Sustainability
As one of the leading investment banks in the country, we recognise our role in contributing to sustainable growth through the incorporation of sustainable practices into our business operations and activities to ensure long-term growth and value creation.
ABOUT OUR SUSTAINABILITY
We are committed to our sustainability journey as a financial service provider, business partner, employer, community member, environmental steward and value creator for our shareholders.
Our sustainability journey officially began in the Financial Year Ended 2018. We engaged our different stakeholder groups through various communication channels and activities, gathering input and feedback for our overall improvement, innovation and prioritisation.
In 2019, we reviewed and made a concerted effort to refine our sustainability practices to align them with the Group’s priorities and direction. To this end, we are working towards formalising our sustainability governance structure, which incorporates a sustainability committee comprising members from multidisciplinary project teams from various departments. The Sustainability Committee will be endorsed by the Board of Directors.
About This Sustainability Statement
In 2019, we drew up a three (3)-year roadmap that will focus on three (3) key areas – to establish the base of our sustainability efforts, to strengthen processes and eventually, to achieve the integration of the sustainability initiatives into our daily operations.
The following illustration explains our roadmap:
Our three (3)-year roadmap
STRENGTHEN FUNDAMENTALS
- Formalise a Sustainability Committee which will support the planning, execution, data collection and reporting of our sustainability efforts.
- Develop Sustainability Committee’s charter, roles and responsiblity.
- Improve on sustainability report format.
VALIDATION AND ENDORSEMENT
- Deepen reporting scope and communicate targets and measurements.
- Integrate sustainability practices into dayto-day business processes.
- Identify suitable sustainability ratings and standards for benchmark.
- Understand and fulfil benchmark requirements.
- Gain accreditation.
PROMOTION AND INTEGRATION
- Champion, engage, build capacity and heighten awareness internally to build pipeline advocates.
- Further integrate sustainability practices into the day-to-day operations of the business.
- Cross-share sustainability journey and learnings with industry peers for continuous improvement.
Our sustainability statement is reported in accordance with the Bursa Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Guide, which covers economic, environmental and social risks and opportunities. The scope of reporting for this sustainability statement is limited to our Malaysian operations only as our associate businesses outside Malaysia are relatively small in scale and size.
In the spirit of continuity and comparability, this sustainability statement is reported based on the prioritised issues from a materiality survey we conducted in 2018. As indicated in our previous report, we aim to conduct a materiality assessment every two (2) years.
About This Sustainability Statement
In 2019, we drew up a three (3)-year roadmap that will focus on three (3) key areas – to establish the base of our sustainability efforts, to strengthen processes and eventually, to achieve the integration of the sustainability initiatives into our daily operations.
The following illustration explains our roadmap:
Our sustainability statement is reported in accordance with the Bursa Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Guide, which covers economic, environmental and social risks and opportunities. The scope of reporting for this sustainability statement is limited to our Malaysian operations only as our associate businesses outside Malaysia are relatively small in scale and size.
In the spirit of continuity and comparability, this sustainability statement is reported based on the prioritised issues from a materiality survey we conducted in 2018. As indicated in our previous report, we aim to conduct a materiality assessment every two (2) years.
SUSTAINABILITY GOVERNANCE
In 2019, we laid out the foundations to establish a formal Sustainability Governance committee, which will serve to further strengthen our approach in managing the economic, environmental and social issues identified.
Our sustainability will be governed at the highest level, by the Board of Directors (“Board”), to ensure accountability in embedding sustainability effectively. The Board is committed to the management of resources and processes relating to sustainability issues and to ensuring that sustainability is instilled across the organisation.
WHO AND HOW WE ENGAGE
In order to continue creating value and to ensure sustainability efficiency, we regularly engage with our key stakeholder groups through formal and informal channels. Regular stakeholder engagements enable us to meet their expectations and address the material issues that will impact our business growth in the long term.
We have categorised our key stakeholder groups and engagement approach as follows:
| Stakeholder Groups | Engagement Channels | Our Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Employees |
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| Customers |
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| Shareholders and Investors |
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| Regulators |
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| Vendors |
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| Communities |
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OUR APPROACH TO MATERIALITY
In 2019, we further aligned our initiatives and reporting to the results of an online materiality survey that we conducted in 2018. The survey was part of our materiality process, which validated our key focus areas. It gave us a comprehensive understanding of our material issues as we prioritised them according to their level of importance to our key stakeholders. We conduct our materiality assessment every two (2) years and the next materiality assessment will be in 2020.
Based on the survey in 2018, we rated the importance of 19 economic, environmental and social issues as shown below:
19 Economic, Environmental and Social Issues
1.
Business ethics
2.
Corruption, fraud & moneylaundering
3.
Responsible investment
4.
Industrial advancement
5.
Responsible lending
6.
Environmental awareness
7.
Environmental resource management
8.
Employment & benefits
9.
Anti-discrimination
10.
Diversity & inclusion
11.
Employee engagement & volunteerism
12.
Talent management & career development
13.
Human rights
14.
Anti-competition
15.
Customer privacy & cyber security
16.
Customer satisfaction
17.
Responsible marketing
18.
Quality
19.
Financial literacy
STAKEHOLDERS CONTACTED DURING THE MATERIALITY SURVEY
Remisiers/Agents
Vendors
Media
Employees
Board of Directors and Group Executive Committee
A total of 515 responses were obtained, of which 370 were valid and used for computation. Each stakeholder group was well represented in the survey. The views of each stakeholder were given equal weightage in the calculations.
OUTCOME OF THE MATERIALITY SURVEY
Each issue was measured on a 1 – 5 Likert scale. Scores of over three (3) is considered material to some degree. The average score of each issue was between 4.0 – 4.5, which meant all issues were deemed material to a greater or lesser degree. In line with this, the reporting and update against each issue is reflected in the following pages.
The outcome of the materiality survey is presented in the matrix below.
