16. Butterfly Data
Headcount in latest accounts: 29
HQ: Cardiff
Date of certification: December 2023
B Corp is “just as important” for data consultancies like Butterfly Data as it is for the consumer brands with which the badge is most commonly associated, co-founder Sara Boltman tells us below.
The Cardiff-based Snowflake and AWS partner – which has been employee owned since 2021 – gained B Corp status back in December 2023.
Q&A with Butterfly Data co-founder and Director Sara Boltman
What was your main reason for becoming a B Corp?
Before becoming a B Corp in December 2023, it had been an ambition of ours for some time. It wasn’t just a sudden decision, but rather the natural next step for who we already were. Ever since Butterfly Data was founded in 2003, we have strived to be different and to put people at the heart of what we do. That is why we became an employee-owned company, run for the benefit of our employees and the communities we serve. B Corp certification gave us a rigorous, independent way to validate and formalise those values.
Our mission is to lead the way in ethical and sustainable data management, and as a certified B Corp, we prioritise the wellbeing of society and the environment. We also actively encourage our clients to become more sustainable and socially responsible businesses too. It wasn’t about optics; it was about holding ourselves to a higher standard of accountability.
B Corp is perhaps best associated with consumer goods brands. Does it really make sense for an MSP or IT solutions provider to have it?
We would actually argue it is just as important for a data consultancy, like us, as it is for consumer brands. We are dedicated to maximising the real potential of data through ethical and responsible data management practices, and data, by its nature, touches some of the most sensitive decisions organisations can make.
Our clients include public sector bodies working in central government, defence, healthcare and policing, so the ethical standards we operate to aren’t a nice-to-have but are central to the trust clients place in us. B Corp gives that ethical commitment a verified framework. In a sector where trust and transparency are everything, it signals to clients, particularly those in the public sector, that we mean what we say.
What’s the main benefit of becoming a B Corp?
The B Impact Assessment forces you to look hard at every aspect of your business, concentrating on governance, workers, community, environment and customers, and identify where you can do better. Butterfly Data earned an overall B Impact Score of 103.3, against a median score of 50.9 for ordinary businesses and a minimum qualifying threshold of 80.
That score reflects years of work embedding our values into how we actually operate, not just what we say.
Beyond the certification, the biggest benefit is the accountability it creates, both internally, in how we treat our people and our planet, and externally, in how clients and partners choose to work with us. It enhances our culture to strive for better, to always be seeking to improve and do more for our stakeholders, communities and the planet. It is a living commitment which holds us accountable, not just a badge to wear, and we appreciate that.
Countdown continues on next page…
