Anglian Water

Case Study Details

Client : Anglian Water

Sector: Water and wastewater utility

Services: Lived-experience engagement, anti-slavery event design and delivery, panel discussion, facilitated roundtables and action-planning support

Functions: Senior leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain Assurance, Operations, People and Recruitment, Health and Safety, Legal, Risk and Compliance, Sustainability and Communications

Duration: One-day flagship event, with pre-event preparation and post-event action-planning support

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Kallie Dickens - Sustainable Procurement Specialist – Commercial Procurement

“This was an incredibly impactful event. Hearing directly from someone with lived experience had a profound impact on everyone in the room, creating a level of understanding and connection that is difficult to achieve through awareness-raising alone.

It helped bring the realities of modern slavery into sharper focus and gave us renewed energy to build on our existing work and strengthened our focus on tackling the issue that is often hidden in plain sight.

Align have really supported us, with professionalism, warmth and sensitivity, and I would highly recommend them to other organisations”

Challenge

Creating shared ownership of modern slavery prevention

Anglian Water wanted to build greater understanding, engagement and ownership of modern slavery prevention across its UK operations, delivery sites and supply chain. The organisation recognised that risks can remain hidden among workers, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, particularly where visibility, confidence to speak up and joined-up ways of working are limited.

The business sought to move beyond awareness alone: connecting its response to worker welfare, responsible procurement, operational practice and its Safer Every Day culture. Anglian Water wanted colleagues and leaders to identify the practical actions they could take within their own functions, while developing shared priorities for a more coordinated approach.

Our Approach

Making lived experience the catalyst for action

Align worked with Anglian Water to develop and deliver its From Awareness to Action anti-slavery event. The session was designed to bring together colleagues from across the business, including procurement, supply chain assurance, people, operations, health and safety, legal, risk, sustainability and communications.

The event began with a facilitated interview with a lived-experience consultant, grounding the discussion in the human reality of exploitation and the barriers people may face in raising concerns. A cross-functional panel then explored how worker voice, supplier relationships, operational visibility, psychological safety and site-level practice can contribute to prevention and early identification.

Align facilitated structured roundtables to turn insight into practical commitments. Participants considered current strengths, gaps and opportunities across worker voice and escalation, supplier and subcontractor visibility, due diligence, contract and supplier management, site practices, training, data and assurance.

The Outcome

Building a foundation for practical, cross-functional action

The event created a shared space for Anglian Water colleagues to translate awareness into potential actions and priorities, including:

Generate tangible, cross-functional engagement and commitment to action that support a more joined-up approach to human rights due diligence
Strengthen worker voice, safe reporting, labour conditions and welfare across suppliers and subcontractors.
Embed vulnerability, wellbeing and worker protection into the Safer Every Day culture.

Agree prioritised actions, owners and next steps across procurement, operations, people and health and safety teams to address modern slavery.

The engagement provides a platform for Anglian Water to build sustained leadership commitment, strengthen due diligence in practice and ensure that preventing harm to workers is embedded in everyday decisions across its operations and supply chain.