Maybank Celebrates Global CR Day

 Over 18,000 Maybank employees worldwide last Saturday commemorated the seventh Maybank Global CR Day engaging directly with the communities in their respective locations through various corporate responsibility initiatives. 

With the theme “Enabling Communities with Solutions”, the Maybank Global CR Day is part of the group’s employee volunteerism programme believed to be the largest single community programme undertaken simultaneously in one day, by a Malaysian-based corporation on a global scale. It involves employees not only in Malaysia but also its offices abroad—from New York and London to Greater China and across ASEAN—coming together to reaffirm their commitment to social and community development.

In Cambodia, close to 300 employees from Maybank Cambodia organised a “WoW Carnival: Empowering Women Weavers” at the newly built Maybank Silk Weaving Training Centre that was constructed for its Maybank Women Eco Weavers Program supported by Maybank Foundation and in collaboration with the Color Silk Foundation/Color Silk Enterprise. At the event graced by the Minister of Women Affairs of Cambodia, H.E. Dr Ing Kantha Phavi and the Ambassador of Malaysia to Cambodia, H.E. Dato’ Sri Hasan Malek, the attendees assisted in the planting of 1,600 mulberry trees and were involved in various activities including conducting financial literacy sessions for the trainees and farmers and healthy living sessions for the children of the community. Attendees also had a hand in trying out Cambodian traditional silk weaving during the event.

Also present at the event were the Spouse of the Ambassador of Malaysia, H.E. Datin Sri Norainee Mohd Yatib, Vice Provincial Governor of Takeo, H.E. Nou Sovanny, Director of Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs, Ms Krouch Vantha, CEO of Maybank Foundation, Mr Shahril Azuar Jimin and CEO of Maybank Cambodia, Ms Cynthia Liaw. CEO of Maybank Cambodia, Cynthia Liaw said that the event was aimed at promoting and enhancing traditional textiles globally in a sustainable manner whilst creating economic independence and financial inclusion of weavers regionally. “Our goal is to empower and train talented Cambodian women with the skills of silk weaving, as well as support a sericulture program to help farmers produce high quality Cambodian golden silk,” added Cynthia.

Cynthia Liaw, the CEO of Maybank Cambodia, tries traditional silk weaving. In Kuala Lumpur, the Group Chief Human Capital Officer of Maybank, Nora Manaf said that the Global CR Day is a unique volunteerism event where employees reinforce Maybank’s mission of humanising financial services and its commitment to be at the heart of the community sustainably. On this day, Maybankers across the group go down to the ground to volunteer and carry out together their various sustainable CR initiatives that they have been and will be implementing in communities where the bank has presence.

“Our theme for this year’s group-wide Global CR Day resonates strongly with our role as a responsible corporate citizen. This theme reinforces our commitment in creating and empowering solutions for the communities to improve their lives. We believe the solutions that we are bringing through our initiatives today, will benefit the present communities for a better future,” she said. Nora added that this year’s Global CR Day marks yet another milestone for the group as it is not only the seventh consecutive year that the employees are getting together on a single day, to contribute to the betterment of society and the environment in a sustainable and impactful manner, but it takes our impact further on the sustainability front with the principle of Paying it Forward weaved intensively into the activities.

This year, over 90 initiatives are being implemented by employees across the group. These included various community projects involving special children, the elderly, disabled, single mothers and orphans as well as the environment. In Kuala Lumpur, Maybank Chairman, Tan Sri Dato’ Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor joined in a fun run and walk with Down Syndrome children from the Orchid Home at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) to raise funds for special needs students as well as cancer children from the University of Malaya Medical Centre Cancer Unit. Maybank Group President & CEO, Datuk Abdul Farid Alias joined employees in a community programme to raise funds through various activities for the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), as well as create more awareness of autism among the public. Activities included a telematch with autistic children, colouring contest and the refurbishment of the school area.

Elsewhere, employees engaged in numerous other initiatives ranging from engagement with the physically challenged, mentoring and supporting indigenous and financially disadvantaged communities, planting trees in public parks, or joining hands to spruce up community areas. They also cleaned up rivers and wetlands, promoted waste recycling awareness and helped in greening available space at Menara Maybank, with the food produce donated to welfare homes.

The Global CR Day was first held in 2010 in conjunction with Maybank’s 50th anniversary. Over 10,000 employees took part in that inaugural event. The increasing number of participants over the years reflects the strong team spirit among employees to come together and participate in such a unique global volunteerism programme.