It’s become increasingly common for people to distrust businesses. Who knows what’s really going on behind closed doors? This month, we’re opening the doors to the B Corp community and inviting you ‘Behind The B’ to bring back that trust and show you that the B badge isn’t just for, well, show.
Through this month-long campaign, we are encouraging B Corps, and us as B Lab, not only to talk the sustainable talk but to walk the sustainable walk. It’s your high school English teachers’ old ‘show, don’t tell’ adage writ large as this movement for better business shows you all the ways we are making business a force for good.
For the record, we think a ‘sustainable walk’ probably looks something like this…
Taking us for a peek ‘Behind The B’ is Luminary, a digital agency with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Albury and Bali (you don’t usually hear those last two in the same sentence, do you?). We love it.
With a portfolio that includes some of the most well-known names in the Australian government, retail and corporate sectors, Luminary’s offering includes digital strategy and transformation, UX design, development, hosting, and digital marketing. Showcasing how their way of doing business is changing the world, take it away Luminary.
Make digital bright, and the human experience brighter
Luminary has been around for over 22 years and certified as a B Corp in March 2021, funnily enough, on exactly the same date we were founded back in 1999. We’re super proud to be a B Corp and of the culture we’ve worked hard to cultivate over many years.
Our guiding mission is ‘to make digital bright, and the human experience brighter’. What does this mean? It means making websites perform quickly and flawlessly. It means offsetting our carbon footprint by planting trees. It means giving our team the freedom to work in a way that works for them. Ultimately, it means creating experiences that delight, excite and inspire – and making the world a better place along the way.
Here are five threads that make up the rich tapestry of who we are today that you might not know:
1. Carbon neutral since 2018
In recognition of the fact that the work we do impacts the environment, Luminary became certified carbon neutral in July 2018 through an accreditation company called Carbon Neutral. We have continued to offset our carbon since that date, and we’ve made a commitment to continue to do so into the future.
To date, we have primarily offset our carbon footprint through a large-scale tree planting program in the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor in Western Australia’s northern agricultural region, about 400km north of Perth.
This was an area that was cleared many years ago. With the contributions of many organisations and volunteers over the years, the area continues to transform and regenerate. We have also invested in carbon sequestration at Bimbadeen Farm on Phillip Island.
2. We support a children’s refuge in Bali
Our support for the Jodie O’Shea House on the outskirts of Denpasar, allows us to make a difference in a way that brings our Australian and Bali alliances together. Like many sponsors of Jodie O’Shea House, our main avenue of support comes in the form of donations of food, toys and essential items. We also provide them with computers to support the kids’ ongoing education. But it’s not all about material goods. There’s also an element of companionship.
“The connection with the kids comes easily to most people who visit Jodie O’Shea House, as the children are so happy and engaging. They love having new friends to kick a soccer ball or shoot some hoops with. Equally, our team members walk away with a profound sense of gratitude for the fact that these kids are so willing to share their lives with them. Everyone comes away feeling a little bit richer for the experience.”
— Luminary CEO Marty Drill
3. One fifth of our work is for purpose-driven clients
We’ve always had a philosophy of using technology to have a positive impact on the world around us, so it’s not surprising that a lot of our clients are in the charity and not-for-profit space. In fact, last year almost 20 percent of our business was for purpose-driven clients.
Our portfolio includes some of the biggest names in Australia’s NFP sector, including Cancer Council, Heart Foundation, Fred Hollows Foundation, Vision Australia, Save the Children, The Salvation Army, Unicef and World Vision. We not only love working with clients who are making a difference, but we also try to get behind their fundraising initiatives too, like Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea and the Fred Hollows Foundation’s Fred’s Big Run.
4. Sponsors of the Victorian Young Achiever Awards
Our founder and CEO, Marty Drill, was just 19 when he started Luminary – so he knows what it’s like to be a young person trying to make their way in the world of technology. It was against this backdrop that we first decided to sponsor the Victorian Young Achiever Awards in 2020.
The Luminary Tech Visionary category of the awards is a celebration of the next wave of digital innovators – young people harnessing technology to create groundbreaking ideas that positively impact the way we live. Through this award we’re able to support young people demonstrating creative thinking and making a significant contribution and social impact through the use of digital.
5. Two out of three directors in regional areas ain’t bad
This might not sound overly impressive in the midst of a pandemic that has changed the way we work forever, but what is kind of cool is that we were early to the party on remote work. Even before COVID-19 hit, our Managing Director, Adam Griffith, was showing that leadership could be done successfully from afar.
Adam and his family decided to ditch the Big Smoke of Melbourne for the quieter lifestyle of Albury on the NSW/Victorian border way back in 2016. At the time, managing a company remotely was pretty much unheard of. Adam would still come into the office occasionally, but the vast majority of his time was spent in his new hometown.
In more recent times, our CTO, Andy Thompson, has relocated to Geelong, a satellite city around 75km from Melbourne’s CBD and we now have a ‘Work From Anywhere’ policy that sets out our ongoing commitment to remote work. Where you do your best work doesn’t matter, as long as you’re safe, happy and getting it done.
Thank you to Luminary for submitting this great piece as part of B Corp Month 2022 as we invite you #BehindTheB to uncover what makes a B Corp a better business. Learn more about the many businesses joining this growing movement with B Corp Stories.
