High Growth Ethical Outsourcing at Scale – with Mari Parker of Boldr Impact

In this week’s episode of the Outsource Accelerator Podcast, Derek is joined by Mari Parker, the President and COO of Boldr Impact. 

They discuss Boldr Impact’s efforts to manage an ethical outsourcing culture, the perceptions of the outsourcing industry as “unethical,” and new technology that’s disrupting the scene. 

Boldr Impact 

Mari opens by introducing Boldr Impact as “the largest global B Corp certified outsourcing company.” 

“We help companies, especially in the US and Europe, build their global teams with a very intentional, ethical lens.” 

Aside from its base in the Philippines, Boldr Impact also operates in Mexico, South Africa, and Canada. 

“We were doing really well in the Philippines, and we found that there were new client opportunities that came to us [but] we would not be able to progress in the relationship because we were only in one location, and clients will see the lack of geographic diversity as a risk.

So we recognize that it is important to be in multiple geos.” 

Having grown up in South Africa, Mari notes that there was a bit of a personal interest in choosing the location. 

“I’ve always felt inspired to find ways to give back to the community there. With South Africa’s unemployment crisis, this was a no-brainer for me.”   

Managing a unique business culture

Mari and her co-leaders always aimed to manage Boldr a little bit differently. 

“With what [we’ve] seen in the industry, it was really clear that there’s a better way to do this. There’s a way to approach outsourcing without having to marginalize the team member and the community in the transaction.” 

She heavily stresses the importance of making the team members and the community key stakeholders in their business. 

“The way we’re approaching it is that we invest in attracting and retaining the best talent, which would mean that we deliver an incredible service, which means that we continue to grow with our existing clients. 

[That] bleeds into growth with our new clients as well and allows us to continue to make an impact on the community.” 

According to Mari, culture is the foundation of their company.

“You have to start with your values, being clear on what [they are] and being intentional about incorporating your values into everything that you do as a business [and] how you show up as leaders.” 

Dealing with perceptions of outsourcing

Mari agrees that outsourcing is an industry that is still generally regarded as unethical.  

“I think [it’s] the way the industry got started. I don’t think people have taken the time to educate themselves and really do the research and understand the impact that this work has on communities.” 

She details an example of what Boldr Impact has done within the company to help combat these perceptions. 

“Through our B Corp connections, we got connected to think tanks and universities, and we supported the research. 

We worked with IBON, a think tank in the Philippines, agreed on a methodology, and determined what a living wage should be in Manila. It was based on an individual being able [to] support themselves and their children with housing, education, and basic medical needs. 

We very quickly made a commitment to not have anybody on our team earn below that living wage. So we made that our minimum wage. 

It was quite controversial at the moment, but it’s an example of the work that can be done to make sure this industry is making an impact.” 

AI and new technology in the industry 

Mari is not shy about prompting the use of AI in outsourcing but is also preparing to deal with its consequences.

“For the moment, it’s increasing in efficiencies. I do believe the future of it is that it is going to displace entry-level positions.

Which actually leaves a company like us with an important question: ‘What is the first job at a company going to look like in the future if a lot of this gets automated?’ 

I think we would like to play a role because we are in the world of impact sourcing.” 

As with many leaders, however, she still believes that human intervention will be necessary.

“I am confident that there will always be a human in the loop in this process and that there will always be a need for finding talent in these markets.”

For more information, you may visit Boldr Impact’s website. Mari can also be reached via her LinkedIn profile.