SUSTAINABLE FASHION
SUSTAINABLE FASHION _________________ So that whole spectrum of sustainability is really important to us as a company. ________________ have disabilities themselves so this process creates employment. Whatever’s left after toys have been made is recycled and goes to the automotive industry or mattress industry for reuse and repurpose. It’s a full closing the loop project and it’s a very exciting one. And what about designers? What we’re trying to do is uplift local business and fashion-industry designers or print artists to give them a platform to build their brand. With local company Neimil, we had them design a home collection for us. It was all made here locally and it was all made by hand. We sold it in some select stores and then we also helped with their branding. It was in our windows and we did a media campaign and gave Keneilwe Mothoa and Lubabalo Mxalisa a platform to grow as a small, locally-owned business, which is our goal. As part of your enterprise development programme? Exactly. Every year we pick a couple of collaborations and we help to grow people. Scenes from Sustainable Production: Africa Summit 2022 Would you regard the Summit as a success? It was. It will be a real success if people take action on what we discussed. If there is follow-through. It was a great day and we met lots of great people. Good information was shared and we helped to educate people. We hit the agenda on every single thing that we wanted to do. Now we have to do something about it and the actions that come out of it will be the measure of success. And I am very excited that we’ve had so many people who attended reach out and commit to making some sort of change. We have to follow up with it and continue and repeat and get back in the room together and do some things with it. That will be the true measure. But in terms of how it was received, it was very well received by the retail and beyond industry and we’re really proud of it. What are H&M’s ambitions in South Africa and Southern Africa? We want to be in a lot more places and we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of growth on the agenda. We see a ton of potential both in Southern Africa and in South Africa. We have massive ambitions for growth and we’re going to diversify our portfolio within South Africa and in the region over the next couple of years. We love doing business here. We are going to continue to do it and do more of it. 24 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
Access Bank South Africa wins major award Capital Finance International (CFI) has named Access Bank South Africa for the Best Business Banking Solutions in South Africa for 2022. BUSINESS BANKING SOLUTIONS In January 2023, the London head office of respected financial print and online journal Capital Finance International (CFI) released the results of its awards for 2022. Access Bank South Africa was named for the Best Business Banking Solutions in South Africa. Access Bank SA CEO Mrs Sugendhree Reddy said she is delighted with the news, noting CFI’s standing as a well-regarded print journal and online resource in the business, economics and finance sectors. “This recognition of our dedication, determination and commitment to ensuring that our customers receive impeccable service and products tailored to meet their needs shows the progress we continue to make towards becoming the world’s most respected African Bank,” she said. Access Bank SA joined the Access Bank Group in mid-2021, following a rebranding and conversion to include retail and corporate banking together with the business banking division. “Access Bank South Africa forms part of a financial services conglomerate with a well-established international presence, including subsidiaries in 15 African countries including the UK and the UAE, with representative offices in China, India and Lebanon,” Reddy notes. A Paris office will open in May 2023. A commitment to providing good value and excellent service in delivering personal, corporate, business and alliance banking solutions has made Access Bank SA a stand-out financial services operation in a highly competitive market. Says Reddy: “We are excited by the award from CFI and will use it as motivation to continue to raise our standards in every area that we provide services, from everyday banking such as transactional accounts, deposits, to secured and unsecured loans, trade finance (import and export solutions) as well as Forex. We serve retail, business and corporate customers. “We pursue a relationship-centred banking model that focusses on people rather than products. Business clients benefit from a dedicated relationship manager who make on-premises visits to ensure the bank has a full understanding of a company’s needs. “Customer satisfaction is a primary pillar of Access Bank SA, and our reputation for dependability and solutions has become key to the customer-centric model of the business.” It is clear that there will be no resting on laurels for Access Bank South Africa. “This is an exceptional way to start our new year,” says Reddy, “and will provide a springboard for our teams to continue to match and exceed customer expectations, while focusing on solutions-driven services that make Access Bank a financial banking operation quickly becoming a first-choice among South Africans.” ABOUT ACCESS BANK Access Bank Plc. is a leading full-service commercial Bank operating through a network of more than 600 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 18 countries and more than 49-million customers. The Bank employs 28 000 people in its operations in Nigeria and has subsidiaries in East, West and Sub-Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom (with a branch in Dubai, UAE) and representative offices in China, Lebanon and India. Listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited since 1998, it is currently admitted on the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). Access Bank is a diversified financial institution which combines a strong retail-customer franchise and digital platform with deep corporate banking expertise and proven risk management and capital management capabilities. The bank serves its various markets through four business segments: Retail, Business, Commercial and Corporate. Access Bank has over 900 000 shareholders (including several Nigerian and international institutional investors) and has enjoyed what is arguably Africa’s most successful banking growth trajectory in the last twelve years. Following its merger with Diamond Bank in March 2019, Access Bank became one of Africa’s largest retail banks by retail customer base. As part of its continued growth strategy, Access Bank is focused on mainstreaming sustainable business practices into its operations. The Bank strives to deliver sustainable economic growth that is profitable, environmentally responsible and socially relevant, helping customers to access more and achieve their dreams.
