Social and Ethics Committee (SEC) Charter

Built on Character, Not Corporate Fluff: Our Commitment to Ethical Governance

We resist the vanilla, but we never compromise on integrity. This charter formally outlines how we champion fair labour, sustainable procurement and ethical AI. It’s our pledge to keep our standards high, our footprint small and our culture exceptionally human.

1. Purpose + Statutory Basis

Although AIPX Atelier operates as an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) and is not statutorily mandated under Section 72(4) of the South African Companies Act (No. 71 of 2008) to maintain a standalone Social and Ethics Committee, we voluntarily adopt this Charter.

This Charter establishes the formal oversight mechanism for social, environmental, ethical and governance matters in alignment with Companies Regulation 43, the King IV Code on Corporate Governance and B Corp standards. It guides the Governing Body in ensuring that aipx remains an ethical, sustainable and responsible corporate citizen.

2. Composition + Governance Structure

Due to our agile, flat organisational structure, oversight responsibilities are embedded directly within executive leadership.

  • Membership: The Executive Board (Managing Partners) serves as the primary Governing Body responsible for executing the functions of the SEC.

  • Specialist Counsel: The Board may co-opt external legal counsel, compliance advisors or specialist associates to assist on specific ethics, risk or regulatory matters as required.

  • Chairperson: The Managing Partner designated with ethics oversight leads the committee functions on a rotating basis.

3. Duties + Responsibilities

The Governing Body monitors, oversees and holds the agency accountable across five core pillars:

3.1. Ethics, Integrity and Anti-Corruption

  • Enforce zero tolerance for theft, fraud, dishonesty, bribery and corrupt activities.

  • Ensure strict adherence to the aipx Code of Conduct, financial authorisation protocols, and gift/hospitality limits.

  • Oversee conflict-of-interest disclosures during employee onboarding, annual renewals and supplier procurement.

  • Maintain and monitor secure, anonymous whistleblowing reporting channels.

3.2. Social and Economic Development

  • Support South Africa’s economic transformation through B-BBEE alignment and local enterprise development.

  • Promote the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact regarding human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

  • Champion digital upskilling, transitioning manual execution roles into high-value capabilities.

3.3. Labour, Diversity and Human Rights

  • Ensure 100% compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and applicable South African labour legislation.

  • Monitor adherence to the aipx Anti-Harassment and Toxicity policies, actively stamping out discrimination, patriarchal abuse and toxic workplace behaviours.

  • Enforce strict supply chain due diligence aligned with the Modern Slavery Act, ensuring no forced, child, or exploitative labour is utilised directly or via subcontractors.

  • Maintain pay transparency and equal opportunity across all levels of the organization.

3.4. Environmental Sustainability

  • Oversee the implementation of the aipx Environmental Policy, ensuring a cloud-first, paperless internal operation and optimised carbon footprint.

  • Ensure sustainable procurement practices, prioritising B Corp-aligned vendors, eco-certified hardware and responsible e-waste recycling.

  • Enforce ethical AI utilisation, balancing computational speed with efficient, low-energy usage.

3.5. Consumer, Client and Stakeholder Relations

  • Ensure full compliance with data privacy regulations, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

  • Safeguard client intellectual property, trade secrets, and non-disclosure commitments.

  • Protect brand reputation by ensuring marketing communications, creative outputs, and public statements reflect truthfulness, fair competition, and ethical standards.

4. Meetings + Operational Cadence

  • Frequency: SEC and governance matters are formal, standing agenda items at the Executive Board’s quarterly board meetings.

  • Quorum: A quorum consists of both Managing Partners.

  • Minutes and Records: All ethical reviews, policy updates, whistleblowing reports and compliance checks are formally recorded and archived on the secure aipx server.

5. Reporting + Accountability

  • The Governing Body annually reviews aipx’s ethical performance, B-BBEE status and environmental impacts.

  • Summary reports regarding ethics, social impact, and sustainability compliance are made available to enterprise clients, auditors and RFP evaluation committees upon request.