Kid-A says it has become the first UK telecoms consultancy to be granted B-corp certification, a status awarded for meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, as well as accountability.
The company, which has been named after the band Radiohead’s fourth album to reflect its drive for innovation, received the accreditation from non-profit network B Lab after it scored well for governance, community, workers, environment and customers.
Co-founders Andy Silcock and Adam Toms set up the business in 2019 after years of experience in telecoms, with the aim of building an accessories and network business that was a bit different to others.
“Getting the certification was a huge endorsement that we were doing things the right way,” said Silcock.
“We put so much time, love and energy into the infrastructure of the people and sustainable elements in our business that we really wanted to shout about it.”
Kid-A’s co-founders aim to be disruptive in the market, while working closely with operators to help boost sales and get the most from direct channels.
“The way accessories were managed for the networks was, we felt, outdated,” said Toms.
“Nothing had really changed in the time we were working in that area, and it felt pretty ready for someone to come in and do something differently.”
Kid-A won a contract with Vodafone in March 2021, beating Brightstar, Data Select, Kondor, Exertis and Strax in a selection process – and claims it has helped the operator boost sales compared with a previous contract.
Silcock says that Kid-A also plans to branch out in other areas. “We run accessories at the moment, but we are also doing things in the handset world and airtime world,” he says.
“We want to work more closely and deeply with networks because we truly understand how those businesses work.”