19  September 2012  - 19:29
Maybank raises the bar with more impactful Global CR Day

- Over 18,000 staff to celebrate sustainable initiatives globally

Believed to be the biggest corporate responsibility (CR) initiative ever by a Malaysian company globally and simultaneously in a day, the Maybank Global CR Day is back for its third consecutive year – in a bigger and more sustainable manner.

This year, the event falls on 22 September 2012, and will see over 18,000 Maybank employees not only from Malaysia but also from the Group’s offices abroad - including New York, London, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, China, Bahrain, Papua New Guinea and Singapore – coming together to reaffirm their commitment to social and community development.

Elevating it to another level altogether, this year’s Global CR Day does not comprise one-off community projects for the day, but include long-term initiatives identified and carried out by employees in the various locations where they operate.

This is the third year the Global CR Day is being held. In 2010, over 10,000 employees participated while in 2011, more than 15,000 employees were involved. It was mooted by Maybank in 2010 as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.

The Global CR Day is part of the Group’s Cahaya Kasih employee volunteerism programme, which was initiated in 2006 for employees to engage directly with the community through its regional offices, sectors and overseas operations by helping those in need, and beyond the activities driven by the Bank.

Incorporated in this year’s Global CR Day is the Cahaya Kasih Challenge (CKC), where the Maybank Foundation provided an additional grant of RM20,000 each to the 20 top initiatives proposed by Maybank employees throughout its global network. The premise behind this is to fund sustainable programmes that can benefit the community on a longer term basis. At the end of the year, the Maybank Foundation will review the results and award RM50,000 to the winner, which must be channeled for the benefit of their selected programme.

These CKC programmes are part of over 100 initiatives to be undertaken during the Global CR Day. They will be carried out in 15 countries and cover various beneficiaries ranging from senior citizens, single mothers, orphans, the sick and infirm, indigenous people as well as environmental programmes.

The 2012 Maybank Global CR Day will again see Board members led by Chairman, Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor; President & CEO, Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar as well as senior management and employees across all levels involved in a variety of ways. Among some of the projects to be undertaken are programmes to help school dropouts, equipping hospital wards with reading and entertainment facilities, helping single mothers generate income, educational assistance for underprivileged, creating business opportunities for the disabled, providing a centre for cancer awareness and helping refugee children in the country.

Maybank Group Chairman, Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor will be with 200 underprivileged children who had been taught, coached and guided since May this year by the Group's Human Capital team on life skills ranging - from successfully growing vegetables and mushrooms on a rooftop of a building they occupy, to the ability to be resourceful and pursue knowledge independently by leveraging on facilities accessible by the public like the public library, through to Bahasa Malaysia language classes.

Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, President & CEO Maybank and also Chairman of Maybank Foundation will join some 2,000 employees and their families and friends in Maybank Singapore for a Charity Sports Carnival for Special Olympics Singapore.

Said Dato’ Sri Wahid, “This year’s Global CR Day marks yet another milestone for the Maybank Group. We not only have more participation from employees, but have taken it a step further with our emphasis on sustainable programmes that provide long term community benefits.

“Apart from demonstrating our commitment to being at the heart of the community, our aim is also to ensure the holistic development of our employees and the organisation,” he explained. “This is reaffirmed by our internal employer brand survey which showed that 82% of staff who participated found CR involvement to be an ‘important / very important’ characteristic of their ideal employer.”

Some other projects to be undertaken internationally include Maybank Cambodia working alongside People Improvement Organization (PIO) to sponsor 20 children with proper basic amenities and education to ensure they lead a normal life compared to their street life before. In Indonesia, the Group is helping to enhance handicraft production by the disabled by providing them sewing machines as well as initating an oyster mushroom farming project for the underprivileged.