„Sustainability is not a fleeting trend“

As CSO, my mission is to drive the Helaba Group's sustainable transformation forward. On the one hand, this means the ongoing development of the sustainability strategy and, on the other hand, enshrining sustainability as part of the corporate culture. In this respect, Helaba has already positioned itself well. Our corporate philosophy and activities are based on a value system that already includes many aspects of sustainability. Despite that, we can and want to develop ourselves further in this area. I am extremely enthusiastic in tackling these challenges, especially as I recognise how passionate many of my colleagues are about promoting sustainability at Helaba.

A sustainable approach to business has long been firmly embedded in Helaba's business model and is also in keeping with our public service remit. That is why we translated our principles into sustainability guidelines as early as 2014. As such, sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy. But that does not mean, however, that we have already achieved our goal. On the contrary, this issue is evolving rapidly and at an ever-increasing pace.

Our sustainability programme - HelabaSustained - is broad in scope and addresses strategic, organisational and regulatory aspects as well as our go-to-market approach and product portfolio. Our aim is to support our customers in their own transition to a sustainable business model by providing them with a full range of professional ESG advisory services and appropriate financing solutions.

There is a growing consensus among stakeholders that sustainability is not a fleeting trend. In fact, sustainability will become permanently entrenched in our financial system. Conversations between customers and their banks will become more extensive and transparent and will be expanded to include the dimension of sustainability. Customers will expect their lenders to provide them with professional support in their own transition to a sustainable, zero carbon future. And here, too, transparency, credibility and trust are the be-all and end-all of a successful client/bank relationship. The Helaba Group is committed to these values.