New year's greeting 2023 - Working together to create value

We do not choose the environment in which we live and work, but we can choose our perspective and make responsible decisions. For me, this is the main lesson of 2022, a year that companies chose to take on sanctions that incurred serious financial losses in a way never seen before in order to stand up for their values in a war situation, thus opening a new era in responsible business conduct.

We’ve been living in a continuous crisis for three years: first COVID-19, followed by the recent energy crisis, the war in Ukraine, and an economic environment that has brought high inflation. Even during turbulent times, we have the possibility to choose our perspective and see the opportunities. The real winners of the last few years are those who stick to the values, who seize favorable opportunities that go beyond self-interest and serve long-term objectives. It is good to see the positive examples among the corporate members of HBLF as well.

We always have the possibility to live up to our VALUES and do something for change.

During the 2021-22 academic year of the Romaster program, we helped 44 Roma students achieve their goals with support from 18 companies and 49 mentors; six of them have graduated from high-school, six have graduated from university, and several students are continuing their studies. Individual stories can be discovered behind the numbers – it was an amazing to celebrate the cum laude degree of Shell’s mentee, as well as seeing her embark on her career.

Within the international HBLF Xmentor program, we continued to give in 2022 what is considered our most precious resource as leaders: our TIME. Through this program supporting the development of the women leaders of the future, we contribute to building a world in which the composition of leadership reflects the composition of our society. Our campaign “Let's create endless opportunities for women” also supported this goal, endorsed by the commitment of 100 CEOs. We also advertised on billboards, and through a related media campaign that had a reach of 7 million, and we have successfully increased the visibility of the theme, not to mention the visibility of HBLF.

The number of signatories to the Diversity Charter has continued to grow, and through the 56 events of our Diversity Month, we achieved the second highest rate of activity in the EU in May. The newly established Advisory Board now supports the strategy development of HBLF Diversity Charter and helps us to define the path ahead. The number of entries to our Diversity Awards has grown. During the year-end and charter signing ceremony, HBLF awarded the new individual Diversity Leadership Award, acknowledging that responsible business conduct goes well beyond corporate short-term objectives, and that it is the leaders who can do the most to promote change and inclusion, and we can all learn from our role models.

From our prestigious events in 2022, I would like to highlight the Financial Summit and the 30^th Anniversary Jubilee Gala, which we held with high-level government representation and with the participation of a large number of companies. The Financial Summit evaluated the role Hungary plays in a global world, while at the Gala we highlighted our FUTURE BELONGS TO EVERYONE strategy, building on the values and results of the last 30 years.

We had several engagements through the CEO Forum, Women’s Forum, HR, Environment Protection, and Ethics& Compliance working groups in 2022 and we are glad that many corporate members are also finding the value through these connections.