Saradar Bank: Most Socially Responsible Bank Lebanon 2018

Lebanon’s Saradar Bank has a long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, and lists human capital as a strategic focus. It promotes gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated sector, and provides educational and training opportunities for its skilled workforce. Its training programmes range from outreach programmes and leadership workshops to team-building activities, and more than half of its staff is female – with its leadership team boasting a 57% female majority. The bank’s inclusive spirit dates back to 1962, when former CEO Joe Saradar established the Saradar Foundation to promote cultural and leisure activities in the region. The foundation sponsors a mobile learning programme, sending educational caravans to remote regions of the country to deliver specialised seminars and customisable courses. The foundation’s visual arts programme aims to bolster Lebanon’s artistic heritage through sponsorships and curated collections of national treasures. It also has an athletics programme to reward and encourage promising athletes by endorsing and sponsoring them at international level. In 2016, the CFI.co judging panel commended Saradar Bank’s for its rapid but sustainable growth and presented it with the Best Bank Governance (Lebanon) award. After reviewing the recent bank’s progress, the panel noted that Saradar Bank achieved a 25% growth rate in 2017. It is set to be one of the fastest-growing banks in Lebanon for 2018 — proof that social responsibility and growth can go hand-in-hand. Saradar Bank is the winner of the 2018 award for the Most Socially Responsible Bank (Lebanon).