THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2024 84 GOVERNANCE BOARD LEADERSHIP AND PURPOSE continued GOVERNANCE the business participated in focus groups to gather insights to help inform areas to strenghen our culture. Following the audit we have made significant progress in employee engagement and talent management initiatives such as My Impact which will continue into 2025. The Board will continue to oversee Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging across the business and evolve our approach to talent and reward. The Board monitors corporate culture through interaction and dialogue with our people though our Designated Non- Executive Director for Workforce Engagement and through regular employee engagement surveys and site visits. The Board also meets the wider business when visiting properties and seeing our operations, helping ensure our values and culture are well understood and giving our people the opportunity for frank and open feedback and the sharing of different views. During 2024, this included the Board visiting properties in Newcastle and London and meeting with the local teams. Our employee surveys help measure engagement through their participation rates as well as the feedback received across the broad range of topics surveyed. Our DEIB and Wellbeing survey helped the Board to identify areas for improvement and feedback on the environment which our employees want to create for themselves and our customers. Feedback resulted in the launch of new Instinctive Inclusion training, supporting conscious inclusion. Over 1,200 employees have already completed this training with positve feedback highlighting the accessible and interactive nature of the training. Our Higher Education trust score monitors how universities view us and provides insight on our culture from our external stakeholders. BOARD OVERSIGHT The Board discharges some of its responsibilities directly and others through Committees and senior management. Terms of reference for the Committees are available in our Governance Framework, published on www.unitegroup. com/about-us/corporate-governance. To discharge their broader responsibility effectively, the Group operates in an open and transparent manner, ensuring open communication between the Board and the business and its stakeholders. During 2024, the Board listened and heard directly from the leadership team, wider senior leaders and our stakeholders. The Board engaged with our employees and stakeholders on the impact of employee and student wellbeing and support, as well as our environmental and social impact. The Board receives updates on business performance from our leadership team, including the Chief Operating Officer, Group Strategy & Technology Director, Group Development Director, Group People Director, Group Safety Director, Finance Risk & Assurance Director, Head of Sustainability, Higher Education Engagement Director and Group Legal Director & Company Secretary (among others). The Board is also responsible for: • Assessing, monitoring and promoting the Company’s culture, and ensuring that this closely aligns with its purpose, values and strategy • Ensuring the necessary resources are in place for the business to meet its strategic objectives • Establishing workplace policies and business practices that align with the Company’s culture and values and support its strategy (see page 86) • Overseeing the implementation of a robust controls framework to allow effective management of risk, with this oversight delegated to the Audit & Risk Committee (see pages 101-105) • Effective succession planning for key senior personnel, much of which is delegated to the Nomination Committee (see pages 98-100). The Board has ultimate responsibility to Unite Group’s shareholders for all the Group’s activities, as well as a broader responsibility to consider the views of other key stakeholders. These include our customers, universities, employees, suppliers and the communities we operate in, as well as considering environmental and social issues when making decisions. All of the Board’s significant decisions are considered having regard to Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 and specifically the likely consequences of these decisions in the long term and their impact on our stakeholders. Pages 90-92 highlight how the Board has sought to effectively consider and engage with our shareholders and wider stakeholders. While the above summarises the key areas of Board responsibility, it is not intended to be exhaustive. Whistleblowing programme Our whistleblowing programme and the nature of concerns raised are reviewed annually. Our Whistleblowing Policy, and a clear explanation of how employees can raise a concern in confidence, is readily available and published on our intranet. This includes raising a concern via an independent third-party if someone feels this is necessary. Concerns raised are investigated and escalated as appropriate.