Seabury Group: Best Aviation M&A Advisory Team Global 2016

With an impressive number of airline restructurings under its corporate belt, Seabury Group has become the go-to consultancy for carriers aiming high. In business for 21 years and headquartered in New York, Seabury Group is a global advisory and professional services firm delivering solutions to the aviation, aerospace and defence, and transportation industries, amongst others.

The company maintains a network of offices in fifteen countries in order to increase client-consultant proximity and keep taps on local conditions. Seabury Group has established a solid track record lending its expertise to over 300 clients in more than 50 countries with well in excess of 1,200 engagements. The firm has brokered complex restructuring exercises requiring a broad range of services, ranging from consulting to investment banking via IT solution.

Seabury Group is unique in having its own investment bank which allows it to offer clients help with both sell-side and buy-side transactions, private equity and debt placement, and mergers and acquisitions. From its corporate beginnings, Seabury has followed a holistic approach, providing solutions that include all aspects of the business under consideration. As such, the group boasts a human capital division specialised in developing and optimising workforce performance for improved operational results.

Seabury Group has an impressive number of successful large-scale corporate restructurings to its name and was recently engaged to help smooth the privatisation of TAP Portugal which entailed raising a €330m equity capital injection and restructuring over €1bn of debt. The solution provided by Seabury Group enabled the airline to ensure both long-time survival and profitability.

Investing heavily in technology, and offering a number of proprietary aviation management smart software solutions, has propelled Seabury Group to the very apex of the airline consultancy sector. The company has now replicated its formula – and success – in the transportation and aerospace and defence industries. The CFI.co judging panel commends Seabury Group – winner of the 2015 Best Aviation M&A Advisory Team Global Award – for its unrelenting dedication to operational excellence and top performance. The judges are pleased to announce that Seabury Group has now also won the 2016: Best Aviation M&A Advisory Team Global Award.


Cisco Capital: Best Captive Technology Finance Team Global

Staying up to date with technology is not so much a drain on the bottom line as it is an opportunity for improving efficiencies and expanding operations. Rather than a corporate expense, IT adds value and delivers the means that allow organisations to embrace ever-changing business dynamics.

Corporations that keep ahead of the curve and allow for shorter IT lifecycles typically fare better than those waiting for obsolescence to extract its toll, only to ultimately impose the inevitable upgrades. Keeping the IT initiative is key to enduring success. With that lesson borne out of corporate experience in mind, Cisco Capital has developed its Lifecycle Financing facility which recognises that how businesses acquire technology is every bit as important as what is being acquired.

The approach allows corporations to dovetail their IT policies with business plans and initiatives. Lifecycle Financing also stretches budgets while shortening deployment times and offers build-in flexibility that enables companies to adjust work styles and flows in response to shifting market conditions.

Cisco Capital offers its bespoke Lifecycle Financing facility in over one hundred countries to businesses of all sizes. The company leverages its intimate knowledge of clients’ operations – gathered during the IT system design phase – to put in place customised financing solutions that take into account not just present IT requirements, but fine-tune system scalability to match corporate strategy.

As a result, Cisco Capital is able to go where conventional lenders often dare not tread, maintaining non-performance risk ratios that are the envy of the industry. Familiarity with the creditor’s business operations and managerial expertise allows Cisco Capital to effectively underwrite IT projects in emerging markets where corporate growth is usually hampered by a lack of affordable financing options.

The CFI.co judging panel finds the integrated approach to IT financing pioneered by Cisco Capital refreshing. The judges fully agree that businesses aspiring to gain, or keep, their competitive advantage need to bring IT investments forward. Cisco’s Lifecycle Financing significantly shortens IT lifecycles without adding pressure to budgets. Always charmed by innovative business models, the judges have no hesitation in extending the 2015 Best Captive Technology Finance Team Global Award to Cisco Capital.


Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX): Most Innovative Exchange GCC

After securing its place on the influential MCSI Emerging Market Index in 2014, 1,158 foreign institutional investors opened accounts to trade on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Now, a number of regulatory changes are in the works that will facilitate the creation of new financial instruments, adding liquidity to the market and helping the exchange integrate more closely into the global marketplace.

Established in 2000, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange has already established a well-earned reputation as a premier venue for investors aiming to catch a ride on the buoyant UAE economies. The exchange has proved resilient in the face of low oil prices and other setbacks. Earlier this year, the exchange entered into discussions with two financial institutions to act as market makers. The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) is currently the only ADX market maker.

The exchange is proactively pursuing new listings from large and mid-sized companies for both its main board and the secondary market. Though the number of IPOs has been small, it is widely expected that 2016 will see privately-held companies reawaken to the many benefits a public listing can bring.

With 71 listed securities (66 public joint stock companies, 2 private joint stock companies, 1 ETF, 1 convertible bond, and 1 Abu Dhabi Government bond), the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange represents most major sectors of the UAE economy and, as such, offers investors a unique – and well-diversified – picture of the local business scene. The CFI.co judging panel commends the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange for its stalwart dedication to not just excellence in the delivery of investor services, but also to innovation. Serving investors with state-of-the art tools and platforms, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange is declared winner of the 2015 Most Innovative Exchange GCC Award.

ADX Most Notable Achievements

Launch of Smart Kiosk (SAHMI). The Kiosk offers an array of electronic services that include the issuance of a new investor number, modification of existing investors’ details, obtaining financial reports and investment statements....etc (first in MENA)

Adoption of XBRL (first in GCC)

Implement automatic monitoring system (Smart System) which can monitor and record automatically transactions and other trading activities on the Exchange (first in GCC).

Disclose, on ADX website, of names of shareholders owning 5% or more of the share capital of any listed company (first in GCC)

Listing of Shares of Private Joint Stock Companies (first in GCC)

Listing of ETF (first in GCC)

Being Upgraded to Emerging Market status by MSCI (first, with Qatar, in world since Emerging Market status was established by MSCI in 2007)


Black Sea Trade and Development Bank: Best Regional Development Bank Global 2015

As the financial pillar of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) proactively supports and underwrites one of the world’s most promising regions. As the eleven BSEC member states look to modernise and reinvigorate their economies, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank stands ready to partner with both public and private entities to provide the wherewithal required to boost regional growth.

[caption id="attachment_2769" align="alignright" width="226"] HQ: Black Sea Trade & Development Bank[/caption]

With an authorised capital of almost €3.5bn, the bank has helped design structured finance deals for over 300 projects across a full range of sectors. The BSTDB has been instrumental in the realisation of large-scale infrastructure undertakings and projects in transportation, telecoms, manufacturing, energy, and other sectors. The bank offers mid to long-term loans, equity investments, and guarantees, amongst others, and also maintains a special programme aimed at providing loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as trade financing facilities.

As a cross between a multilateral development bank and a commercial bank, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is unique in both its outlook and the scope of services offered. The BSTDB sit squarely at the crossroads of intraregional trade and economic cooperation. As such, the Thessaloniki-based bank straddles regional divides and provides an invaluable link between its members from Southeast Europe – mostly also part of the European Union – and the buoyant economies to the east and north of the Bosporus.

By fostering regional cooperation and integration, BSTDB adheres to its original mission, formulated in 1997. The bank commenced operations two years later. The Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation was set up in 1992. Its member states are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The CFI.co judging panel commends the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank for fulfilling its mission in stellar way, embracing – as it does – the full gamut of international best practices. The judges are please to confer on BSTDB the 2015 Best Regional Development Bank Global Award.


Kuwait International Bank (KIB): Best Sharia-Compliant Bank Middle East 2015

In business since 1973, Kuwait International Bank (KIB, originally known as Kuwait Real Estate Bank) is a publically-traded Kuwaiti bank that in 2007 adapted all its operations and processes to fully comply with Islamic financial law. Adhering to Sharia has enabled KIB to offer a full range of traditional and innovative products and services to its clients. A committee of learned Islamic scholars monitors both KIB’s internal and external operations in order to ensure strict compliance with Sharia Law.

As a premier Islamic bank which has won many accolades, KIB’s business covers all banking services including acceptance of deposits, financing, investments, Murabaha (auto, real estate and commodities), Ijara Muntahia Bittamleek (lease-to-own), Istisna’a, Tawarruq, credit cards, Wakala, and other products in addition to corporate and project finance, treasury services, issuing letters of credit and letters of guarantee. KIB also encompasses a dynamic real estate division which facilitates transactions and helps manage property portfolios.

KIB also maintains a modern nationwide network of 28 branches. The bank has a well-established reputation for adhering to the highest ethical standards and regulatory requirements. KIB is a client-centric bank primarily guided by the needs, wishes, and aspirations of its customers. KIB’s fully Sharia-compliant operations have allowed it to broach new markets and expand the range of its services and products.

The CFI.co judges commented on KIB’s exceptionally solid reputation both as a leading financial institution and as a partner to private and corporate clients. The judging panel is pleased to extend the 2015 Best Sharia-Compliant Bank Middle East Award to Kuwait International Bank.


Optim Group: Best Factoring Services Provider Southeast Asia 2015

The unsung hero of small and medium-sized businesses, and quite a few larger ones as well, factoring usually fails to receive its proper due. Providing invoice discounting services may not seem the most eye-catching aspect of the financial industry; it is essential to the maintenance of healthy and predictable cash flows and, as such, a service of inestimable value.

In Singapore, Optim Group is the leading provider of alternative funding through factoring. The firm offers efficient invoice discounting – also known as spot factoring – to companies that wish to monetise their receivables and thus free up funds to drive growth. Founded in 2012, Optim Group has managed to reinvent factoring and position the sector as a pillar of SME financing.

By championing transparency and streamlining procedures, Optim Group is able to provide near-instantaneous funding to its clients through factoring facilities that do not require asset security or long-term financial commitments.

Revolutionising the spot factoring sector in Singapore, Optim Group is widely praised for the simplicity of its procedures and the ability to act fast, thus enabling clients to seize opportunities as they arise.

The CFI.co judging panel recognises the value of factoring to business of all sizes, and in particular to SMEs. Smaller businesses are often held back by the lack of credit. Commercial banks and other lenders are also quite reluctant to deal with ambitious start-ups. Even firmly established SMEs find it hard to obtain the credit needed to drive expansion. Factoring offers a convenient solution. By underwriting in a straightforward manner the expansion of business, Optim Group provides a much needed service. The judges are unanimous in their decision to present the company with the 2015 Best Factoring Services Provider Southeast Asia Award.


2iQ Research: Best Investment Tool Europe 2015

To find out what corporate decision makers really think and know, it is best to analyse their behaviour. This simple, yet often overlooked, truth forms the premise that led to the founding of 2iQ Research in 2002. The firm is a product of the famed business incubator of Frankfurt’s Goethe University and received its initial backing and guidance from eminent German professors.

2iQ Research has pioneered the analysis of behavioural finance and the quantitative processing and distilling of broader capital market data. Combining the two, 2iQ Research has developed a number of complex, yet easy to use, financial applications that allow investment managers to better anticipate market moves and gauge, and correctly interpret, market sentiment.

Boiled down to its very essentials, 2iQ products and services allow investors a peek into the trades of industry insiders – those in-the-know. The firm keeps well over 40,000
companies in more than fifty countries under constant surveillance and enhances the data thus gathered by including insider equity positions and transactions driven by company specific events such as mergers – or indications thereof.

Data, both in its raw form and refined for the detection of trends, is delivered to 2iQ Research in real time, facilitating the search for alpha – the elusive sweet spot for optimised riskadjusted performance that 2iQ’s applications manage, more often than not, to corral and capture with comforting ease.

Leveraging the predictive power of insider transactions to underwrite efficient investment strategies is a notoriously timeconsuming and laborious process due to the dispersed nature of publically available information. 2iQ Research maintains a staff of experienced professionals, and runs a number of bespoke systems, dedicated to scooping up data nuggets scattered about the vast universe of filings – spanning a multitude of markets and languages – to compose a clear picture of insider transactions that is subjected to thorough analysis and screening before being presented to the firm’s clients.

The CFI.co judging panel finds, in turn, that 2iQ Research mines and distils a class of data frequently ignored or disregarded by firms pursuing more traditional ways of market analysis. The judges consider the products and services delivered by 2iQ Research both ground-breaking and unique. The panel has no hesitation in extending recognition to 2iQ Research, offering the innovative firm its 2015 Best Investment Tool Europe Award.


Max Myanmar Group: Best ESG Transparency Myanmar 2015

Established in 1993, the Max Myanmar Group started out in business importing machinery, equipment, and commercial vehicles from Japan. The conglomerate, now a key corporate player underpinning economic progress in Myanmar (formerly Burma), is active in the energy, trading, agriculture, construction, infrastructure, hotel development, and manufacturing sectors.

Management has focused on good governance since the group’s earliest days. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been audited since 2014. The group’s transparency has consistently found to be exemplary. Last year, the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business – an initiative of the Danish Institute of Human Rights and other NGOs – ranked Max Myanmar second amongst the nation’s businesses in terms of transparency and CSR – one notch up from the rank claimed last year.

In granting its award, the CFI.co judging panel confirms the progress made – and improved upon - by the company. Max Myanmar Founder and Executive Chairman U Zaw Zaw, a seasoned and highly accomplished entrepreneur, philanthropist, and chairman of the country’s national football federation for the past ten years, considers the values of transparency and corporate social responsibility as the twin priorities of the group.

Max Myanmar abhors gender discrimination in the workforce; is a crusader against corruption; and has an effective whistle-blower policy in place that encourages employees to freely express any concerns. The group is guided by international best practices in all its operations and processes.

The Ayeyarwady Foundation constitutes the philanthropic arm of Max Myanmar. It has reached out to help the victims of flooding and works to assist people affected by natural disasters and war. The foundation donates generously to both educational and medical programmes with a particularly focus on facilitating the plight of disadvantaged young people and communities in remote areas of the country.

The CFI.co judging panel is delighted to name the Max Myanmar Group as winner of the 2015 Best ESG Transparency Myanmar Award.


Bangladesh Building Systems: Best Use of the Capital Markets Bangladesh 2015

An economy ballooning at a clip exceeding seven percent annually needs hives to house its many activities. In buoyant Bangladesh, industrial real estate is in short supply. Traditional brick-and-mortar construction techniques take too long from design to delivery. Prefabricated steel buildings offer a much more efficient way of addressing the strong demand for industrial premises: these versatile structures may be easily adapted to fit the occupant’s requirements, are cheaper to erect, and can be delivered in record-time.

Since 2003, Bangladesh Buildings Systems has designed and assembled prefabricated industrial buildings made out of steel elements manufactured at three plants employing state-of-the-art machinery and technology such as fully-automated submerged arc welding lines imported from the US. The company has established an unequalled track record in delivering industrial buildings on time, on spec, and well within the allotted budget. BBS’ attention to detail and dedication to quality have propelled it to the very top of the country’s prefabricated building industry. The company has become the preferred partner of demanding corporate giants such as Nestlé, Unilever, Van Melle, Pran Beverage, and a host of others.

Starting from a single manufacturing plant, Bangladesh Building Systems captured the market with low-cost and low-maintenance buildings of superior design. BBS boasts an in-house staff of highly experienced engineers who consistently produce innovative and bespoke solutions for clients. BBS is listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and cross listed on the Chittagong Exchange. All projects undertaken by the company are fully compliant with the most up-to-date design and building codes. From its very corporate beginnings, BBS management has adopted and adhered to international best practices of corporate governance which endears the company to both domestic and international investors.

The CFI.co judging panel commends BBS on its enviable reputation and its stellar corporate performance. The judges are pleased to offer Bangladesh Building Systems the 2015 Best Use of the Capital Markets Award.


Rosabon Financial Services: Best SME Financial Advisory Nigeria 2015

Providers of the fuel that powers Africa’s largest economy, Rosabon Financial Services helps Nigeria’s small and medium-sized enterprises find the funds required for expansion. A leading financial intermediary and equipment leasing company, Rosabon Financial Services is part of the Concept Group Nigeria and closely follows international best practices to ensure its sustained growth.

The company also maintains one of the industry’s most successful client development strategies which has seen Rosabon Financial Services multiply its revenue stream. The firm offers a full suite of products carefully crafted to fill the diverse needs of businesses across all sectors of the economy. Delivering readily available financial solutions to private enterprise has allowed Rosabon Financial Services to become a top-tier player and the go-to place for entrepreneurs aspiring to reach the nex level.

With a customer-centric approach that has set a new industry benchmark, the company has managed to expand the scope and nature of its engagements, broadening the customer base and exploring new services and financial products. While a non-banking entity, Rosabon Financial Services is regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and a member of the Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN).

Relentlessly pursuing innovation and total customer satisfaction, Rosabon Financial Services aims to surpass the expectations of all stakeholders. The firm has established an impressive track record and boasts a stellar reputation that is unequalled in Nigeria.

The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to note that Rosabon Financial Services adheres to a well-defined set of risk management and internal control processes which together ensure that all transactions are conducted in a transparent and ethically sound manner. All processes are rigorously and continuously monitored and scrutinised in order to maintain operational efficiency and peak corporate performance. The CFI.co judges wish to commend Rosabon Financial Services on its world class organisation and proclaim the company winner of the 2015 Best SME Financial Advisory Nigeria.


STOXX: Most Innovative Index Provider Global 2015

Indices come in many varieties. Generated by computer algorithms, they aim to provide investors and the general public with a market snapshot. While useful, the inner workings of most indices oftentimes remains a mystery. Shrouded in near-secrecy, market indices may reinforce the notion that statistics is akin to a dark art that peddles iffy truths.

Recognising the shortcomings of many – if not most – market indices, STOXX set out to produce a more transparent set of indices, leveraging the power of hard facts and verifiable data. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Deutsche Börse Group, STOXX provides integrated indices for the world’s major markets. The Zurich-based company maintains a roster of no less than 7,000 indices and is the marketing agent for the German DAX and Swiss SMI indices.

The company was formed in 1997 as a joint venture between Deutsche Börse, SIX Swiss Exchange, and Dow Jones. The American company left the joint venture in 2009. Earlier this year Deutsche Börse Group became STOXX’s sole owner after acquiring the remaining 49.9% of the outstanding shares from SIX.

STOXX indices are used not only as underlyings for financial products, such as ETFs, futures and options and structured products but also for risk and performance measurement. STOXX has always been at the forefront of market developments and has continuously expanded its portfolio of innovative indices. STOXX now operates globally across all asset classes.

The CFI.co judging panel finds that STOXX has become peerless when it comes to understanding markets and their behaviour. By providing a comprehensive set of transparent benchmarks to the industry, STOXX has made itself indispensable. As such, the CFI.co judges harbour no doubts that STOXX is the rightful owner of the 2015 Most Innovative Index Provider Award.


Emirates REIT: Best Diversified REIT Global 2015

Tapping into the dynamic Dubai real estate market, Emirates REIT (CEIC) Limited boasts a stellar track record in picking the right moment for new acquisitions. The fully Sharia-compliant fund was set late 2010 and listed on NASDAQ Dubai three years later, in April 2014.

Emirates REIT has assembled a portfolio of eight prime properties valued at well over $650 million.  Thanks to a conservative loan-to-value ratio of 31% (as of October 2015), Emirates REIT maintains a significant level of financial prowess which allows the fund to move in response to attractive prices during momentary market adjustments.

Making the most of the current buyers’ market, Emirates REIT commands about $257 million in financial firepower to add to its portfolio. Emirates REIT's last acquisition was a soon to be completed educational complex. The firm is also the largest stakeholder in the landmark Index Tower located in DIFC – the financial hub of the city. In its biggest acquisition to date, Emirates REIT in 2014 bought 17 of the tower’s 29 office floors in addition to the building’s full retail component and close to 1,500 parking places.

Emirates REIT has deftly managed to turn the current slowdown of Dubai’s property market into an opportunity for expansion. Though demand for office space has eased, the firm was able to maintain rental rates unaltered thanks to its presence in prime locations that are markedly less susceptible to market sentiment.

The CFI.co judging panel finds the strategy deployed by Emirates REIT exemplary and commends the firm on its adherence to robust management practices that are not only farsighted but also allow the trust to prosper in bull and bear markets alike. The judges are pleased to offer Emirates REIT the 2015 Best Diversified REIT Global Award.


IPAL: Best Corporate Governance Chile 2015

From pioneering the production of dehydrated foods in 1950s Chile, IPAL has blossomed into a diversified holding company with interests spanning the food, real estate, hospitality, agricultural and logistics sectors. Listed on the main board of the Santiago Stock Exchange, IPAL’s corporate universe encompasses nine subsidiaries that enjoy maximum exposure to Chile’s buoyant economy.

Since the early 1960s, Hendaya – one of the first companies of the IPAL family – is one of the premier providers of school lunches in Chile. The firm is a preferred supplier of the Ministry of Education and in 1996 was chosen to also provide cooling and storage facilities for Chilean public schools. In 2007, Innovalim introduced the cook-and-chill technology that better conserves nutritious values and improves the overall quality of prepacked meals.

IPAL companies have established a solid track record for innovation and corporate daring. Proalsa, one of the group’s constituent companies with a history reaching back over sixty years, produces a wide range of foodstuffs for the house brands of the country’s major supermarket chains. Proalsa also supplies large institutional consumers such as Chile’s state-run National Supplemental Nutrition Programme and industrial caterers.

Seeking to diversify and amplify it corporate footprint, IPAL has moved into urban real estate with the development of both residential and industrial plots, and into logistics with fleet of thirty modern refrigerated trucks now plying the length of the country. In Chile’s deep south – a land of towering mountains, majestic glacier, and nigh bottomless fjords – IPAL subsidiary Altasur maintains a network of refuges and camping sites for trekkers. The company also owns the famed Paine Grande, Grey, and Dickson mountain lodges at the feet of the landmark Torres del Paine peaks.

The CFI.co judging panel notes with satisfaction that IPAL combines a pioneering spirit with sensible governance principles. This unique blend has ensured the company’s longevity – and its enduring corporate success. The judges moreover wish to commend IPAL for its strict adherence to international best practices. This, the panel feels, has enabled and powered the company’s sustained growth trajectory. The judges have no hesitation in naming IPAL as the winner of the 2015 Best Corporate Governance Chile Award.


Friesland Campina WAMCO: Best CSR Programmes West Africa 2015

Providing branded high-quality dairy products throughout Nigeria and West Africa, FrieslandCampina WAMCO is a market leader on a mission to improve the lives and welfare of both its customers and the wider society. The company, an affiliate of Royal FrieslandCampina of The Netherlands – the world’s largest dairy cooperative, pioneered corporate citizenship projects in Nigeria in 2004 – long before corporate social responsibility (CSR) became fashionable.

Since then, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has maintained three corporate citizenship programmes: a water project, school adoptions, and a tertiary endowment fund aimed at offering financial support to research in food science at six universities. The endowment also includes a Best Graduating Student Award.

To date, the company’s water project has commissioned over forty solar-powered boreholes while its school adoption programme equipped 18 public secondary schools with textbooks and computers. In addition to these three main projects, FrieslandCampina WAMCO actively supports around thirty charitable organisations across the country with both grants and products. The company also rushed to offer relief to the thousands of internally displaced people who fled the political violence of the north and now live in refugee camps.

In 2010, FrieslandCampina WAMCO launched its Dairy Development Programme in a bid to support the Nigerian’s government’s initiative to further develop agriculture. The programme has gradually expanded its geographical footprint and includes provisions for the transfer of milk production technology to Nigerian farmers. FrieslandCampina works closely with government entities to ensure broad access to training programmes and workshops.

The CFI.co judging panel understands that large multinational corporations are asked to assume an increasingly larger share of responsibility for the wellbeing of the natural and social environment they operate in. FrieslandCampina WAMCO has embraced this challenge willingly and wholeheartedly.

As such, the company is a true CSR pioneer. Its trail-blazing approach has not only inspired others to follow suit, but also ensured the diary producer a place at the very top of the corporate food chain. The CFI.co judges, in turn, willingly and wholeheartedly recommend FrieslandCampina WAMCO be declared winner of the 2015 Best CSR Programmes West Africa Award.


3 Step IT: Most Innovative Technology Leasing Solutions Europe 2016

Usually, innovation does not come easily nor naturally. 3 Step IT, however, built its business model on this premise. Founded in 1997, the Finnish company continues to evolve alongside rapidly changing technology.

3 Step IT offers worldwide management and leasing solutions to businesses and other organisations with high-volume IT needs. The company’s services are managed in three steps – leasing, management, and replacement – in order to provide a sustainable, cost-effective process based on circular economy to its customers. Serving 3,800 customers worldwide, with almost two million devices under its supervision, 3 Step IT refurbishes and resells 95% of the equipment it replaces, and recycles the remaining 5%.

Via its leasing model the company creates a more sustainable lifecycle for the hardware, and also ensures businesses only pay for the optimum working life of assets. This lowers the need for capital IT investments, and maintenance and operational overheads. Moreover, the model increases client productivity by ensuring their equipment is always up-to-date.

The company developed an impressive way of managing the IT equipment leased out: 3 Step IT creates an asset register by collecting all the necessary data on the leased equipment, making it easy for clients to track assets and generate on-demand reports for cost monitoring and budgeting purposes. This asset register has enabled clients to work efficiently with 80% less devices cluttering valuable office space.

The company’s comprehensive online tools were designed around the needs of existing customers based on prevalent business processes. The online asset management tool offers clients an option to order new devices based on pre-selected list of choices, establish a budget, manage inventory, and return/replace leased items. The tool also notifies customers when equipment is nearing the end of its optimised working-life; allowing clients to replace, return, or continue using the hardware.

The CFI.co judging panel commends 3 Step IT’s flexible business model which has allowed the company to suit the contemporary demand for sustainable business operations. For this, and the outstanding asset management tool, the judges award 3 Step IT Group Oy with the 2016 Most Innovative Technology Leasing Solutions Europe Award.


Abénex Capital: Best Mid-Market Direct Investments Team France 2016

Abénex Capital is a household name for the financially initiated in France – and for good reason. As a private company managing mid-market capital investments worth over €450 million, Abénex Capital continues to show resilience during the economy’s recent lacklustre performance.

Fully approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), France’s capital markets regulator, Abénex Capital erected an independent structure proving support for unlisted companies. With five main sectors of investment – retail & consumer goods, industries & construction, business services, health, and technology – the company employs an extensive team of talented and widely experienced financial associates to encourage growth wherever they invest.

Abénex Capital is a testament to good business and smart investment principles. Since 2000, the team has made 110 acquisitions, investing €900 million in long-term growth and optimisation projects, as well as management teams. This includes mid-market business coaching through the acquisition of both minority and majority stakes – investing €10 million in companies valued between €30-500 million. It takes more than a sole financial investment to grow an SME into a global entity: it takes the veteran knowhow of internationally experienced stakeholders.

Abénex Capital is currently the number one company in France in aiding global growth to mid-market companies – and that is largely due to the team of financial gurus behind the company’s direct investments. The team boasts extensive experience in the financial management of SME’s, as well as working with the global elite such as IBM, Goldman Sachs, The Deloitte Group, and Orange.

With an impressive portfolio of acquisitions, Abénex Capital has managed to obtain stellar results even in adverse market conditions, and is set to maintain its performance with two additional acquisitions already scheduled for 2016.

With its longevity in the market, a renowned management team, and long-term focus, the CFI.co judging panel finds the Abénex Capital team peerless in France and beyond and a worthy winner of the 2016 Best Mid-Market Direct Investments Team Award.


Julius Bär Group: Best Private Bank Switzerland 2015

Swiss Bank Group Julius Bär is poised for growth. A choice purveyor of both private banking and investment advisory services since 1890, Julius Bär Group has evolved into a repository of financial expertise second to none.

Navigating a carefully plotted course, the bank is now expanding its geographic footprint with acquisitions in key markets. In late 2015, Julius Bär Group strengthened its presence in the Eurozone with the purchase of Commerzbank International SA Luxembourg (CISAL).

Julius Bär Group also earmarked around $100m for the expansion of its operations in China mulling the acquisition of one or more financial technology (fintech) companies, or start one from scratch with local partner Bank of China. Though a latecomer to the Chinese market, Julius Bär Group timed its arrival carefully and stands to benefit from the lessons learned by the pioneers.

This year, Julius Bär Group aims to expand its interests in Brazil and Mexico as well, further adding to its already formidable reputation as a fintech powerhouse. Recognising a truth not always convenient, Julius Bär Group has not only embraced financial technology, but now proactively drives fintech innovation in order to ensure the bank can continue to excel in serving its clients’ interests and needs.

Though the Julius Bär Group remains unapologetically faithful to the time-honoured ways of Swiss private banking, it intends to do so leveraging the full range of benefits derived from advances in information technology. By allowing classic private banking to receive an infusion of modernity, Julius Bär Group has managed to keep its well-earned place at the apex of an industry known for its fierce competition.

The CFI.co judging panel finds the Julius Bär Group’s corporate attitude refreshing. The bank does not strive to be the first at anything; rather, it prefers to think – long and hard – before deciding to act. This reticence, however, should not be taken for a reluctance to adapt: Julius Bär Group proves that leadership is defined by choices shaped in the fullness of time. A repeat winner, the bank has yet again claimed the top spot. The CFI.co judges confirm Julius Bär Group as winner of the 2015 Best Private Bank Switzerland Award.


Nova Banka: Best SME Bank Balkans 2015

Established in 1999 and one of the first privately-owned banks to open in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nova Bank has grown into one of the region’s premier financial services providers and now also boasts a presence in the Republika Srpska which jointly with the federation forms Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A full-service institution, Nova Bank offers both corporate and retail clients a comprehensive suite of banking products in addition to brokerage, custody, factoring, and forfeiting services. Aa a one-stop window for all financial services, Nova Bank maintains an unequalled regional footprint with twelve branch offices, a network of brokerage offices, agencies, and service counters, in addition to a modern head office in the heart of Banja Luka’s financial district.

The bank’s multiple distribution channels include an online platform that enables clients convenient access to the available palette of products and services. With unparalleled proximity to its clients, Nova Bank is exceptionally well-poised to serve the buoyant SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) sector. Lines of communication are kept short, while decisions are made locally and benefit from streamlined procedures that enables Nova Bank to quickly respond to the needs of the business community.

Listed on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange since 2002, Nova Bank is one of twelve publically traded companies that compose the BIRS share index. The lion’s share of Nova Bank shares (approx. 80%) is held by domestic investors. However, the largest shareholder of the bank is the Adriatic Fund BV of The Netherlands (14.8%).

Nova Bank maintains a fully-featured corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme and adheres to the highest standards of corporate governance. The bank’s efforts at increasing both transparency and governance have been recognised by a number of prestigious entities. As a result of its straightforward approach to business, Nova Bank has registered solid growth across all business segments. Its profitability is amongst the highest in the Bosnia and Herzegovina financial services industry.

The CFI.co judging panel commends Nova Bank on maintaining stellar track record and underpinning the country’s economy with an approach to banking that drives the growth of local business. The judges are happy to confer the 2015 Best SME Bank Balkans Award on Nova Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Aksal Group: Best ESG Clothing Conglomerate North Africa 2016

Audacity in innovation and excellence in service: the corporate philosophy that guides Morocco’s AKSAL Group encapsulates a bold spirit. The company is no less than the instigator of a revolution that transformed Morocco’s retail sector from a rather moribund affair into a driver of progress and modernity.

Operating a number of malls, department stores and other retail stores, AKSAL Group has become the go-to corporation for the world’s premier brands that want to tap into the Moroccan and West African markets. The group got its first break when it secured exclusive representation of Spanish fashion brand Zara, now eleven years ago. Showcasing its formidable retail power, AKSAL Group soon became the world’s fourth largest Zara representative by sales.

Proving irresistible for A-brands looking for high-impact partnerships, AKSAL Group managed to accumulate an enviable stable of agencies, including Gap, Banana Republic, Massimo Dutti, Uterqüe, La Martina, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Fendi, FNAC, amongst many others. In 2016, AKSAL is enlarging its franchise portfolio with the addition of at least five strong international brands including Tati, Maisons du Monde, and Armani Collezione.

AKSAL Group developed the 200,000m2 Morocco Mall in Casablanca which opened in 2011. The company is currently building two other large-scale Dubai-styled malls in the country’s other major cities.

More than a retail giant, AKSAL Group aims to make a significant contribution to Morocco’s human development and, to that end, launched the AKSAL Social Initiative to promote social, cultural, educational, and healthcare programmes. The initiative bundles and coordinates the programmes of the group’s different companies and also seeks to empower employees through professional training courses offered by the AKSAL Academy – a full-fledged business school set up by the company to recruit and train future employees and to help guide their career advancement.

The CFI.co judging panel recognises AKSAL Group as a driver of progress in Morocco and commends the company on its forward looking approach and dedication to excellence. The judges are extremely pleased to offer AKSAL Group the 2016 Best ESG Clothing Conglomerate North Africa Award.


Home Trust Company: Best Mortgage Solutions Canada 2016

[caption id="attachment_3224" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Martin Reid, President & CEO, Home Trust Company[/caption]

Offering mortgage and other credit products to clients under-served by larger financial services providers has allowed Home Trust Company of Canada to carve out – and claim as its own – a profitable niche in the marketplace. Traditional lenders rely on auto-adjudication to review client applications but this approach often fails to address the needs of the self-employed or people with a bruised credit history.

Home Trust Company has a more personalised approach that takes the time to understand the client and their needs. Together with products tailored to accommodate this target market, Home Trust can help these clients finance their homes, consolidate higher-interest loans, or renovate existing dwellings. The company also helps borrowers who have significant equity in their homes but may lack provable income or a stellar credit history.

Providing a comprehensive range of alternative credit products and catering to the needs of these under-served clients, has enabled Home Trust Company – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Home Capital Group (TSX:HCG) – to build up a high-performing and solid portfolio of clients with both insured and uninsured mortgages. While residential mortgage lending constitutes the core of Home Trust Company’s business, financing is also offered for office blocks, hotels, and commercial and industrial premises.

Home Trust Company has deployed advanced IT systems to improve access to information and speed up processing of applications. The company welcomed the regulatory tightening of the mortgage market, arguing that the added stability benefits the entire market. In 2013, the company launched Oaken Financial to make its deposit products more readily available to a retail audience through a dedicated web-based platform. Last year, Home Trust Company acquired the Oakville, Ontario-based CFF Bank (Canada First Financial Bank), extending its geographic footprint and gaining new customers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

The CFI.co judging panel notes that while catering to clients not served by traditional lenders, Home Trust Company does not cut corners and maintains rigorous standards throughout the organisation for issuing credit. The judges commend the company on fuelling its organic growth via innovative, yet prudent, policies and strategies. Home Trust Company is declared winner of the 2016 Best Mortgage Solutions Canada Award.


Ford Motor Co: Best Mobility Innovation - United States

Ford Motor Company has innovation tightly woven into its corporate fabric. Henry Ford’s invention and perfection of the assembly line ushered in mass production and the Second Industrial Revolution. However, the latest innovations coming out of Dearborn, Michigan, go even deeper.

Mobility innovation is no longer just a question of producing transportation networks; it is also about tackling traffic congestion as the global population rises. By 2030, around 630 million people are expected live in cities with a population exceeding ten million inhabitants or more. The projections for 2050 are even more unsettling. With the earth’s population set to rise at least nine billion – and with increased prosperity levels, the number of vehicles in circulation is projected to double to two billion or more.

The issue stretches beyond that of productivity or the environment. Ford’s focus, some pun intended, remains on bringing viable and affordable transport to the masses. This is the business model at the root of the company’s enduring success.

Amongst its many projects, Ford is now working towards lowering the affordability threshold of smart public transportation and autonomous vehicles cars, a venture which involves connecting roads, cars, parking, and most challenging of all – pedestrians. Experts predict that meeting these challenges presents a $130 billion business opportunity for the automotive industry. Ford is clearly in the running for the prize.

In 2015, Ford opened a new research and innovation centre in Palo Alto, California, right in the heart of Silicon Valley. The facility is dedicated to find radical solutions that improve connectivity, mobility, and the performance of autonomous vehicles. It has since become one of the largest automotive manufacturer research centres in the valley with a staff of more than one hundred researchers, engineers, scientists, and out-of-the-box thinkers.

The CFI.co judging panel is awed by Ford’s sensible forward-thinking approach to the future of mobility. As an experienced innovator, the company has claimed its rightful place at the leading edge of innovation. The judges are delighted to offer Ford Motor Company the 2016 Best Mobility Innovation United States Award.


Dunlop: Best ESG Corporate Citizen United States

Dunlop Tyres, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s high-end household brand, is becoming well-known for something other than tyres: it has now established a well-earned reputation for championing environmental causes and for excellence in social governance.

Dunlop Tyres’ eco-strategy begins with its products. New materials are being developed, and existing ones improved, for better sustainability while supply chains are closely monitored for the same reason. Dunlop optimised its tyres with a view to decreasing their lifetime carbon footprint and increase fuel efficiency. Tyres now also more durable, requiring less frequent changes.

The company’s manufacturing facilities are also closely monitored in order to comply with the company’s global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies which include zero solvent use and a zero waste-to-landfill provision. Since 2009, Dunlop Tyres has achieved an astonishing 92% reduction in its environmental impact.

Dunlop Tyres has also stayed on-target with its plans to reduce water and energy usage by 15%. The company’s new headquarters in Akron, Ohio, opened in May 2013, and promptly earned the prestigious Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation from the US Green Building Council.

Akron is also home to some of Dunlop Tyres’ biggest community projects. The company is fully engaged in the promotion of local STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education initiatives which it supports with both grants and employee volunteers. Some 300 Dunlop Tyres employees help plan the annual STEM Career Day which offers $40,000 in grants and scholarships to participating students.

The CFI.co judging panel wishes to express its collective admiration for the environmental and social initiatives undertaken by Dunlop Tyres. The judges consider the company a true pioneer in these fields and a model for others to follow. For its exemplary corporate citizenship, Dunlop Tyres is granted the 2016 Best ESG Corporate Citizen United States Award.


FIS: Best Auto Finance Disruptor Platform Global 2016

Employing well over 55,000 professionals and service staff, FIS is the world’s largest provider of banking and payments technology. FIS software and associated services move astonishing volumes of cash around the globe. The companies more than 20,000 clients, spread over 130 countries and jurisdictions, use FIS technology to empower $9 trillion worth of transactions annually.

A Fortune 500 company and a constituent part of the S&P500 Index, FIS is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Much aware of customers’ ever-higher expectations, FIS has developed and perfected a number of technologies and processes that increase both speed and convenience, allowing merchants and financial services providers to offer their clients a smoother experience.

FIS deploys a holistic approach to financial transactions, including both front and back office processes in order to ensure that its clients – and the people or businesses they interact with – enjoy an optimised service experience. Automotive financing is one of the areas that showcases the level of innovation FIS has managed to introduce. The company has introduced a comprehensive array of lending programmes tailored to meet customers’ expectations of expediency and the sellers’ need for due diligence, compliance, and risk mitigation.

The FIS automotive finance platform has been adopted by all major car manufacturers and 19 of the Top 25 lenders. The scalable system allows for the full automation of document flows, tightly integrates with the dealer’s own platform, and enables full compliance with regulatory frameworks. FIS recently acquired CMSI, a leading provider of consumer loan origination software and services. The takeover allows FIS to offer end-to-end loan life cycle management and expands the company’s ability to serve the lending needs of a wider range of institutions.

In FIS, the CFI.co judging panel recognises a disruptor company: a business bent on reinventing, improving, and fine-tuning well-established products and practices in order to gain a decisive edge over the competition. The judges are thrilled to offer FIS their 2016 Best Auto Finance Disruptor Platform Global Award.


Fuchs Petrolub SE: Best ESG Leadership Germany

[caption id="attachment_3057" align="aligncenter" width="790"] Thomas Altmann, Manager Investor Relations; Apu Gosalia, Vice President Sustainability; Thomas Deffner, Manager Sustainability[/caption]

Fuchs, the world’s leading independent supplier of lubricants, not only excels in striving for sustainability within its products, but also addresses the multifaceted sustainability issues it faces as a responsible global corporation.

Through own production plants, offices, and partnerships on all continents, Fuchs underlines the group’s sustainability concept and spreads the values of its Sustainability Guideline. The company only deals with key suppliers who prescribe to the guideline and Fuchs’ strict code of conduct, or those who have proprietary ESG guidelines in place.

Every year ecological targets are reviewed and – wherever necessary – new targets are set within each of the company’s businesses. Fuchs has successfully reduced its energy usage per ton of lubricant produced since 2010. Also, the company’s vehicle fleets in Europe abide by Fuchs’ stringent country-specific CO2 emission limits which are reviewed and readjusted annually.

Fuchs consistently invests in modern and secure plants, as well as in process optimisation within those facilities with a view to reducing energy and water consumption and limit waste generation. The blending plant in Yanbu – owned by Alhamrani-Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia – was the first in the Middle East and Africa region to be certified “environmentally-friendly” by ISO 14001.

Fuchs’ research and development (R&D) symbolises sustainability and innovation. The focus in the “Advanced Biomass” project is on sustainability, whereby algae-based oils are used as components in environmentally friendly lubricants. Fuchs also successfully brought an efficiency-optimised axle fluid to market in cooperation with a leading premium vehicle manufacturer. The product supports the automotive industry in its efforts to improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.

By creating sustainable and innovative solutions, and making them globally available, companies such as Fuchs Petrolub SE are poised for enduring success. The CFI.co judging panel feels that for setting an example on sustainability in the lubricants industry, Fuchs is most deserving of the 2015 Best ESG Leadership Germany Award.


Zurich Insurance Group: Best Sustainable Insurer Switzerland

[caption id="attachment_3212" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sean Kevelighan, Group Head of Public Affairs[/caption]

At a glance, the insurance business seems to consist of the transfer and management of risk. Whilst straightforward when merely considering the underlying essentials, today’s insurance business – marked by fierce competition and fast-moving market dynamics – involves considerations and processes that stretch far beyond the basic premise and touch upon a host of stakeholders.

The insurance industry has been at the forefront of the move towards the acknowledgement of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a driver of growth and a prerequisite for sustainability; none more so than the Zurich Insurance Group, widely recognised as a pioneer and celebrated for its approach to CSR. Already in 2011, the Swiss insurer decided to place corporate social responsibility at the very centre of its business model and strategy.

Building on the company’s considerable strength and expertise in risk and asset management, the Zurich Insurance Group set about creating a strategic pyramid of mutually reinforcing layers that include safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders, assessing the impact of business opportunities, and leveraging the company’s corporate reach, footprint, and standing to make a difference and drive development, instead of merely reacting to events – foreseen or otherwise.

Zurich Insurance Group shows an exceptional awareness and appreciation of the company’s role in society. By shielding policy holders from risk, the insurer facilitates both the preservation and creation of resilience, stability, and wealth while simultaneously funding a pool of long-term investment capital that helps build stronger and more prosperous societies. Thus, Zurich Insurance Group, founded in 1872 and serving clients in over 170 countries and territories, manages to fully exploit its potential for creating social value. The CFI.co judging panel commends Zurich Insurance Group on its forward-looking corporate attitude and is pleased to offer the company the 2016 Best Sustainable Insurer Switzerland Award.


Sugar - Most Innovative CRM - Global 2016

Sugar is a Customer Relationship Management system by SugarCRM which, unlike its many of its counterparts, provides additional flexibility which caters to the bendable needs of modern business.

Whilst traditional CRM’s focus primarily on benchmark reporting – essentially creating the necessity for micro-management – Sugar takes a customer-facing approach, giving more use to the individual user in order to improve the customer experience. With customisable solutions to suit all kinds of business models, the company makes a point to continuously innovate its’ features and improve productivity. In addition, Sugar meets the needs of industries and companies in geographies where traditional vendor-mediated SaaS is unviable – offering various premise-based and private cloud offerings that include the entire functionality, mobile and platform access regardless of deployment model.

The pace of the company’s technological innovation is accelerating, thanks to a number of intelligent partnerships made throughout the past year; notably with IBM, helping to improve the CRM’s cloud capabilities. The company also soon plans to mesh artificial intelligence powered predictive analytics services into its core offerings, in order to provide helpful tools such as virtual assistants, more effective product offers, and service alerts to employees before customers even know they have an issue.

The company is both customer-facing within its sales model as well as its engineering. For international markets, Sugar’s already competitively priced proposition in sterling will represent even better value given the reduction in the value of the currency post the Brexit vote. Already one of the best functionality-to-price CRM’s on the market should experience a boost in sales in international markets.

From sales and accounting, to the intelligence of the product itself, Sugar has shown innovation within all aspects of its business, The CFI.co judging panel are pleased to recognise the company SugarCRM with the award of Most Innovative CRM - Global, for 2016.


Tesla Motors: Outstanding Auto Industry Disruptor Global

Elon Musk is well-known for his business skills. His ventures pave the way for the future and bring viable alternative energy options to the masses. Now Tesla Motors is poised to disrupt the automotive industry thanks to its power system.

Unlike classic low-end disruptors, such as Ford cars and personal computers which brought innovation to the masses by offering low cost alternatives, Tesla Motors is pursuing a high-end disruption model. High-end disruptors are advanced innovations which are difficult to imitate and first market to a more discriminating and up-market buyer before they can then gather enough capital and momentum to produce a lower cost mass-market models using the same high-end architecture. Apple’s iPod is a prime example of a high-end disruptor.

Tesla’s $90,000 Model S is the iPod of the automotive industry. Consumer reports have called it the best overall car on the market for two years – and, as the fastest four-door production car on the market with zero emissions, it is not hard to see why. Not only that, but the Model S’ unique architecture and battery design affords the car a week’s worth of driving on just a single charge.

However, the most disruptive element of the Model S is free energy. The vehicle may be recharged without a charge at any solar-powered charging station, all powered by Mr Musk’s separate venture, SolarCity. The inventor / businessman has also opened up his ground-breaking battery technology patents, allowing competition to build cars around his design.

Patents or not, competitors will still likely find it hard to imitate the quality of a Tesla; unlike other electric cars on the market, Tesla drivetrains and systems are engineered around the battery itself, instead of merely bolted onto a standard platform.

Mr Musk has established a foothold in the solar-power industry; now Tesla’s game-changing cars, power systems, and free access to Tesla’s battery technology are shaking the automotive industry into a new era. Tesla is not just disrupting technology but also sales models. For this, the CFI.co judging panel is delighted to award Tesla Motors the 2016 Outstanding Auto Industry Disruptor Global Award.


World Free Zones Organization: Outstanding Global Contribution to Free Zone Growth 2016

At last count, the world had just over 3,500 free zones where businesses operating in a low tax and liberalised regulatory environment generate well over seventy million jobs. Stretching from Argentina to Yemen – and pretty much every country in between and beyond – free zones offer investors privileged conditions to trade and manufacture. The host economy benefits from increased employment and significant spillover opportunities. Free zones also encourage an accelerated transfer of technology and help pioneer markets find and navigate a shortcut to sustained development.

Until recently, the world’s free zones lacked representation on a global scale. That changed with the launch in 2014 of the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO), a multilateral body registered in Geneva and headquartered in Dubai that aims to function as a clearinghouse for experiences and best practices, and represent the industry. The World TZO will also strive to highlight the contributions made by free zones to global development. Their role in the building of traffic arteries, basic industrial infrastructure, and logistics networks is all too often overlooked.

Ever since the first free zone was instituted at Shannon Airport in Ireland (1959) – also the airport that first offered tax-free shopping for international travellers (1947) – free zones have been instrumental, if not pivotal, in fostering economic progress. One of the main objectives pursued by the World FZO is to remind governments on the importance of free zones and help authorities put in place policies that maximise the upside of low-taxation, low-regulation economic enclaves and exclaves.

The CFI.co judging panel applauds the initiative and wholeheartedly agrees that the full story of free zones needs to be told. The judges recognise that free zones provide a wealth of opportunity to both new investors and well-established businesses. Free zones add a significant degree of pizazz to any economy. Hence, if the World FZO did not exist, it would need to be invented. Luckily, it has been invented and it is doing a stellar job of giving the sector the voice it previously lacked. The CFI.co judging panel wishes to recognise the value of this work by offering the 2016 Outstanding Global Contribution to Free Zone Growth Award to the World Free Zones Organization.


Emaar The Economic City – Industrial Valley: Best Industrial & Logistics Mega Project Developer Global 2016

Building a city the size of Washington DC from scratch. That’s the mission Emaar committed to when it took charge of the planning and development of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) – an industrial, commercial, logistics, and lifestyle hub being erected on the Red Sea coast, some hundred kilometres north of Jeddah. The development covers an area of about 180km2 and had its master plan approved in 2005. In excess of 12 million square metres of building space has already been put into place, with another 16 million square metres to follow.

Planning and development of an undertaking on a scale this vast requires both attention to detail and a bird’s eye view of the whole enterprise in order to secure the full integration of all constituent parts. This is planning taken to a level thus far unheard of. The expert professionals of Emaar, responsible amongst others for the jaw-dropping marvels that gave Dubai its glitter, are charged with the building of an economic powerhouse that is to underwrite Saudi Arabia’s continued prosperity well into the future.

The leading edge of the megaproject is provided by the Industrial Valley – a business hub located at the very heart of one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions. Industrial Valley already hosts over ninety tier one global companies such as Pfizer, Ikea, Total, and Aramex, amongst others. The valley has been meticulously planned as a place where synergies spring forth and deliver consistent corporate growth. The zone is fully equipped to handle pharmaceutical, logistics, plastics, automotive, consumer goods, and building materials companies that wish to plug into both global and local markets.

During the design phase, Emaar emphasised integration and connectivity. That foresight is now paying off with a single regulator providing clear guidance, a land cargo bridge linking KAEC to the booming economies of the Gulf Region, and a multitude of services designed to optimise efficiency and thus maximise the profit potential. KAEC’s Industrial Valley is built on the premise that successful public-private partnerships require seamless services up to, and including, transparent rules guiding foreign direct investment.

Planning and developing a tightly integrated global manufacturing hub is an endeavour that can only be entrusted to professionals that can table experience, vision, and expertise in ample quantity. Emaar The Economic City – Industrial Valley is home to such professionals. The CFI.co judging panel has studied the company’s trajectory and admired its entrepreneurial spirit – bold while sensible, and visionary while grounded. The judges feel confident in declaring Emaar The Economic City – Industrial Valley winner of the 2016 Best Industrial & Logistics Mega Project Developer Global Award.


Affirmative Investment Management Partners: Best Green Bond Team United Kingdom 2016

[caption id="attachment_3167" align="aligncenter" width="874"] AIM: Team[/caption]

Putting money to work for a better tomorrow, Affirmative Investment Management (AIM) Partners combines time-honoured portfolio management strategies and sustainability parameters to offer a range of advisory services and products that help provide solutions to global challenges. Incorporating ESG (environmental, social, and governance) considerations into the decision making process, without compromising more traditional yardsticks, allows AIM to give its clients a chance to increase the impact of their investments while generating mainstream returns.

Moving beyond the hype, AIM works proactively with bond issuers to ensure they adhere to strict ESG guidelines and employ the funds raised towards sustainable business practices. The firm is recognised as a pioneer in green bonds and has helped shape the market. Employing positive selection criteria, AIM staff boasts an exceptionally long track record in managing green bond portfolios.

AIM is a data-driven firm and, as such, continuously monitors the performance and impact of its investment portfolio. Its holistic approach enables the company to quickly adapt strategies to changing circumstances without compromising returns.

AIM focuses on fixed income instruments that are carefully tailored to individual investment profiles and risk tolerance. The firm offers a comprehensive product mix that stretches from low risk / high liquidity to funds and vehicles more suited to investors seeking high returns and willing to bear the attendant degree of risk. AIM also offers its clients access to one-off special opportunities that the firm unearths while investigating the broader market.

The CFI.co judging panel recognises the need for investment products tailored to dovetail with the world’s growing demand for sustainable corporate practices. As ESG values move from the esoteric to the mainstream and become embedded in corporate best practices, investors have followed suit, demanding their savings be employed in a way both meaningful and sustainable. By offering solidly designed products that meet these demands, Affirmative Investment Management is providing a sorely needed service to the investor community. The judges are pleased to offer the company their 2016 Best Green Bond Team United Kingdom Award.


Arca SGR: Best Emerging Markets Debt Manager Europe 2015

[caption id="attachment_3181" align="aligncenter" width="874"] Best Emerging Markets Debt Manager - Europe 2015: Giuliano Palumbo - Fixed Income Portfolio Manager (left) and Giovanni Radicella - Head of Fixed Income (right)[/caption]

Few asset managers boast a deeper reach into their home market than Arca SGR of Italy. A market leader since 1983, the company works with no less than 120 placing agencies that together operate a network of over 8,000 branches throughout the country. Arca SGR has more than 650,000 subscribers to its investment funds.

Arca SGR not only serves individual savers, but also provides full-service solutions to institutional investors and corporates. The firm closely adheres to the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) – a set of ethical principles that aim to improve the industry’s transparency and presentation via a globally standardised approach.

Arca SGR has established a solid reputation for ferreting out promising investment opportunities in emerging markets, displaying a keen sense for opportunity coupled to a sensible approach to risk mitigation. Offering investors a multitude of choices across most asset classes, Arca SGR provides its clients with a wealth of options and information that meet the requirements of even the most discerning of investors.

A number of bespoke investment solutions are provided according to individual risk profiles. As one of Italy’s oldest asset managing companies, Arca SGR possesses the knowledge, expertise, and experience to offer investors flexible solutions that consistently match individual preferences and exceed expectations.

The CFI.co judges are particularly impressed with the Arca SGR approach to emerging markets. The company’s adherence to global best practices and its firm belief in the long-term prospects of select emerging markets have propelled Arca SGR to the very apex of Italy’s asset managing sector. The judges are pleased to present Arca SGR with the 2015 Best Emerging Markets Debt Manager Europe Award.


AXA Winterthur: Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Insurance Switzerland

[caption id="attachment_3069" align="aligncenter" width="874"] Thomas Hügli (left) with the AXA Winterthur Corporate Responsibility team in Corporate Headquarters, Switzerland[/caption]

AXA Winterthur is Switzerland’s leading insurer for comprehensive financial protection, responsible for offering coverage to more than 40% of the companies in Switzerland, with a portfolio of close to 1.9 million customers.

As an entity, AXA Winterthur controls two separate corporate entities in Switzerland: AXA Insurance Ltd, which represents a 13.1% market share, and AXA Life Ltd, which represents a 28.3% market share as of 2014.

In 2015, AXA Winterthur generated a business volume of CHF 11.1 billion (approx. £7.96bn, €10.21bn, $11.1bn) and has become a GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) sector leader.

AXA Winterthur is the only Swiss insurance company that maintains an in-house accident research centre, AXA Accident Research, which has conducted more than one thousand crash tests and produced numerous in-depth risk assessment reports. The centre also promotes road safety.

The data thus generated has encouraged a profundity of research into preventative road-safety measures from leading experts, such as Alessandro Finicelli who leveraged the findings contained in AXA Wintherthur’s reports for his presentation at the last Automechanika in Dubai, one of the world’s leading trade shows.

The most effective approaches to sustainability are the ones that target causality; better road-safety means less life insurance and road claims which, in turn, translates to improved profit margins for the insurer, a safer life for the insured, and a less waste-driven economy.

The focus for AXA Winterthur in 2016-2020 is The Future of Energy – a commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. By 2020, AXA Winterthur expects to have tripled its sustainable investments to over €3 billion. Initiatives such as the partnership with the national Energy Challenge 2016 campaign – a renewable and energy efficiency road show which challenges the population to reduce consumption and provide solutions – are a testament to AXA Winterthur’s innovative, profitable, yet sustainable business model.

The Energy Challenge 2016 is also offered as a free app which encourages the public by offering real rewards whilst helping the company to record valuable energy-driven data.

Despite the challenging market environment, AXA Winterthur maintains a strong solvency ratio, which denotes the company’s ability to meet current and future obligations. Due to the company’s proven ability to balance creative innovation and science-based research within its sustainable approach to insurance, the CFI.co judging panel considers AXA Winterthur a worthy winner of the 2016 Most Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Insurance Switzerland Award.


Maybank Brunei: Best SME Bank Brunei 2015

Serving well over 22 million customers through a network of more than 2,400 branches in 20 countries, Maybank is one of Southeast Asia’s premier financial services providers. Established in 1960, Maybank is the largest of the region’s companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list. Maybank is also the largest company by market capitalisation listed on the Bursa Malaysia (KLSE).

However, Maybank’s size is not an impediment to personalised services. The bank is widely recognised as a pioneer in humanising its interaction with customers, avoiding systems and processes that replace the personal touch with a machine-generated one. As such, Maybank strives to play an active role in the communities it serves and help contribute in a meaningful way to their success.
At the heart of Maybank’s corporate strategy lies a corporate desire to serve customers according to their individual needs, rather than impose possibly superfluous products and services. This long-term approach in customer relations underwrites the bank’s enduring success.

Maybank Brunei, the first overseas unit of the bank, exemplifies this corporate philosophy with its dedication to serving the kingdom’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Home to a dynamic business community and aiming to diversify its oil-dependent economy, the Brunei government aims to actively encourage the continued growth of domestic businesses. To that end, a new entity was set up in January – Darussalam Enterprises – charged with monitoring and nurturing the expansion of SMEs.

Maybank Brunei is exceptionally well-poised to help Brunei diversify its robust economy. The bank maintains a number of programmes directed at small and medium-sized businesses. Maybank’s vast expertise, coupled to its large geographical footprint, allows SMEs a window on the wider world. The CFI.co judging panel wishes to congratulate Maybank Brunei on its win of the 2015 Best SME Bank Brunei Award.


Bansefi: Best Social Impact Bank Mexico 2016

Banks can – and do – make a big impact on their surroundings. In Mexico, Bansefi proves that point with an all-inclusive approach that underwrites the nation’s development drive by empowering businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises that all too often struggle in gaining access to premier financial services.

Bansefi – Banco de Ahorro Nacional y Servicios Financieros (National Savings and Financial Services Bank) – maintains a sharp focus on communities ignored or underserved by commercial banks. The bank maintains a network of close to 430 branches that reaches into the farthest corner of the country and which serves over eleven million customers.

Bansefi pioneered a number of programmes aimed at extending banking services to people of modest means. Already in 2002, the bank introduced L@Red de la Gente (The People’s Network) that provides easy access to both domestic and international money transfers, insurance products, and payment services. The network is present in over a thousand towns and rural localities with more than 2,700 outlets.

By bridging the banking gap, Bansefi has given literally millions of Mexicans convenient access to formal and high-quality financial services. As such, the bank has been instrumental in helping fight poverty and social exclusion. Bansefi also operates and supports a number of initiatives that promote financial literacy. Thus far, over a million people have partaken in workshops and comprehensive courses that impart the tools and knowledge necessary to escape the poverty trap and avoid costly mistakes while doing so. The bank expects seven million people to attend its workshop by the middle of 2017.

Bansefi was an early adopter of technology to broaden its institutional footprint. The bank develops and maintains a fully scalable high-tech platform that forms the backbone of its vast network. As a social development bank, Bansefi offers microloans to subsistence farmers and small traders and businesspeople that enable people to break the cycle of poverty and get ahead under their own power.

The CFI.co judging panel is impressed by the way Bansefi fulfils its corporate mandate. With a solid infrastructure, a dedicated and highly professional management and support team, and a nation-building mission, Bansefi transcends the financial world as it binds and unites Mexican society. The judges are honoured to offer Bansefi the 2016 Best Social Impact Bank Mexico Award.


UBS: Best Green Bank Switzerland

[caption id="attachment_3078" align="aligncenter" width="841"] UBS: CSR Team, Zürich, Switzerland[/caption]

An increasing number of businesses, including banks, are adapting their corporate structures and processes to incorporate sustainability principles and reduce their CO2 footprint. Taking the lead, and setting an example, UBS has rewritten its entire long-term corporate strategy to fully adjust its business to the changing landscape.

The UBS and Society initiative was unveiled in 2015 and aims to make the bank a global leader in sustainability within the financial services industry. UBS wants to move beyond the commitment of causing no harm to a more proactive approach where harm is fully stamped out. The bank has already requested that 44% of suppliers of newly-sourced goods and services that carry a potentially high environmental impact, adhere to UBS’ Responsible Supply Chain Management standards.

UBS and Society covers all of the bank’s activities and capabilities in sustainable investing. It seeks to reduce the bank’s own environmental footprint, as well as strengthen its human rights policies. The strategies used by the firm have not just resulted in a staggering reduction in non-sustainable investments, but also brought significant reductions in GHG emissions, waste production, water usage, and paper consumption. In 2015, UBS outperformed its energy and water consumption targets a year ahead of time with a 13% and 16% reduction, respectively.

As a member of the RE100 – a collaborative global initiative of large businesses to fully meet their electricity requirements with renewable energy - UBS strives to source all of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Last year, an impressive 54% of UBS’s worldwide electricity consumption was sourced from renewables.

The CFI.co judging panel commends UBS on both its achievements to date and its commitment to sustainability. The bank’s umbrella approach, and its strong corporate culture, ensure that targets will be met. For the second year running, the judges decide to recognise these sustained efforts by naming UBS Best Green Bank Switzerland.


AnandRathi: Best Wealth Manager India 2016

Protecting, preserving, and growing wealth is not merely a science, it is an art: the art of listening to clients, understanding their goals, and gauging their tolerance for risk. By tracing all relevant client parameters and applying its in-house expertise, AnandRathi ensures optimum results are consistently attained.

Founded in 1994, AnandRathi has become one of India’s leading financial services providers. The firm offers wealth management, investment banking, corporate finance and advisory, and brokerage and distribution services, amongst others. AnandRathi maintains a vast network of branches, representative offices, and associated companies that blankets the Indian subcontinent. The firm also liaises closely with premier financial services providers in select markets such as Dubai.

AnandRathi employs over 2,500 professionals and is a full member of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), National Stock Exchange (NSE), and a large number of other bourses and entities. The firm also benefits from the numerous synergies created by its connection with Citigroup Venture Capital International which owns a sizeable stake in AnandRathi.

Across its four divisions – individuals, private clients, corporate, and institutional – AnandRathi applies the same client-focused approach that allows for flexible and straightforward solutions to even the most complex of challenges. The company has a well-established reputation for adhering to the highest standards of service, ethics, and professionalism.

With a formidable track record, AnandRathi is managed by experienced professionals who have earned their spurs in private enterprise and financial management. Every month, the firm’s founders organise comprehensive five-day-long training courses to disseminate their expertise throughout the organisation, believing, passionately, in the value of sharing their considerable experience.

The CFI.co judging panel appreciates the bespoke approach to financial services as pioneered by AnandRathi and commends the company on its keen eye for detail. The judges are pleased to note that AnandRathi maintains – and indeed expands on – its already high top-notch performance. For the second consecutive year, the judging panel is unanimous in its decision to hand AnandRathi the Best Wealth Manager India Award.


National Bank of Greece: Best Corporate Governance Greece 2016

National Bank of Greece (NBG) is a global financial services provider established back in 1841, with a 175-years history. NBG leads one of the largest Greek financial groups, with a strong international presence including activities in Southeastern Europe and elsewhere. With a branch network covering entire Greece and subsidiaries in Greece and 11 other countries, NBG has a strong global presence and offers a broad range of financial products and services.

NBG is justifiably proud of its corporate governance record. Attaching great importance to transparency of both its operations and plans, NBG has established an approach that ensures enduring success. Throughout the years, NBG has consistently risen to challenges and proved the inestimable value of solid corporate governance.

NBG Group has sound and efficient corporate governance arrangements incorporating international best practices and centred around ensuring transparency, probity and focus on sustainable success over the longer term. A set of rules and procedures are followed, such as the Corporate Governance Code and a number of Charters and Policies, incorporating Directive 2013/36/EU (CRD IV) and principles and best practices the Group applies, like Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Corporate governance principles for banks and the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance.

Mindful of its role in shaping the future, NBG revealed a ground-breaking initiative to further support the economy by becoming the first Greek bank to launch Crowdfunding, an innovative initiative targeted at financing and promoting important development and social activities.

NBG supports start-ups, financially and by offering access to business knowhow, with a special programme for start-ups, including financing and advisory services and consulting in cooperation with specialised third parties.

The Bank continuously evolves and follows technological developments, has re-designed its internet banking and expanded its chain of i-bank stores, i.e. points of service facilitating transactions and increasing the efficiency of services.

CFI.co judging panel is awed by the tenacity displayed by NBG as it leverages the power of corporate governance to constantly develop and prosper. The judges are therefore very pleased to offer the 2016 Best Corporate Governance Greece Award to NBG.


Salaam African Bank: Best Sharia-Compliant Commercial Bank East Africa 2016

Though the country’s banking sector is well-developed and solid, Djibouti lacked a locallyowned commercial bank until 2008 when Salaam African Bank opened for business. Fully Shariacompliant and featuring a comprehensive suite of products and services, Salaam African Bank has decisively raised the benchmark by placing the needs of its clients at the centre of its corporate mission.

Salaam African Bank has been ground-breaking in its approach to delivering world class financial services: the institution proactively seeks to bridge the gap between the bank and its customers. An open-door policy that emphasises inclusiveness and accessibility has made Salaam African Bank a household name and earned it a formidable reputation for transparency and governance. The bank developed and maintains an impressive number of policies and processes that ensure adherence to the highest ethical standards.

Uniquely in the region, Salaam African Bank engages closely with local entrepreneurs and diaspora communities in order to meet the strong demand for Shariacompliant financial services. Thanks to this outreach, Salaam African Bank is at the forefront of large-scale efforts to rebuild the economies of the Horn of Africa. Eying both opportunity and social responsibility, the bank aims to harness the considerable resources of the diaspora to make a difference in people’s lives.

The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to note that Salaam African Bank not only displays an awareness of its corporate social responsibility but operates a full-featured technological platform that allows the institution the flexibility and the financial striking power to efficiently operate effectively and efficiently in one of the world’s most dynamic regions. The judges are therefore happy to confer the 2016 Best Sharia-Compliant Commercial Bank East Africa Award on Salaam African Bank.


Altercargo: Most Innovative Global Logistics Team Uruguay 2016

At the crossroads of South America’s vast Atlantic seaboard, Uruguay has invested heavily and decisively in state-of-the-art transport facilities, upgrading its infrastructure to cater to its vast hinterland and meet demand from eager exporters. Plugged into the world’s major markets by good air and sea connections, and home to the region’s first fully-fledged free port, Uruguay is making a splash in the highly competitive world of intercontinental and intermodal transport.

Exceptionally well-poised to reap the benefits of Uruguay’s strategic position, Altercargo offers shippers access to an intricately woven mesh of logistics solutions. The company specialises in providing a one-stop window for shippers that need to efficiently move cargo into or out of the region. Altercargo combines different modalities – air, sea, riverine, and road – that ensure point-to-point delivery of any freight consigned to the company.

Rather than acting as an external agent, Altercargo aims to partner with clients to become an integral part of their business. Thus, the company is able to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted flow of goods and commodities. Incorporating efficiency and excellence in the delivery of its services into its operational philosophy, Altercargo is able to guarantee results that are invariably timely and predictable.

Altercargo maintains a global network of agents that report to the Montevideo headquarters where experienced professionals consistently find and design the most cost-effective way of shipping cargo across great distances. The company’s holistic approach to its business relieves customers of the need to engage a number of different parties to coordinate transhipments, warehousing, and all other aspects of freight forwarding. Altercargo provides for a single and tightly integrated solution to any and all shipping requirements.

The CFI.co judging panel is pleasantly surprised by the novel rationale pioneered by Altercargo. While an integrated approach to shipping cargo may seem logical and sensible; it is still much the exception in the industry. Altercargo has set out to change all that with a clear approach and vision. The judges are pleased to offer Altercargo the 2016 Most Innovative Global Logistics Team Uruguay Award.


eDreams ODIGEO: Best Online Travel Partner

Once upon a time, booking your next holiday adventure, business trip, or family visit involved many calls – in person or by phone – to airlines, travel agents, and other intermediaries. Coordinating flights and itineraries in order to obtain the best price used to be considered a dark art. All that changed as the Internet came of age and revolutionised the travel industry.

Aptly-named eDreams ODIGEO has been instrumental in ushering in this new era with an online platform that allows travellers to effortlessly book trips and obtain the best prices. The group of companies has also been at the forefront of marketing new tourist destinations.

eDreams ODIGEO has aggressively and successfully pursued a corporate strategy that is squarely aimed at making the company the preferred online travel agent in all the world’s major markets. The company is currently present in 44 markets spread over five continents. eDreams ODIGEO serves more than 16 million customers from fifteen offices. The company employs over 1,700 employees and last year moved in excess of $4.4bn in bookings.

With over 325 million unique page views per months, eDreams ODIGEO is Europe’s largest flight retailer and one of Europe’s most profitable ecommerce brands. eDreams ODIGEO is made up of five well-established online travel brands including eDreams, Opodo, Go Voyages, Travellink, and Liligo, and the group has expanded its palette of services to include travel insurance, hotel, cruise, and car rental bookings, thus becoming a premier provider of nearly all travel-related products.

Maintaining a customer-centric approach that places the best interest of travellers centre stage has enabled eDreams ODIGEO to expand its reach rapidly, taking new markets by storm. The company is well-known for its technological prowess, regularly introducing innovative add-ons to its already formidable trading platform.

The CFI.co judges noted that eDreams ODIGEO pays particular attention to the ergonomic dimension of the customer experience with its websites and apps offering unparalleled ease of use. The judging panel recognises that eDreams ODIGEO has introduced a number of “firsts” to the market such as apps that memorise customers’ preferences and search details. As a one-stop-shop for travellers worldwide, the eDreams ODIGEO group has reinvented an entire industry.

The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to offer eDreams ODIGEO the 2015 Best Online Travel Partner Global Award.

Dana Dunne, CEO of eDreams ODIGEO comments: “This award is a great recognition of our team that has been single-minded in delivering outstanding customer service.  Our customer experience has been improved across the board with a particular focus on mobile, as well as desktop.  We help customers get the best prices and fly at the most convenient times with our unique technology and booking platforms.”

“The investments we have been making are paying off and increasingly customers are turning to our websites to book their travel plans, including car hire and hotels.  In fact, we continue to increase our market share and we are today one of the world’s largest online travel retailers.”


Absa Bank: Best SME Bank South Africa

Providing a wide range of carefully designed financial solutions to start-ups and established businesses alike, South Africa’s Absa Bank – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barclays Africa Group – aims to empower entrepreneurs with more than just credit. The bank maintains a comprehensive business development platform that facilitates market access for small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs).

Amongst other features, the platform offers a procurement portal with up-to-date information on leads and tenders issued by both government entities and corporations. SMMEs may also register and list their products and services. Thus, the portal brings together suppliers and buyers in an attempt to broaden the market and expand opportunities for smaller businesses that would otherwise face major hurdles in gaining access to existing supply chains.

Absa Bank also maintains a nationwide network of nine enterprise development centres that are exclusively devoted to offering SMMEs a full care package, including expert support in navigating rules and regulations, managing cash flow, laying out business plans, connecting with peers, and a host of other services and facilities. The centres regularly organise workshops, seminars, and other events aimed at skill development, business management, and financial literacy.

One of the Big Four banks in South Africa, Absa Bank successfully leverages its considerable size to offer SMMEs access to a wide range of financial instruments and funds to bolster their working capital or underwrite expansion. The Bank’s Enterprise Development Fund complements the government-sponsored Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) initiative that encourages corporate and state entities to support SMMEs. Absa Bank also maintains alternative funds for women empowerment and SMME development.

The CFI.co judging panel commends Absa Bank for its exceptionally comprehensive approach to serving the needs of smaller businesses. Recognising that flexible and bespoke solutions are required for SMEs to survive and thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic market, the bank has erected a multidimensional platform that suits the needs all businesses – regardless their field, size, or stage of development. The judges entertain no doubts whatsoever that Absa Bank’s stellar performance in serving the business community fully deserves the 2015 Best SME Bank South Africa Award.


UBS: Best Green Bank Switzerland

An increasing number of businesses, including banks, are adapting their corporate structures and processes to incorporate sustainability principles and reduce their CO2 footprint. Taking the lead, and setting an example, UBS has rewritten its entire long-term corporate strategy to fully adjust its business to the changing landscape.

The UBS and Society initiative was unveiled in 2015 and aims to make the bank a global leader in sustainability within the financial services industry. UBS wants to move beyond the commitment of causing no harm to a more proactive approach where harm is fully stamped out. The bank has already requested that 44% of suppliers of newly-sourced goods and services that carry a potentially high environmental impact, adhere to UBS’ Responsible Supply Chain Management standards.

UBS and Society covers all of the bank’s activities and capabilities in sustainable investing. It seeks to reduce the bank’s own environmental footprint, as well as strengthen its human rights policies. The strategies used by the firm have not just resulted in a staggering reduction in non-sustainable investments, but also brought significant reductions in GHG emissions, waste production, water usage, and paper consumption. In 2015, UBS outperformed its energy and water consumption targets a year ahead of time with a 13% and 16% reduction, respectively.

As a member of the RE100 – a collaborative global initiative of large businesses to fully meet their electricity requirements with renewable energy – UBS strives to source all of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Last year, an impressive 54% of UBS’s worldwide electricity consumption was sourced from renewables.

The CFI.co judging panel commends UBS on both its achievements to date and its commitment to sustainability. The bank’s umbrella approach, and its strong corporate culture, ensure that targets will be met. For the second year running, the judges decide to recognise these sustained efforts by naming UBS Best Green Bank Switzerland.