important

Source:  What is Impact Sourcing? The meaning of Impact Sourcing has evolved since the term emerged in the early 2000s. In a nutshell, Impact Sourcing is a talent-sourcing approach that creates employment opportunities for individuals with otherwise limited economic opportunities. Because the concept overlaps with similar ideas, like socially responsible outsourcing, it has evolved beyond its original focus. Now it encompasses broader social and impact goals, including gender equality and supporting local communities. Impact Sourcing encompasses offshore and in-country sourcing. Offshore the model often generates jobs for marginalised individuals in emerging economies (e.g., India, Kenya, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and more) The in-country approach includes creating employment by bringing operations to areas with low employment or employing from marginalised groups, like long-term unemployed, veterans and people with at-home care responsibilities. Recently, the definition of Impact Sourcing has come under debate (and rightly so). The challenge of outlining a set of parameters which are prescriptive yet open to a range of applications has led to hurdles in its success measurement. As James Donovan, Group CEO of ADEC Innovations, a business process outsourcer (BPO) with an Impact Sourcing focus, reflected in a post following IAOP’s Outsourcing World Summit in 2023 – “Is Impact Sourcing about numbers? Is it about pure philanthropy?”. Grasping the history and evolution of Impact Sourcing approaches can help shape our understanding of the current and future applications. History of Impact Sourcing The concepts linked to Impact Sourcing have been around for several decades. Back in the 1970s, the practice of “rural sourcing” emerged in the US to provide employment opportunities to individuals in rural areas, and since then, the concept has grown. The 2000s – The term emerges In the years preceding the 2000s, offshoring gained ground with outsourcing partners establishing centres in countries like India and the Philippines. The primary driver for offshoring was to deliver operational cost reduction without compromising service quality or customer satisfaction. Moving work offshore gave rise to millions of new skilled jobs, enhancing economic conditions for workers, families, and communities and fostering a burgeoning middle class. This era birthed Impact Sourcing – a strategic approach that intentionally utilises sourcing tactics to channel these economic gains for widespread positive impact. The term “Impact Sourcing” was coined by the Rockefeller Foundation to describe this more intentional approach to employment that prioritises social impact. The 2010s – The development  In addition to global work, the foundation supports the development of the outsourcing sector in Africa by providing job matching to help connect skilled youth and employers and supporting the business environment in countries to make them better places for outsourcing. 
  • 2012s – The United Nations Global Compact launches the Business Call to Action, which encourages companies to commit to inclusive business models, including impact sourcing.
  • 2013 – Digital Jobs Africa Launched by Rockefeller Foundation
  • 2016 – The Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC) is established to promote the practice of Impact Sourcing and help organisations measure and report on their social impact.
  • The Outsourcing Industry and Entrepreneurship Summit (OIES) is held in Kenya to promote Impact Sourcing as a tool for economic development in Africa.
  • 2018 – The World Bank releases a report on the potential of Impact Sourcing to create jobs and reduce poverty in developing countries.
This period also saw more outsourcing providers set up initiatives and operations in ways that drove Impact Sourcing uptake, for example:
  • ADEC Workforce set up operations delivering back-office, data entry and image annotation solutions in Kenya and the Philippines. Bringing employment and training to individuals in more rural areas by opening offices outside of tier 1 cities.
  • CloudFactory was set up to connect people in developing countries to digital work, thereby creating economic and social impact.
  • Daproim Africa started offering data entry, transcription, and digitization services while creating jobs for disadvantaged individuals in Kenya.
  • DDD set up Impact Sourcing Service in several countries, providing data entry, content moderation, and other services while creating jobs for marginalized individuals.
  • Samasource gained prominence for providing digital work opportunities to marginalized communities in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and India.
The 2020s – The renaissance Having been halted by the pandemic, Impact Sourcing initiatives are once again gaining momentum. As a growing number of companies and organisations recognise its potential to create positive social and economic impact with this sourcing model. Also, technology and increased internet connectivity are making it easier to connect with remote workers. Cloud-based solutions open new engagement avenues for Impact Sourcing models with more reliable real-time communications channels and work streams. As the focus on Impact Sourcing grows, a need for industry standards and certifications and coalitions has also become more evident. Recently, various initiatives have sprung up to address this need from various angles:
  • 2020 – the Impact Sourcing Champions Index start being applied to assess the number of workers employed, the quality of the jobs created, and the level of engagement with stakeholders.
  • 2022 – Analyst interest picks up as Everest publishes a report on The Growing Need for Inclusive Talent Models: Learning from Impact Sourcing Specialists
  • 2023 – Global Sourcing Association, in collaboration with IAOP, started to work towards the Global Sourcing Standard within social sourcing, which aims to create more inclusive and balanced impact sourcing.
  • 2023 – Intelligent Sourcing introduces The Impact Sourcing Alliance, a resource for senior sourcing professionals looking for more information, vendors and connections in all areas of Impact Sourcing.
Impact Sourcing today and into the future As an idea, Impact Sourcing is gaining more prominence, but across the vast BPO landscape, this sourcing model is still accountable for only a fraction of jobs. The model has the potential to address a wide range of social and economic challenges by expanding job opportunities, improving economic development, alleviating poverty, promoting social equality and environmentally responsible practices. Adopting Impact Sourcing still faces hurdles, encompassing impact measurement, skill development and market acceptance. Addressing these challenges requires collaborative efforts from various players, including governments, businesses, NGOs, local communities and Impact Sourcing providers. The good news is that the movement towards multi-stakeholder collaboration is happening right now. Since the start of 2023, we’ve seen more stakeholders on the BPO buyer, provider and industry body side join the Impact Sourcing conversation. The next step remains to ensure we can go from discussion into more tangible action, creating a new chapter in the history of Impact Sourcing.  
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Impact Solutions

Impact sourcing: Leading the conversation with the Global Sourcing Association

Impact sourcing presents opportunities for companies to advance Environmental, Social, and Governance (EGS) practices and progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ADEC Innovations has a decades-long history of practicing impact sourcing to drive opportunities to communities and regions where they are needed most. James Donovan, Global CEO of ADEC Innovations, joined the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) to discuss impact sourcing as part of the Art of the Possible webinar. In this webinar, ADEC Innovations explored the drive for impact sourcing within the context of ESG and SDGs, provided practical applications of impact sourcing with examples of onshore and offshore projects, and explained how organizations can realize the benefits of this responsible sourcing approach across:
  • Talent advantages
  • Competitive business edge
  • Corporate citizenship
 
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Impact Solutions

The Art of the Possible: Impact Sourcing Panel Discussion

Hosted by the Global Sourcing Association (GSA), Matt Clarke, Managing Director of Workforce Solutions at ADEC Innovations, joined other outsourcing leaders for a panel discussion on impact sourcing. In this discussion, the panelists dive deep into the essential questions that the outsourcing industry needs to address to deliver on impact sourcing: ● The biggest challenges in setting up an impact sourcing program — for both service providers and customers ● Applying the lessons learned from outsourcing to impact sourcing practices ● The future of standard global service provider networks ● Practical steps for bringing impact sourcing into a delivery ecosystem ● Identifying and eradicating risks like “social impact washing” ● The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on outsourcing  
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Acquisitions

ADEC Innovations Acquires ARISE Europe

 ADEC Innovations expands its global Business Processing and Workforce Solutions into Europe and provides further depth in its technological support services including ESG Data Assured solutions

ADEC Innovations, recognised global leader in designing, developing, and delivering solutions and services in critical areas of sustainable development, today announced that it has acquired ARI Services Europe Ltd. (ARISE Europe). ARISE Europe is a 20-year leading and award-winning provider of on-demand, global customer experience (CX) and management services and solutions based in Limerick, Ireland.

“Businesses, public agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) need to ensure they are operating efficiently and sustainably – meeting obligations to their entire ecosystem of stakeholders, including customers, employees, communities, the environment, and shareholders,” said James M. Donovan, Global CEO of ADEC Innovations. “By bringing ARISE Europe into the group, we realise technological synergies which will allow us to deliver higher quality and better customer-focused Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) assurance services and solutions to our clients. We also look forward to expanding our global Workforce Solutions into Europe and to providing further depth in our technological support services, particularly in our ESG Data Assured solutions.”

ADEC Innovations’ ESG Data Assured solutions help organisations turn vast and diverse internal and supply chain information into practical operational insights towards sustainable development. As part of this service, ADEC Innovations identifies and extracts data from existing systems, sources, programmes, and portals. The company then verifies, aggregates, and standardises the information collected from these disparate sources and presents customised ESG information at scale. ESG Data Assured solutions eliminate the need for organisations to engage additional reporting initiatives, applications, or tools by maximising the value and impact of internally available systems and data. With the addition of ARISE Europe’s expertise in regulatory and customer service innovation, clients will benefit from enhanced ESG Data Assured solutions.

By becoming part of the ADEC Innovations group, ARISE Europe will strengthen its resource support, stability, and longevity as it continues to deliver complex, highly reliable, back-office and CX processes, high quality technical support, manufacturing support and process consultancy services. In addition to expanding and strengthening its technological service offerings, ARISE Europe will now be able to scale and extend its geographical reach beyond Ireland.

“After more than 20 years of management ownership, we wanted to ensure a growing and sustainable future for ARISE Europe,” said Joe Cahalane, Managing Director of ARISE Europe. “In addition to augmenting our service portfolio and extending our market reach, it was important for ARISE Europe to be part of a company that is compatible with our business and how we operate. ADEC Innovations meets all of these criteria, including its decades of experience and expertise in providing diverse BPO and KPO solutions, in a collaborative, resourceful, and agile manner.”

ARISE Europe’s employees will join the 4,400 strong workforce that ADEC Innovations has across 20 sites located in 16 countries and covering 6 continents.

ADEC Innovations Group CEO James Donovan added, “We welcome ARISE Europe’s clients, employees, and partners to the group. With this acquisition, ADEC Innovations expands its global presence to Ireland and other parts of Europe; and collectively, we will offer current and future clients greater opportunities to reduce costs and risks, optimise resource use, and drive operational efficiencies, in a world where sustainability matters.”

About ADEC Innovations

ADEC Innovations is a world leader in designing, developing, and delivering innovative solutions and services in critical areas in sustainable development, i.e., ESG, healthcare and knowledge management. Since 1996, ADEC Innovations has advanced sustainable practices around the world and helped organisations grow and operate responsibly. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with a network of thousands of employees across 16 countries and 6 continents, ADEC Innovations works with governments, coalitions, and businesses to help organisations meet their evolving needs and drive performance in a world where sustainability matters.

About ARISE Europe

Arise designs and delivers award-winning Customer and Technical Support services on behalf of clients. With a 20-year track record of running complex services across a diverse range of sectors, Arise Europe are trusted by clients to represent their brand. Our people are passionate about embracing new technologies, leveraging data-driven insights and delivering process improvements to provide the best service experience to our clients’ customers.

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Video

ADEC Innovations CEO James Donovan at the Asia CEO Forum 2021 – Part 2

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Video

ADEC Innovations CEO James Donovan at the Asia CEO Forum 2021 – Part 1

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Announcements

Digitalization Takes Center Stage as ADEC Innovations Wins Third Top Exporter Award

ADEC Innovations’ winning the Top Services Exporter Award for the third consecutive year comes across as timely, with the current pandemic compelling businesses to double down on digitalization in building back better. December 3, 2020, Manila, Philippines — ADEC Innovations’ winning the Top Services Exporter Award for the third consecutive year comes across as timely, with the current pandemic compelling businesses to double down on digitalization in building back better. ADEC Innovations was once again named the top exporter for services for this year’s virtual National Export Congress, organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). For ADEC Innovations CEO James Donovan, the company’s third consecutive award holds more significance after a tumultuous year. “COVID-19 has disrupted the operations of every business. But with the help of our government partners, and with the dedication of our Filipino workforce, ADEC Innovations was able to go back to business as usual within two weeks,” Donovan said. Innovations in the new normal With the theme “Digitalization Boost: Invigorating Exports in the New Normal,” this year’s National Export Congress reiterated and expanded last year’s discussions on driving digital transformation throughout industries. Both businesses and governments around the world had to adopt innovative programs in the wake of the pandemic, according to DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez. Citing a joint study by the World Bank and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Lopez called for the rapid adoption of digital technologies to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This crisis has underlined that going digital is the best and only solution during the pandemic, and that we should seize the opportunity this offers,” Lopez said in his keynote address. Even before the pandemic, ADEC Innovations has already been driving digital transformation among governments and organizations. For more than two decades, the company has been driving sustainable practices and empowering better decision-making through its data management solutions. “We take pride in being one of the companies that have exported not only our services, but also our leadership and expertise to the world,” Donovan said. Outlook for exporters In the midst of the new normal, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. indicated a positive outlook for Filipino exporters. “The Philippine export industry is recovering: resilient and open for business as we commit to continuously evolve as a reliable competitive global supplier, especially in this new normal,” Ortiz-Luis said. Lopez also expressed his gratitude to service exporters like ADEC Innovations, lauding them as “beacons of hope and inspiration for other Philippine exporters and [the] country’s pursuit of sustainable economic progress.” This year’s Top Exporter Awardees were once again chosen based on their exemplary contributions and excellence in their chosen field. ADEC Innovations first received the recognition in 2018, and has received the award consecutively ever since.
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Announcements

FirstCarbon Solutions Opens Kenya Office to Support Sustainability Efforts across Africa

New Nairobi location will meet the pressing need for cost-effective environmental best practices in developing African nations. NAIROBI, KENYA and IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – (October 28, 2013) – In conjunction with its participation in the Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD) 2013, FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer and industry leader in environmental sustainability business solutions, today announced the opening of a new office in Nairobi, Kenya. The new location provides services and strategic support to organizations across Africa facing unique sustainability challenges. The FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) global team will offer a variety of services through its new Nairobi location, including environmental planning, resource management, environmental and energy management, supply chain and life cycle assessments, and program management and infrastructure support. Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme, the GSSD Expo’s overarching theme, “Building Inclusive Green Economies: South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication” is aligned with FCS’ sustainability goals worldwide. FCS will be showcasing its environmental projects and results with public and private organizations around the globe. “Sustainable growth in emerging African economies is crucial to creating a healthier future for the region,” said James Donovan, CEO, FirstCarbon Solutions. “Leveraging our technical expertise in professional services, software and business process outsourcing, FCS is committed to providing customized end-to-end solutions to allow African businesses and governmental organizations alike to make real progress, reduce costs, improve operational efficiencies and optimize resources.” With solutions that are well proven in other parts of the world, FCS provides the means by which sustainable change can be achieved in the developing world. The GSSD will be held at the United Nations Office at Nairobi from 28 October to 01 November, 2013.

About FirstCarbon Solutions

FCS advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate their businesses. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, FCS helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters. With more than 30 years of environmental and sustainability consulting experience, FCS meets its clients’ ever-evolving environmental and compliance needs in energy, air and carbon management; environmental assessments and planning; supply and life cycle assessments; permitting and compliance; software and data processing. FirstCarbon Solutions is a member of ADEC Innovations, a global provider of onshore managed services and offshore outsourcing solutions for governments and businesses worldwide. For additional information, visit ADEC Innovations website.