Broadly speaking, its purpose is to facilitate the effective and prudent management of the company in a way that ensures the long-term success of the company, while balancing the interests of all stakeholders in the long run. But in order to implement these practices, clear guidelines must be defined, internal controls need to be set up and roles must be divided.
JurisTax has been placing emphasis on good governance long before it became mandatory by way of the Mauritius Code of Corporate Governance implemented in 2017. In addition to adhering to national and international laws and implementing ISO 27001: 2013 and ISAE 3402 standards, we have developed our very own corporate governance framework and practices, grounded in the principles of transparency, accountability and integrity. To us, good governance begins at the helm, at the Board level, through CEOs and cascades down to each department and individual employee. The Board is assisted in its responsibility of good governance and risk management by the Internal Audit function which independently evaluates the effectiveness of the internal control systems and processes. In addition, the Board also receives reports from external auditors who also evaluate the risk management framework in arriving at their audit opinion. Non-compliance or undignified behaviour, even in the event of a sensitive or conflictual situation, is not tolerated. This not only applies to our interactions with one another, but also to our dealings with our clients, partners and suppliers. On this, our stance remains uncompromising.
At JurisTax, we firmly believe that we perform at our very best when cultural and gender diversity, as well as diversity of thought and opinions are rampant around the Board table. It is how constructive conversations take place and innovative ideas emerge. This is why our Board, and organisation at large, are filled with a group of well-intended individuals who bring a wealth of strengths, experiences and perspectives to the policy-making table. This creates a culture in which our employees are empowered to swim against the tide, question the status quo and bring forth opposing opinions about challenging issues - all in the spirit of courtesy and mutual respect.
We recognise that good governance is an ideal that cannot be achieved through a charter or one-off actions. Instead, we view it as an ongoing process, one that requires continuous discourse with our stakeholders and that embeds itself within the blueprint of our business. We therefore vow to continue working towards improved governance so we can remain worthy of the trust our shareholders place in us.