Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

 

AYOA, OpenGenius Ltd.

Our commitment

OpenGenius Ltd, developer of AYOA, is committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in all aspects of business, including our supply chains. Although OpenGenius Ltd is a small organisation with fewer than 20 employees, we acknowledge that the Modern Slavery Act applies proportionately to businesses of all sizes and we take our obligations seriously.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are committed to acting with integrity and respect in all business matters. 

This statement is made pursuant to Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the current financial year (April 2025 – April 2026)

About us

OpenGenius Ltd. is an agile technology startup providing innovative cloud-based productivity and collaboration software  through the AYOA platform. We are based in the UK, operate in the UK market with an international presence, serving business, educational institutions, and individuals seeking project management, collaboration, optimisation and efficiency, creative ideation and mind mapping solutions.

As a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, our operations are primarily digital, with our team working from our Cardiff-based office and across the UK and Ireland. Our supply chain is straightforward, consisting of:

  • Recognised Secure Cloud infrastructure and hosting providers
  • Software development tools and licenses
  • Governance, compliance and regulatory
  • Professional services (legal, finance, marketing, product, event and sales specialisms)
  • Office equipment and supplies
  • IT hardware suppliers
  • Facilities, secured in line with ISO27001: 2022, Cyber Essentials and NCSC standards

Our policies on Modern Slavery

We are committed to ensuring there is transparency in our business and in our approach to tackle modern slavery throughout our supply chains. Our policies reflect our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity and sustainability in all our business relationships.

Key principles include:

  • We do not use forced, bonded, or involuntary labour
  • We ensure all employees have the right to leave employment after reasonable notice
  • We do not require employees to lodge deposits or unnecessary identity papers
  • We provide clear, fair employment terms and conditions that reflect UK employment law and human rights
  • We ensure all employees are above the legal working age
  • We pay above the national minimum/living wage for all employees
  • We respect the rights of our employees to join trade unions
  • We promote and support the rights of whistleblowers

Due diligence 

As a small but growing business, we have implemented proportionate due diligence processes and align ourselves with best practise for ethical and sustainable business principles

For Employees and Contractors:

  • Verification of right to work in the UK
  • Clear contracts of employment with transparent terms
  • Open-door policy for raising concerns
  • Regular one-to-ones to ensure employee wellbeing
  • In-house and partner bodies to assure fair and transparent employment terms
  • Regular revisions of OpenGenius policies reflecting evolution in ethical and secure, legal and operational frameworks

For Suppliers:

All new supplier contracts include explicit obligations to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and other applicable labour and security standards

  • Assessment of new suppliers before engagement in accordance with SOC2, Cyber Essentials, NCSC and ISO 27001:2022 standards
  • Preference for established UK and EU-based vendors with transparent supply chains
  • Review of vendors at engagement outset and regular intervals throughout engagement lifecycle
  • Ongoing monitoring of key relationships and supply chains with focus on ethical business practise
  • Partnerships with vendors who align with our policies and principles

Risk Assessment and Management

Given our business model, size and commitment to transparency and equality, we assess our risk of modern slavery as low. However, we remain vigilant and have identified the following as potential risk areas:

  • Vendor maintenance services 
  • Supply chains and where utilised, offshore development partners

We manage these risks through:

  • Direct employment of staff
  • Careful selection of vendors, reinforced by SOC2 processes
  • Regular assessments of our supply chain and all vendors
  • Maintaining awareness and training of modern slavery indicators
  • Regular risk assessments and reviews against recognised standards and current and emerging frameworks
  • Adherence to standards including ISO27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials

Training and Awareness

We ensure our team understands the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking by:

  • Including this statement in our employee resources
  • Educating employees on ethical business practice
  • Providing security, best practise and compliance training and refreshers at regular, scheduled intervals
  • Encouraging and supporting holistic, open communication amongst all stakeholders
  • Providing clear and secure channels for whistleblowing
  • Maintaining education on latest governance and guidance

Management proactively reviews modern slavery legislation to ensure continued compliance and improvement of our processes.

Measurement

As a small organisation, we measure our effectiveness through:

  • Zero tolerance approach towards any slavery or trafficking incidents
  • 100% of employees with a verified right to employment
  • Regular employee feedback
  • Regular Supply chain assessments
  • Annual reviews of OpenGenius policies
  • Bi-annual reviews of risk and relative legislation to OpenGenius Ltd operations

Reporting Concerns

We encourage anyone with concerns about modern slavery in our business or supply chain to report them. Concerns can be raised through support@ayoa.com 

All concerns will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate action taken. We commit to protecting whistleblowers from retaliation.

Continuous Improvement

We recognise that combating modern slavery is an ongoing effort. As we grow, we commit to:

  • Regularly reviewing and strengthening our policies
  • Expanding due diligence as our supply chain grows
  • Increasing training and awareness activities
  • Collaborating with industry peers to share best practices
  • Updating this statement annually

This statement has been approved by the board of directors of OpenGenius Ltd.

Signed:

Chris Griffiths

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
OpenGenius Limited
September 2025

This statement is made in accordance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes OpenGenius Ltd slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 2026.

For questions about this statement or any of our policies, please contact: support@ayoa.com