Public affairs 

As a champion of the small and medium-sized businesses we serve, our mission is to knock down barriers that hinder access to opportunity. Our public affairs programme supports this by:

• Working with governments and stakeholders to create the right conditions for technology innovation and application to deliver growth and prosperity. We want everyone to benefit from the opportunities created by digitalisation, and and we are determined to play a positive role in addressing inequalities.   
• Anticipating our customers' needs to ensure their voice is heard in public policy debates.  Just as our technology empowers our customers, our campaigns will do the same. We are putting our technology, time and experience to work. 

Governance

Responsibility for the co-ordination and oversight of political engagement rests with the Sage Director of Public Affairs, reporting to Sage EVP of Corporate Affairs and Sage Group's CMO on our Executive Committee.  The public affairs team sits within the marketing function. Implementation is supported by regional managing directors in key markets and their regional communications leaders.   

The Sage Board has collective responsibility and oversight of Sage's communications activities. The Sage Board will review and approve any public position the company intends to take with regard to strategically important matters.

Our conduct, and the conduct of any part of our business with government, abides by the following principles:

• We are open and transparent about our relationship with government
• Our advice to our customers on government initiatives is informative and politically neutral
• We put our customers' interests first when we prioritise government relations activities
• All Sage colleagues take part in ethics and anti-corruption training
• Sage does not make any contributions to or accept any gifts or hospitality from government, public sector officials or representatives, political parties, campaigns, organisations or individuals involved in politics¹  
• We will only make charitable donations that are legal and ethical under local laws and practices. All charitable donations must go through the Sage Foundation

Sage publishes a code of conduct which brings together our ethical business practice policies and guides our colleagues where to find them. All Sage colleagues receive training in Sage's Code of Conduct and associated policies, completion of which is reported to the Audit and Risk Committee monitor.

Sage Public Affairs submissions

Our most recent submissions and reports are included below.

Trade and Brexit

• Submission to International Trade Council: Digital Trade and Data Inquiry Feb 2021
• BEIS Select Committee Inquiry: Businesses and Brexit preparedness Nov 2020

Digital innovation & Data

• Submission to Department for Digital, Media and Sport: National Data Strategy  Dec 2020
• Submission to Department for Digital, Media and Sport: Digital Identity Trust Framework  Nov 2020
• Sage Submission to the High Level Group on Artificial Intelligence on Draft Ethics Guidelines for Trust Jan 2019
• Sage submission to the Consultation on the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Sep 2018

SME growth, digital adoption and skills

• Digital Britain: How small businesses are turning the tide on tech June 2022
• Sage HMT Budget Submission Jan 2021
• Sage Comprehensive Spending Review 2020 submission Sep 2020
• Sage submission to BEIS Committee inquiry into post-pandemic growth Sep 2020
• Sage Digital Adoption Government submission Jul 2020
• Sage submission to North of Tyne Combined Authority, Small Business Growth Plan Jul 2019
• Sage Consultation Response BEIS Consultation on Responsible Payment  Nov 2018
• Submission to the Education Select Committee inquiry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jun 2018
• Submission to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee Inquiry into Small Business and Productivity Mar 2018
• Submission to the Education Select Committee enquiry into the implementation of T-level programmes Feb 2018
• Submission to the Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy enquiry into Building our Industrial Strategy: Green Paper Apr 2017

Taxation and reporting policy

• Sage response to HMRC consultation – draft secondary legislation off-payroll working rules Feb 2020
• Submission to the Public Accounts Committee Inquiry on the progress of HMRC performance Apr 2018
• Sage Consultation Response - Ethnicity Pay Reporting Jan 2019

Reports

• 3 months on: Learnings from Lockdown May 2021
• Investing for Recovery – Supporting SME Jobs and Growth through Digital Adoption Sept 2021
• Survival, Resilience and Growth: A report on the UK’s Economic Recovery June 2020
• Whitepaper:  Building a competitive, ethical AI economy Aug 2018
• The state of small business: Putting UK entrepreneurs on the map Oct 2018
• Sweating the Small Stuff: the impact of the bureaucracy burden Sept 2017
  

Public affairs agencies

Sage’s global Public Affairs agencies include Kreab (Spain).

Trade associations

Sage is a member of a number of leading business trade associations globally. Membership trade body working groups must be approved by a member of the Executive Committee.

The  government relations team manages public policy engagement with the following:

• UK: TechUK and CBI
• US: Technology Association of Georgia and FDX
• Spain: CEOE, British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, AMETIC and FOMENT
• Europe: FDATA
  

Political and lobbying expenditure

Sage does not engage in party political campaigning or make party political donations.

Sage complies with applicable laws and requirements in relation to the disclosure and publication of lobbying expenditure. Further information can be found on the EU register.

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[1] Sage's Gifts and Hospitalities policy states: Sage does not make any contributions to or accept any gifts or hospitality from Government, public sector officials or representatives, political parties or campaigns or organisations or individuals involved in politics. We will only make charitable donations that are legal and ethical under local laws and practices. All charitable donations must go through the Sage Foundation.