«Excellent Performance Demands Diversity»

For some time now, the link between the best performing companies and their approach to diversity has been universally acknowledged, however for the majority of companies progress remains slow in this area, particularly in the banking sector.

A possible reason for this could be that in the past the case for diversity was presented as legal compliance, or advancing social justice ideals – ‘the right thing to do’. Whilst these arguments have merit, banks are commercial operations driven by financial metrics, and it is understandable that diversity might not have featured highly on their list of priorities.

The best performing companies prove however that excellent performance demands diversity. For such businesses it brings innovation, better products and as a result happier customers, which translates to profits.

The difference is in their mindset whereby diversity is intrinsic to the organisation. A business-led systematic approach to curating the right people, practices, and culture allows diversity to flourish in line with the company purpose. These types of companies demonstrate that if managed correctly diversity can positively impact the bottom line.

At Banque Havilland, we are by nature culturally diverse with a workforce comprising over 22 nationalities, yet we recognise the need to continue to build a framework for managing diversity through our recruitment, retention practices, career progression policies, leadership commitment, and culture. By doing this we can clearly align it with our purpose to build and protect wealth for generations, which will not only create a better bank for our clients, our employees and our community but also enhance our own business performance.

Venetia Lean
Member of the Board of Directors of Banque Havilland S.A.

(source: Luxemburger Wort  (French version | German version))