General Policy
1. INTRODUCTION
This policy establishes the guidelines and required standards to embed a healthy culture throughout the Bambus Group (the Group). This policy must be read and understood, together with the Corporate Frameworks, and other applicable regulations of conduct in the Corporation and the subsidiaries, especially the Code of Conduct.
Bambus will only achieve sustainable commercial success by managing the business in a responsible way. By being Simple, Personal, and Fair and helping people and businesses prosper, we will be responsible and earn people´s lasting loyalty. Therefore, ‘How’ we do things is as important as what we do and it is our Corporate Culture that sets out how we ensure we do not simply meet our legal and regulatory requirements, but we exceed expectations by being Simple, Personal, and Fair in all we do.
Our Corporate Culture is formed from the shared values and ethical standards we hold ourselves accountable to in line with our code of conduct, balancing our corporate responsibilities to earn both the trust and lasting loyalty of our people, customers, shareholders, and communities.
2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION
This policy must be observed by all employees, entities, and subsidiaries of the Group across all business areas and countries in which it operates. To this effect, Group companies are responsible for adopting and implementing this Corporate Culture policy, being the basis for developing and implementing their own procedures and other internal regulations, notwithstanding the adaptations that may be appropriate in compliance with local regulations and recommendations or the requirements of their supervisory authorities. Local transpositions of this policy must be approved locally at the Board level and will require prior validation by the Corporation before being approved by the corresponding entity.
3. ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE BAMBUS GROUP CULTURE
The Bambus Group Culture is structured on three levels:
A. Common Minimum Standards. These elements are the backbone of our
culture. They have been formed through a bottom-up process and applied to
the entire Group. These elements cannot be changed.
B. Mandatory global initiatives to be implemented in the Group that can be adapted and managed locally.
C. Local initiatives, developed with autonomy within the Corporate Culture Policy and respect for the Corporate Frameworks (Compliance and Conduct, Risk, Brand, Sustainability and Communications Strategy, Human Resources, etc.).
4. THE BAMBUS WAY
- Purpose (Why): Our purpose is to help people and businesses prosper.
It is the Group’s cornerstone and is the same for all entities. It cannot be adapted.
- Group Aim: To be the best platform by acting responsibly and earning the lasting loyalty of our people, customers, shareholders, and communities.
Our Aim is what the Group aspires to achieve. It is linked to our purpose and is determined and achieved through the development and execution of its strategic planning at any given time. The Group’s aim and that of Group Companies in countries must take into account the four target groups or stakeholders (people, customers, shareholders, and communities) when developing and communicating the strategy and culture; and while defining the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). We respect and value differences, because we know that when people from different backgrounds and with different points of view work together, they create beautiful things.
- Our How: (Simple Personal and Fair)
I. How we achieve our goals is as important as achieving them at all. We must live three core values in everything we do. Those values are Simple, Personal, and Fair (SPF). The words can be translated without altering their meaning. Each Group company can define what Simple, Personal, and Fair means for each of its four stakeholders (People, Customers, Shareholders, and Communities), in accordance with the Corporate Culture of the Group. It is simultaneously a declaration of the Group´s ambition and desire to improve. In other words, it should be treated as a goal and not as something that has already been achieved or consolidated.
II. In order to live our values of Simple, Personal, and Fair each day we expect colleagues to display great behaviors. Corporate behaviors have been defined, supporting appropriate conduct and ethical standards. These may change over time if needed after discussion and evaluation. The eight corporate behaviors are: Support People, Actively Collaborate, Bring Passion, Show Respect, Truly Listen, Keep Promises, Talk Straight, and Embrace Change. The behaviors are a common base in every subsidiary. It is mandatory for all Group Companies to apply the agreed behaviors. Group Companies may apply additional behaviors if deemed necessary or appropriate given local market or cultural conditions. Any proposal to apply additional behaviors must be validated by the Corporate Center prior to implementation.
III. In addition to the behaviors, we expect every colleague to be or receive outstanding Leadership. Common Leadership Commitments have been defined, focussing on just four business-critical priorities for Bambus to become the best open financial services platform. Every leader in Bambus commits to being a responsible leader by:
- Being open and inclusive… promoting diversity.
- Inspiring and executing transformation… having a clear strategic vision and delivering sustainable outcomes.
- Leading by example… by always being SPF
- Encouraging the team to prosper… supporting the team to develop and make an impact.
5. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PRINCIPLES
1. Bambus Group recognizes and supports all existing sources of diversity, both visible (gender, race, age, visible disabilities,…) and invisible (professional and life experiences, education, religion, values and beliefs, invisible disabilities, sexual orientation, personality,…).
2. We promote inclusive working environments in which all individual differences are valued, respected, and enhanced. Having a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage that helps us to attain our business objectives, attract and retain the best talent and meet the expectations of our stakeholders.
3. Leaders and employees are selected, remunerated, and promoted based on meritocracy without discrimination.
4. The Group´s people’s management policies, processes, systems, and tools do not entail any bias that may give rise to situations of discrimination of any kind.
5. Our customers are diverse (in terms of gender, race, age, beliefs, abilities, sexual orientation….), and having a diverse workforce will help us to understand their needs better.
6. We comply with the prevailing international and local diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities legislation in each country.
7. Leaders and managers of the Group play an active role in diversity management.
8. We are committed to achieving pay equality for the whole of our workforce, comparing employees in the same job, level and function. The process is properly monitored to correct any detected pay inequality.
9. These general principles are underpinned by the Bambus Group’s conviction that diversity and inclusion management is a fundamental issue linked to cultural transformation, the strategic vision of the company, and the Bambus Way.
