THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2024 91 During 2024, the Board supported the ‘Enhanced Scrip Dividend alternative’, approved by sharehlders at the 2024 Annual General Meeting. The enhanced scrip dividend was offered to all shareholders and encouraged greater participation in the scrip scheme, while retaining additinal capital in the business. THE NEED TO FOSTER BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING OUR CUSTOMERS, UNIVERSITY PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS Our customers Our regular customer surveys provide opportunities for students to provide direct and independent feedback so that we can understand what is important to them and also on wider topics. The Board reviews the Net Promoter Score from our student surveys which help the Board decide where to invest in our customer offer to ensure we deliver value-for-money and a Great Place to Live. The Board supported the launch of the new MyUnite app and website during 2024, a customer-focused initiative designed to foster good relationships with incoming students and further enhance customer service. The Board also received regular updates and feedback following the roll-out. University partners University partners are key strategic stakeholders, directly accounting for around half of our reservations each year under nomination agreements and the other half indirectly through their students who book directly with us. The reputation, health and future growth of our university partners remains central to our business prospects. The Group supports the growth ambitions of its university partners through a range of different approaches from single- year accommodation arrangements to more strategic on- campus relationships. Our Higher Education Engagement team and Student Support team meet regularly with university leaders and teams at various levels, enabling us to discuss this strategic planning as well as day-to-day operational requirements. This feedback is shared with our Board who in turn consider our strategies for delivering value to universities. Through collaborative relationships with Higher Education providers, our student support team provides the Board with insight into trends and specific themes relating to student wellbeing across the Higher Education sector. Our annual Higher Education engagement survey provides the Board with key insight into our reputation and performance with our university partners as further detailed as part of our Higher Education trust operational KPI on page 17. This helps inform the way we improve our product and service. The Board is also regularly updated on trends in the Higher Education sector in the UK and globally, which inform the Group’s strategy around the universities with which it seeks to partner over the long term. Suppliers We work with a wide range of suppliers across our operations and development activities to deliver a high-quality, affordable customer offer. Our teams maintain strong relationships with suppliers and ensure that the contractors we use have the right skill set and accreditations to undertake the work in our buildings. The Board recognises the importance of supplier relationships and is provided with regular updates throughout the year. During 2024, the Board had oversight of the continued implementation and progress of our Sustainable Procurement framework. This framework includes our sustainable procurement policy, setting standards for suppliers to have policies in place regarding the minimum legal age of employment and compliance with local laws regarding working hours and overtime. During 2024, the Board were supportive of our approach to introduce a mandatory requirement for all suppliers to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct and enhance our modern slavery requirements, including enhanced vetting for higher risk categories of supply. You can read more about our sustainable procurement framework on page 92. Our impact on the community and the environment We are passionate about making a positive and lasting impact on our neighbours, society and the planet. To maximise the value we create for communities and ensure our ability to continue to operate and grow within them, we seek to play an active role in local communities and build trusted, long- term relationships with community partners. We are always working for the long term and we are proud to contribute to local housing needs. This can be seen in the Board’s continued support for our development activity where we actively engage with local communities to ensure the design of our buildings, public spaces and community facilities also meets their needs. During 2024 the Board and Sustainability Committee received regular updates on our Positive Impact programme which encourages our people and teams to work with local stakeholders on community impact initiatives. Through engagement with local communities, the programme has helped our people better understand sustainability and social responsibility. As a Great Place to Live, Work and Invest, we