While much has changed since Hang Seng Bank's founding in 1933, our central principle of providing service excellence remains as strong today as it was more than 80 years ago.
As Hong Kong's leading domestic bank, we are a responsible corporate citizen, with our commitment to serve extending beyond day-to-day business operations. We actively participate in a number of initiatives to drive long-term sustainable development. Our objective is to help create a healthy and engaged society that will, in turn, support our own growth in the years ahead.
This annual Corporate Sustainability Report is intended to provide information on our activities and practices - and to contribute to the ongoing conversation on sustainability.
Hang Seng was, back in 2010, the first local bank in Hong Kong to employ the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting guidelines. The following year we were also the first bank to achieve an A+ rating. For 2013, I am pleased to say that we have attained an A+ rating for a third consecutive year.
In 2013, Hang Seng was also once again recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the 'Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World'. This marked our second consecutive year as the only Hong Kong corporation included in this list.
We would not be able to contribute to the sustainability of the communities we serve without the ongoing dedication of our staff. In 2013, I am proud to report that our employees and their families volunteered nearly 27,000 hours of their own time to help others.
In the last year, as part of our emphasis on youth development activities, we supported close to 180 education programmes and workshops, reaching some 100,000 young people. The Hang Seng Bank - Leaders to Leaders Lecture Series, once again provided local students a valuable opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with prominent community leaders. To expand the impact of the Series, we also added a live webcast for the first time last year, enabling us to reach an additional 30,000 individuals. Indeed, we were very honoured when our Lecture Series was recognised recently with a Gold Award for Corporate Social Responsibility at the 11th China Golden Awards for Excellence in Public Relations, organised by the China International Public Relations Association.
During our year-long series of events celebrating Hang Seng's 80th anniversary, we also integrated the theme of sustainability into many of the activities. For example, we committed to building a further 800 biogas facilities in rural areas in mainland China.
With our deep roots in Hong Kong, we recognise that our long-term success is very much intertwined with the prosperity and well-being of the Greater China region. To do our part to help drive sustainable development in this region, we remain committed to providing service excellence, building and maintaining long-term relationships, and continuing to invest in the communities we serve.
Rose Lee
Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive
Hang Seng Bank
