Senior Perspective - Kate Butchart

Kate Butchart, Credit Suisse, Head of Corporate Citizenship Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Describe yourself in five words:
Manager, Mother, Friend and Volunteer

What does your job involve?
Overall coordination of all Corporate Citizenship programmes in the region including: acting as the Director of the Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation and its grant-making programme; the employee volunteering programmes which focus on developing comprehensive support programmes for our partners; employee giving and the Charity of the Year programmes.

Why does a community involvement programme make sense for your business?
Community involvement is an integral part of our Corporate Citizenship programme.  We look to support communities where we live and work building capacity of organisations delivering programmes on the ground.

What has been the most rewarding aspect for you?
I always enjoy visiting the organisations we support.  It amazing to see the real transformational difference they are making to the lives of young people and others.

How do you justify your programme to the sceptics?
I believe our programmes stand up for themselves.  We have developed a strong partnership model of working with our core community partners providing financial support and leveraging a wide range of other support.  We receive good feedback from our partners who are keen to engage and grow the relationship between us.

Where would you like to see your programme in five years’ time?
Credit Suisse continually looks to develop best practice within all our programmes.  In particular, I would like to see our volunteering programmes strengthened, particularly our skills based volunteering  efforts in order to maximise the impact we have on the ground.

Would you recommend ELBA to other companies and if so why?
ELBA can be a great conduit for linking corporate and community partners with extensive networks throughout east London.

Senior Perspective - Natalie Tickle

Community Affairs Executive, Lloyd's

Describe yourself in five words

Enthusiastic, supportive ... is that enough?

What does your job involve?

I work in the Community Affairs team at Lloyd's, helping to co-ordinate Lloyd's Community Programme, the volunteering scheme of the Lloyd's insurance market, and one of our three charitable trusts.

Why does a community involvement programme make sense for your business?

Some of London’s poorest communities are just a few minutes walk from the Lloyd’s building, and we believe that we have a responsibility as part of the business community to mobilise the skills and enthusiasm of our employees to support our neighbouring boroughs.

Lloyd’s Community Programme plays an important role in building a sense of community amongst the companies in the market and by acting together Lloyd’s companies are able to have an increased level of community impact beyond what we could achieve if we operated independently.

What has been the most rewarding aspect for you?

There are so many rewarding aspects and every day it is something different. Having worked in the charity sector, I feel incredibly lucky to now have a role that allows me to work for Lloyd’s - in an amazing building, but to still have the opportunity to work closely with a number of charities and schools.

How do you justify your programme to the sceptics?

Fortunately, I rarely have to justify our programme to sceptics as there is a huge amount of support for Lloyd’s Community Programme at all levels across the Lloyd’s market. Lloyd’s Community Programme has become an institution in the Lloyd’s insurance market, and the people I work with really do care about supporting our local communities.

And for anyone unsure about volunteering, I will always say give it a go. It is good for us to step out of our comfort zone, leave our desks, try something new and meet new people. I have really enjoyed all of the volunteering schemes that I have taken part in and will always use my three days volunteer leave to the max.

Where would you like to see your programme in five years’ time?

Lloyd’s Community Programme is now in its 22nd year and commitment to it from across the market continues to grow in strength with a record number of volunteers in 2010. Over the next five years I hope we can maintain this level of support which allows us to support our community partners both financially and through volunteer support.

Over the years, Lloyd’s Community Programme has stayed consistent to its original principles and committed to its long term partners, but we are also keen to support new ideas and initiatives and I really look forward to seeing how some of the new projects we are working on at the moment progress over the years.

Would you recommend ELBA to other companies and if so why?

As a small team, we would not be able to support such a variety of projects and volunteering opportunities if it were not for the support of our community partners. With the support of the Challenge ELBA team, in 2010 over 750 people from the Lloyd’s market volunteered to provide practical hands on support to 21 community projects in London. ELBA’s Forida and Emrana are an extension of our team at Lloyd’s and I really enjoy working with them!

Senior Perspective - Nick Wright

Managing Director, Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs
UBS

Describe yourself in five words
Family man with great job.

Why does a community involvement programme make sense for your business?
They are key components in strategies to manage reputation; develop employee engagement and a values driven culture as well as demonstrate the place of business within society. It is arguable that such concerns have never been higher on the private sector agenda than right now.

What has been the most rewarding aspect for you?
A combination of intellectual challenge; working in and through teams and genuinely helping make a measurable positive difference.

How do you justify your programme to the sceptics?
It is managed and overseen by the business to deliver real benefits to UBS, as well as the wider community.

Where would you like to see your programme in five years time?
As a collaborative programme that has set new standards and through full and strategic corporate integration, achieved extraordinary impact and benefit.

Senior Perspective - Eileen Taylor

Global Head of Diversity
Deutsche Bank

Describe yourself in five words
Energetic, motivated, but sometimes impatient.

Why does a community involvement programme make sense for your business?
To give employees a more balanced view of the world we live in and challenge the way we think.

What has been the most rewarding aspect for you?
The people I have met.

How do you justify your programme to the sceptics?
Take them to see it.

Where would you like to see your programme in five years time?
On television.

Community Perspective - Marcia Samuels

Chief Executive
New Choices for Youth (NCY Trust)

Describe your organisation in five words
Charity for young people.

What is the biggest difference engagement with business has made to your organisation?
The level of support with HR and ICT issues we have received, which we were unable to access previously.

Top two tips for other community organisations developing links with business
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and to utilise the expertise that the business sector has to offer.

What is the biggest challenge you face currently?
The usual issue especially within the current financial situation. Re-tendering of contracts, new opportunities, lack of consortia approach from the sector and what is now a negative competitiveness developing within the sector.

Community Perspective - Rev'd Canon Ann Easter

Chief Executive Officer
The Renewal Programme

Describe your organisation in five words
Broad-based, collaborative, people-centred, empowering

What is the biggest difference engagement with business has made to your organisation?
Super Board members, bringing invaluable expertise, and the injection of energy and resources brought by teams doing a day’s challenge.

Top two tips for other community organisations developing links with business
Think about what you want and be clear when describing it to a prospective volunteer.

What is the biggest challenge you face currently?
Finding money to continue our less popular work, such as that with refugees and street-homeless people.