B Corp Month at LeftBrain: people, culture and trust

March is B Corp Month. It is a global celebration of businesses that are committed to using their work as a force for good.

For us at LeftBrain, it is also a timely moment to reflect on the steps we are taking as we work towards B Corp certification.

Over the past year, we have been reviewing how we operate as a business. That includes everything from governance and policies to wellbeing, inclusion and the way we support our team. Our B Corp application is now in, and the process has helped us think carefully about what it means to put people first as we grow.

To talk about that journey, we sat down with our People Ops Coordinator, Jenny Westerman, to discuss her role, the culture at LeftBrain and how our people-first approach supports both our team and our clients.

Can you introduce yourself and your role at LeftBrain?

Hi, I’m Jenny and I’m the People Ops Coordinator at LeftBrain. It is a relatively new role that focuses on putting people at the heart of what we do. My goal is to make sure our team feels supported and able to deliver their best work for our clients.

What does the term “people ops” mean in practice at LeftBrain?

My role focuses on the day-to-day experience of the people working at LeftBrain. That includes supporting hiring and onboarding, helping teams stay connected and working closely with team leads.

It is also about making sure we maintain a positive and inclusive culture as we grow. There are lots of different elements to it, from organising team meetups to supporting collaboration across the business.

We often talk about matching the way our clients work by being agile and people first. What does that look like internally?

It means helping teams work well together and communicate openly so we can stay responsive to our clients.

We have regular team meetings where we discuss what is happening and what is coming up. We run sprints together and hold retrospectives so we can reflect and improve. Working in an agile way internally mirrors how many of our clients operate as well.

March is B Corp Month and our application is now in. Where are we on our B Corp journey?

Over the past year we have spent a lot of time gathering information for our impact assessment and reviewing how we operate across the company.

That has included looking at our policies, governance and how we support wellbeing and inclusion. We have introduced several new policies, including a Ramadan policy and a breastfeeding policy, and we have been exploring ways to better support women within the company.

It has been a really valuable process of reviewing everything we do and asking how we can improve it. The aim is to make sure everyone in the team feels welcome and able to be their true selves at work.

LeftBrain is an NCSC-assured cybersecurity consultancy. How does trust connect with the way you approach people and culture?

Trust is absolutely fundamental in cybersecurity. For us that means strong governance, resilient teams and decision-making that is guided by our values.

When the team feels supported and trusted, it strengthens the way we work with our clients as well. Ultimately, trust underpins both our culture and the services we deliver.

One of the first initiatives you introduced was volunteer leave. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes, that was one of the really exciting parts of our B Corp work. We introduced paid volunteer leave so that every employee has two days each year to dedicate to a cause they care about.

People across the team have already started using it. One colleague in Scotland has been volunteering with the RSPB to support local wildlife. Our CEO Charlie recently visited a local school to talk about careers in cybersecurity and answer questions from students.

Personally, I will be volunteering during the Easter holidays with a project that helps feed children during the school break. It is great to see the team getting involved in different ways and supporting causes that matter to them.

Finally, what excites you most about the journey ahead?

We are still at the beginning of our B Corp journey, but it has already helped us build stronger foundations as a company.

What excites me most is continuing to develop a culture where trust, sustainability and people sit at the heart of how we work.