HSBC's 'Living Business' announces GAC as Qatar winner

Doha: Gulf Agency Company (GAC) from Qatar was one of the country winners at the second edition of the“Living Business” programme for showing commitment and change in their approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Businesses in Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated in the programme this year.

Other country winners were Trident Trackway from UAE, Bahrain Airport Company from Bahrain, Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre from Oman and EGAAD from Egypt.

Organised by Globally, Get in the Ring and HSBC, the Living Business programme aims to help businesses deliver significant enhancements to their ESG initiatives by embedding sustainable principles in their organisational framework.

Daniel Howlett, HSBC's Head of Commercial Banking in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey said:“It has been another fantastic year for our Living Business programme. We are seeing tangible changes and a shift in mindset towards environmental and ethical sustainability. The participants coming from a wide range of industries have all shown a real desire to make a contribution to becoming more sustainable. We congratulate them all for coming this far and addressing some of the key issues that our world faces”.

This year's intake came from across the Mena region with more than 120 applicants and covered several strategic sectors including construction and infrastructure, retail, transport, energy and utilities, and hospitality.

“We are committed to the transition to a global net-zero economy, not just by playing our part, but by helping to lead it. We are proud of the progress we see in the market as more companies are focusing on ESG priorities to ensure their future economic growth in a sustainable way. We are here to support them and grow with them in the future,” said Elie Maroun El Asmar, HSBC's Head of CMB in Qatar.

Participants were given one-on-one coaching with ESG experts to help them achieve their goals. The companies presented their initiatives at the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to a panel of judges.

The winners will attend a course at the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at The University of Cambridge.

Applications came from Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, and the UAE who were prepared to implement a project that will have a significant ESG impact such as reducing the business' or industry's environmental footprint, enhancing social capital of the business by improving staff wellbeing or creating a sustainable governance framework.

Living Business will expand next year globally to 15 countries across 4 continents.

Keith Bradley, Managing Partner at Globally said:“Being able to expand the programme from the Mena region to become a global programme is a testament to the desire to make fundamental changes in companies' ESG agendas. We are proud to be a partner in this programme and help companies manage their environmental footprints and build social capital”.

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