Directors are judged by what they ought to have known
“We weren’t aware” is no longer an acceptable defence when the signals were available.
1. Regulatory Change
A UK wholesaler was about to place a £14m EU order, unaware of an incoming ban on plastic condiment sachets. Attaima flagged it months ahead.s.172, long-term consequences
2. QUANTIFY BUSINESS IMPACT
A packaging supplier, a suppliers’ suppliers’ supplier (tier 3), quietly moved production offshore. Spend was under USD 50k, so nobody noticed until supply failed, breaching an NHS contract and handing it to a rival. Attaima detected the issue through a Slovakian jobs loss announcement.Risk oversight, concentration
3. Reputation
A Fortune 500 company was tied in the press to a bribery and child labour scandal at a suppliers’ supplier (tier 2), six months late, through a failed tier 1 disclosure. The share price took the hit. Attaima would have detected this in local media coverage six months earlier.s.172 reputation, s.174
4. OWNERSHIP TRANSPARENCY
A mid-cap company signed a contract to deliver UK MOD supplies without knowing the Russian ownership beneath the tier 1 supplier. Alternative sourcing solutions pushed the contract into a financial liability, and a competency concern for other customers, overnight. Attaima uncovers ownership risks through multiple tiers in the value chain.Risk oversight, beneficial ownership
5. Financial Stability
A suppliers’ supplier (tier 2) providing a component in South East Asia for a specific surgical kit went into administration months ago. The first indication was when stocks ran low and the tier 1 supplier could no longer source the part. As a certified kit, alternative sourcing required re-certification, leading to patient delays, cancelled surgeries, lost revenue and lost market share. Attaima would have alerted to this supplier’s financial stress after the previous year’s filings declared an “adverse opinion on going concern.”Risk oversight, supplier solvency
