The Case Study - Seylan Bank

106Seylan Bank PLC Annual Report 2009Sustainable Development aims to meetthe needs of the present withoutcompromising on the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needsSeylan Bank, as a major player in the financialindustry in Sri Lanka, is committed to a vision ofsustainable development. The Bank’s processesand systems are geared to ensuring that the Bankpromotes sustainable development in the wayit designs products, delivers financial services,organises the workplace and engages with society.In this report we document the impact of theBank’s activities on the economy, the environment, andsociety in general. It also documents how the Bankhas been generating a larger social wealth for all ourstakeholders. The Company’s stakeholders are many.They consist of our customers; our employees and theirfamilies; our shareholders; our business partners; thelarger society; and generations yet unborn.While building financial wealth for ourshareholders is one of the things we do, we arealso conscious that our activities have an impacton the physical environment, the economy, andsociety in general. While generating financial valuewe continue to work to protecting the environment,fuelling the economy, empowering communitiesand creating new opportunities for our employees.The Bank hopes that this Sustainability Reportwill provide information on all aspects of ouroperations: the tangible and t he intangible. We hopethis process will enhance transparency, facilitatebetter communication with our stakeholders andincrease stakeholder confidence in our operations.Creating a more enduring social wealth hasrequired the Bank to constantly re-design its strategy,mindset and internal processes. The Bank is constantlyre-evaluating its methods of work and looking at howwe can strengthen our performance on all fronts: thefinancial; the social and the environmental.Reporting on an institution’s economic,environmental and social performance supportsthe Bank’s financial reporting. Candid sustainabilityreporting also enables the Bank to review oursystems scrupulously and to improve on theprocesses we have already established.While generating a broader social wealththe Bank has not compromised on the quality ofits products and services; on business ethics andtransparency; on serving all social segments; andon creating safe and enjoyable workplaces.In 2009, the Bank established a SustainabilityCommittee. The Committee will enable the Bankto engage in CSR activities in a coherent andstructured manner. Within the larger CSR are threethematic subcommittees that look at the relevanceand feasibility of Sustainability projects with regardto society; the economy; and the environment. TheBank also has a Sustainability Committee at boardlevel and all these Committees are responsible forguiding the CSR activities of the Bank.The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) hasdeveloped a framework for sustainability reporting.The framework was developed through a processof extensive consultation with a wide variety ofstakeholders. We have used the GRI framework asa model for this year’s Report.The BoardThe board of directors establishes overall policyfor sustainable entrepreneurship in consultationwith the three subcommittees: the EconomicSubcommittee; the Environment Subcommitteeand the Social Subcommittee.Organisational ProfileThis Report covers the activities of Seylan BankPLC during the period from 1st January 2009 to31st December 2009. From pages 138 to 226 weanalyse the business and financial activities of theinstitution and provide detailed information on theBank’s performance over the past year.Any questions or comments about thisSustainability Report should be directed to theGeneral Manager/CEO of Seylan Bank PLC, Mr. AjitaPasqual on Telephone No. 00 11 2456755.