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1. About Our Organisation

Protea PR & Marketing Ltd (trading as Protea Royale) is a PR, communications and marketing agency based in Newmarket, Suffolk. We support a range of clients across multiple sectors — including hospitality, sport, the arts, charitable organisations and professional services — delivering creative campaigns, media relations, digital strategy, social media management, copywriting and event communications.

Our team is small, UK-based and owner-managed. We operate primarily within the United Kingdom, working with a network of freelance specialists and local suppliers to deliver our services.

2. Our Supply Chain

Given the nature and scale of our business, our supply chain is limited and low-risk relative to industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction or logistics. Our key supplier categories include:

• Freelance creative professionals (copywriters, designers, photographers, videographers)

• Technology and software service providers

• Print and production suppliers

• Event and hospitality venues

• Professional services (legal, accounting, HR)

The majority of our suppliers are UK-based SMEs and individuals. We do not procure goods or services from high-risk regions or sectors known to carry elevated exposure to modern slavery and human trafficking.

3. Our Policies

Protea PR & Marketing Ltd is committed to conducting business ethically and with full respect for human rights. Our policies and practices relevant to modern slavery include:

• Ethical Business Practice: We do not engage in, tolerate or facilitate forced labour, child labour, human trafficking or any other form of modern slavery — whether within our own operations or in our supply chain.

• Fair Pay and Working Conditions: All staff, contractors and freelancers are engaged on fair, documented terms. We comply with all applicable UK employment law, including the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

• Supplier Engagement: We engage suppliers on the basis of shared values. For larger engagements, we seek written confirmation of compliance with applicable employment and human rights standards.

• Recruitment: We use transparent, documented recruitment processes. We do not use unlicensed labour providers and we do not charge recruitment fees to workers.

4. Due Diligence Processes

Our due diligence approach is proportionate to the size and nature of our business:

• New suppliers are reviewed prior to engagement, with particular attention to any indicators of labour exploitation, irregular working conditions or opacity around employment practices.

• We maintain direct working relationships with our primary suppliers, giving us a clear line of sight into how services are delivered.

• We include expectations around ethical employment practices in our standard supplier agreements and working arrangements where material.

• We remain attentive to early warning indicators — such as unusually low pricing, reluctance to discuss working arrangements, or lack of documentation — that may signal labour exploitation in a supply chain.

5. Risk Assessment

We have assessed the risk of modern slavery within our operations and supply chain as low. The primary reasons for this assessment are:

• We are a professional services business. The services we procure are predominantly knowledge-based and delivered by individuals working under transparent contractual arrangements.

• The majority of our supply chain is UK-based, where strong legal protections exist and are actively enforced.

• We maintain close, ongoing working relationships with our key suppliers, reducing the risk of hidden exploitation going undetected.

We recognise, however, that no organisation can claim zero risk, and we remain committed to continuous review of our practices.

6. Training and Awareness

Modern slavery awareness forms part of our commitment to ethical business practices. Steps taken in this area include:

• Directors and senior team members are familiar with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the indicators of modern slavery and labour exploitation.

• We share relevant guidance with team members and contractors as part of onboarding and ongoing engagement.

• We keep abreast of developments in modern slavery legislation and best practice through industry publications and professional networks.

7. Effectiveness and Next Steps

This is our first formally published Modern Slavery Statement. Going forward, we intend to:

• Review and update this statement annually.

• Formalise our supplier code of conduct to include explicit modern slavery provisions.

• Ensure that any expansion of our supply chain — particularly the introduction of new production or print suppliers — is accompanied by appropriate due diligence.

We believe that publishing this statement, even voluntarily, demonstrates our commitment to operating responsibly and transparently. We welcome dialogue with clients, partners and stakeholders on ethical business practice.

Approved and signed on behalf of Protea PR & Marketing Ltd

Name: John Gilbert

Position: Co-Founder and Director

Date: 1 April 2026

Protea PR & Marketing Ltd  |  Newmarket, Suffolk