Lloyds Banking Group was named winner of the Experian Building Stronger Business Award at Business in the Community’s 2015 Annual Responsible Business Gala in London. The event at the Royal Albert Hall was the culmination of the 2015 Responsible Business Awards, run by The Prince of Wales’s business charity Business in the Community.
This charity celebrates innovative ways that businesses in the UK and abroad are addressing pressing social and environmental issues and transforming communities.
The Experian Building Stronger Communities Award recognises businesses that invest time, money, skills and resources to deliver long term social and economic benefits to their communities. Lloyds BankingGroup’s award winning partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society was set-up by colleagues who voted the organisation as their Charity of the Year for 2013 and 2014. Over the two years, 30,000 bank colleagues were to part in dementia training protecting vulnerable customers, a network of 8,700 Dementia Friends was established in branches, and £6.5m was raised for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Live Well campaign by colleagues. The Group also developed the first Dementia Friendly Financial Services Charter to help the whole financial services sector understand and respond to the need of customers affected by dementia.
Commenting on the award Graham Lindsay, Director Responsible Business said: “We are immensely proud and honoured to be given this award for our partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. We achieved so much in 2013 and 2014, offering dementia training to 30,000 colleagues and raising £6.5 million for the Live Well Campaign, offering specialised support for carers. It was the enthusiasm of our colleagues that made the partnership so special. Not only has this partnership helped us further deliver upon our commitment to better serve the needs of our customers, it has also helped us deliver our promise of helping our communities and Britain prosper.”
Commenting on the win, Charlie Brown, Company Secretary at Experian, who chaired the judging panel said: “Lloyds has shown how through an effective partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and simple changes to business practice a real, long-lasting and sustained difference can be made to improve the lives of dementia sufferers and their carers. They have made a significant contribution towards creating the dementia friendly communities that will be needed to address what is a growing problem at the same time meeting the needs of a group of vulnerable customers. They have shown leadership in developing a sector wide code of conduct and, with Alzheimer’s Society have created a legacy in the form of resources for businesses; dementia sufferers and their carers; and increased investment in research.”
Over 400 companies entered the 2015 Responsible Business Awards. The winners represent the varied ways that businesses can make a sustained difference, tackling a breadth of issues from youth unemployment to dementia friendly financial services, reducing dependency on natural resources, creating jobs for SME’s and addressing the ebola crisis.
Commenting Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “Every year, the Responsible Business Awards provide a tantalising glimpse of the potential of business as a force for good in society. From the largest global multinational to the smallest local firm, these inspirational winners prove that every business can and should play its part to build a fairer society for us all. I congratulate Lloyds Banking Group for the practical action it has taken to address some of our most pressing issues, and for proving that making a difference and being a successful business are not mutually exclusive.”
Over 1,200 senior guests, from SME owners to the CEOs of global brands attended the Annual Responsible Business Gala which was supported by 2014 Responsible Business of the Year, National Grid. The event was hosted by TV presenter Claudia Winkleman with entertainment from comedian Adam Hill.
Prime Minister David Cameron praised winners via video message saying: “On behalf of the whole country, I want to say thank you to all of you, for what you are doing to show that responsible business is good business and something we should all be very proud of.”
