Santander Supports National Leadership Summit
10 January 2011
Santander UK sponsored Business in the Community's Leadership Summit which took place last month in London. The event was held in the presence of Rt. Hon David Cameron, The Prime Minister and HRH The Prince of Wales.
Business in the Community works with both small and large businesses in the UK to champion and develop Corporate Social Responsibility. Its approach to responsible business is focused on four areas: community; environment; workplace; and marketplace.
John Thorpe, Divisional Director, Santander UK opened the event and in his introductory speech said, "Santander is a retail bank at heart, proud to be at the centre of high streets and communities across the UK through our branch network. It's why we place such importance on working with our customers and our employees to both involve and engage them in fundraising campaigns, volunteering activities and donations that focus on financial capability and education."
The summit, held in London on 2 December 2010, brought together 400 business leaders to discuss the opportunities to engage in the UK Government's 'Big Society' programme. Under this initiative, the Prime Minister has stated that he wants to see a new era of social responsibility, both for individuals and organisations, where communities take charge of their own destiny.
In his key note speech the Prime Minister set out a series of commitments that businesses should focus on. He said, "There are some very basic things that are the responsibility of every business: upholding the law; treating employees fairly; avoiding environmental harm. And in return, the UK Government commits to helping business succeed so they can create the jobs, wealth and opportunity we need. We will create a new economic dynamism in this country by reforming taxation, regulation and public spending."
In 2011, Santander will continue its partnership with Business in the Community and will support the development of a new 'Community Footprint' tool that will help companies in the UK to better measure, understand and manage their impact on the communities around them.
Ends
For further information:
Sharon Squire
Santander UK plc
0207 756 4197
Notes to Editors:
About Santander
Santander is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain. Founded in 1857, Santander has 90 million customers, around 14,000 branches - more than any other international bank - and over 170,000 employees. In the UK, Santander was formed out of the Abbey, Bradford & Bingley and Alliance & Leicester retail networks. It has over 1,300 branches, around 4,500 cash machines and provides a full range of retail and corporate banking services to 25 million customers.
About Business in the Community
Business in the Community is a business-led charity with a growing membership of 850 companies, from large multinational household names to small local businesses and public sector organisations. We advise, support and challenge our members to create a sustainable future for people and the planet and to improve business performance. Our members work with us to define what responsibility looks like in the workplace, marketplace, community and the environment - and we share what we learn about driving performance through responsible business practice. Business in the Community is one of The Prince's Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President.