Oakham Wealth | The Evolving B Corp Journey

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Business as a force for good

It鈥檚 been three years since Oakham Wealth first became a Certified B Corporation, joining a movement originally born in the US but now thriving in the UK to a remarkable degree. Back in 2022, there were around 600 B Corps in Britain and 4,500 worldwide. Today, those figures have swelled to over聽2,600 in the UK聽and more than聽10,000 globally.聽 This means the UK community is the second largest and fastest growing B Corp hub on the planet. For a nation of our size, that鈥檚 extraordinary.

The UK has embraced this US originated movement disproportionally, accounting for nearly a quarter of all global certifications and hosting some of the most active financial, professional, and creative B Corps. Awareness of the certification has also exploded:聽more than half of the British public (51%)聽now recognise the B Corp mark.

Why We Became a B Corp

Balancing profit with purpose

Originally, Oakham鈥檚 motivation was straightforward: to become a better business, one that balances the pursuit of profit with a broader responsibility to people and the planet.聽

The process, run by B Lab UK, involved an exhaustive assessment of every aspect of our operations, governance, environment, client relationships, community impact, and employee wellbeing. It was a demanding but energising exercise, more akin to a top-tier management consultancy review, without the consultant鈥檚 bill.

Becoming a B Corp made us examine our business from every angle. How inclusive were we really? How rigorous were our supply choices? Were our governance practices living up to the values we claimed? The process presented ideas and opportunities that would otherwise never have surfaced.

Paul Denley

Chief Executive, Owner & Co-Founder

Oakham Wealth Management Ltd

The Benefits Along the Way

Culture, recruitment, and resilience

Over three years as a B Corp, the benefits have been both tangible and cultural. Oakham鈥檚 renewed certification this year resulted in an improved B Impact score, marking measurable progress across governance, environmental, and community criteria.

The cultural benefits have been no less important:

  • Recruitment: B Corps have become magnets for top talent. Purpose driven professionals actively seek out employers aligned with their values.
  • Retention: Employee wellbeing has improved, supported by our living wage commitment and a greater sense of shared mission.
  • Resilience: Clients and stakeholders respond positively to the transparency and accountability the certification demands.

Being a B Corp has influenced聽every business decision, from supply chain management to investment selection, from internal governance to charitable partnerships. It has become not an overlay but an operating philosophy. Questions such as聽鈥淒oes this align with our B Corp commitments?鈥聽are now routine across all discussions, from boardroom strategy to daily operations.

Progress and Renewal

The three year reassessment

Every three years, B Corps face recertification. It鈥檚 not a one鈥憃ff badge of virtue, it鈥檚 an ongoing test of improvement. During our recent renewal, B Lab鈥檚 independent verification confirmed steady advances in employee engagement, responsible procurement, and sustainability reporting.

The increase in score represents deeper operational maturity and stronger accountability. Oakham has also formalised a supply chain code of conduct, enhanced client communication on sustainability, and supported staff volunteering in community finance education.

The Wider B Corp Momentum in 2025

A model reshaping capitalism

Across the UK economy, B Corps significantly outperform conventional businesses. In 2023-2024, certified companies have recorded average revenue growth of聽23%, compared with a national benchmark of聽17%. They鈥檙e also聽25% more likely聽to pay a living wage, and聽100% more likely聽to use renewable energy exclusively. Collectively, the UK鈥檚 B Corps now generate more than聽拢30 billion聽in turnover and employ over聽150,000 people.

The ethos that underpins this success – that business should serve all stakeholders, not just shareholders – has begun to reshape expectations of corporate purpose. Even in the financial services sector, once the bastion of narrow shareholder primacy, firms are proudly part of the community.

Strategic Sustainability

Leadership, values, and the long view

When Oakham began this transition, we re鈥慹xamined leadership itself. The old 鈥渃ommand and control鈥 model belongs to another era. Today鈥檚 best leadership is conversational, collaborative, and grounded in values. It鈥檚 about influence through dialogue, not direction through decree. B Corp values offer a framework for that culture – one where innovation, inclusion, and long鈥憈erm stewardship go hand in hand.

As a wealth manager, our mission is to preserve and grow our clients鈥 assets. Doing so responsibly is both sound ethics and sound economics: sustainable investments are ultimately the only ones with enduring value. Growing wealth by damaging the world that sustains it is self defeating.

The Future of Better Business

Profit with principle

The world has moved beyond Milton Friedman鈥檚 1970s notion that business鈥檚 only responsibility is to shareholders. The B Corp movement marks the next stage in the evolution of capitalism – one that aspires to make money聽well, not merely make more of it.

For Oakham, being a B Corp is not a marketing statement but a聽strategic compass. It has made us more reflective, more transparent, and more accountable. Each decision – each investment, hire, or partnership – is now filtered through the lens of purpose, to ensure that success is shared across all stakeholders.

Three years in, the experience has proved that blending profit with purpose isn鈥檛 idealistic. It鈥檚 simply good business.