The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced the full judging panel for the 2008 FT Sustainable Banking Awards, bringing some of the world’s leading experts in sustainable investment, microfinance and environmental protection into the programme.
The judging panel selecting the nominees and winners in this year’s awards includes:
•Richard Laing, Chief Executive of CDC Group Ltd, a UK-Government owned collection of funds that invests in sustainable projects worldwide
•Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), a leading environmental think-tank
•Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a consortium of public and private funding organisations that expand poor people’s access to financial services
They will join co-chairs John Willman, UK Business Editor of the Financial Times, and Rachel Kyte, Director of Environment and Social Development, IFC, as well as David Harris, Manager, Responsible Investment at FTSE Group, and Tessa Tennant, co-founder of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA) on the panel.
Leading consultancy Sustainable Finance Limited will again be technical advisor for the awards, which were created by the Financial Times and IFC in 2005 to recognise banks that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations.
The deadline for entries for this year’s programme is 29 February 2008. The winners of the awards will be announced at a special dinner at the Dorchester in London on 3 June 2008.
This awards dinner will conclude the 2008 FT/IFC Sustainable Banking Conference, a full-day gathering of major decision-makers, strategists and visionaries involved in sustainable finance which has become a major event on the international banking calendar following the success of the inaugural conference last year.
Entry forms and information on the awards and the Sustainable Banking Conference can be obtained at www.ftconferences.com/sustainablebanking.
“The addition of these globally recognised figures to the judging panel for the Sustainable Banking Awards is evidence of the impact this programme is having in both developed and emerging economies,” said Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times. “We are thrilled to have such a strong panel and delighted with the positive response these awards continue to receive.”
Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO, commented: “This is a distinguished judging panel, with deep and varied expertise. I believe they will be especially busy with applications from emerging markets, where banks and other financial institutions provide many examples of leadership and innovation in sustainability.”
Award applications are being accepted in the following five categories: Sustainable Bank of the Year, Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year, Sustainable Deal of the Year, Award for Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and Sustainable Investor of the Year.
Each category will have a shortlist of five finalists - except Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year, where the winner will be chosen from four banks awarded prizes for regional leadership in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Middle East/Africa respectively.
Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid and Sustainable Investor of the Year are new categories for the 2008 edition, broadening the awards to financial institutions not directly involved in banking.
Ahead of the entry deadline, the Financial Times and IFC have organised a series of regional dinners to increase understanding of sustainable banking in key emerging markets. Invitation-only gatherings have been held in Miami (for Latin America), Moscow, Shanghai, Mumbai and Dubai, with Istanbul and Lagos still to come.
The 2007 awards attracted 151 entries from 103 institutions in 51 countries.
For further information, please contact:
Lizzie Allen, Financial Times, 020 7873 4463 or lizzie.allen@ft.com
Azmar Sukandar, Financial Times, Hong Kong, +852 2905 5519 or azmar.sukandar@ft.com
Lucie Giraud, IFC Washinton DC, +1 (202) 458-4662 or azmar.sukandar@ft.com
Lucie Giraud, IFC, Washington, DC, +1 (202) 458-4662 or lgiraud@ifc.org
Notes to Editors:
About the Financial Times
The Financial Times Group, one of the world’s leading business information companies, aims to provide a broad range of business information and services to the growing audience of internationally minded business people. The FT Group includes:
1.The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 449,187 (ABC figures, December 2007) and a readership of more than 1.3 million people worldwide.
2.FT.com is one of the world’s leading business information websites, and the internet partner of the FT newspaper. FT.com is the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 5.35 million unique monthly users generating 43 million page views (ABC electronic figures, March 2007). FT.com has 101,000 subscribers.
3.Through FT Interactive Data, the FT Group is one of the world’s leading sources of securities pricing and specialist financial information to global institutional, professional and individual investors. Its products include eSignal, an online realtime streaming quotation service for brokers and active traders.
4.FT Business, which produces specialist information on the retail, personal and institutional finance industries. It publishes the UK’s premier personal finance magazine, Investors Chronicle, and The Banker, Money Management and Financial Adviser for professional advisers.
5.The Mergermarket Group, whose products and services provide the global advisory and corporate communities with intelligence and analysis. With regional head offices in London, New York and Hong Kong and 200 journalists in 46 locations worldwide, reliable and validated proprietary intelligence and historical data is provided via the mergermarket, dealReporter, Debtwire and wealthmonitor on-line platforms.
6.The Financial Times Group also has a stake in a number of joint ventures, including;
•FTSE International, a joint venture with the London Stock Exchange.
•Vedomosti, Russia’s leading business newspaper and a partnership venture with Dow Jones and Independent Media
•A 50% stake in BDFM, publishers of South Africa’s leading financial newspapers and websites.
•A 50% stake in The Economist Group, which publishes the world’s leading weekly business and current affairs journal.
•A 13.85% stake in Business Standard, one of India’s leading financial newspapers.
The FT Group is part of Pearson plc, the international education and information company.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilising private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through loan participations and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
