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As a banking group operating internationally, Bank Austria Creditanstalt has always been aware of the challenges and opportunities presented by diversity. For BA-CA, being part of UniCredit Group means that differences in terms of gender, origin, language, age, and cultural and religious values take on a new dimension. Diversity is supported by all employees and is embodied in the Integrity Charter.
The bank has incorporated equality management and the gender approach into its training programmes. The successful mentoring programme introduced some years ago is targeted primarily at female employees, in order to increase the share of women in management positions.
A study published by ÖGUT shows that 24.9 % of management positions at Bank Austria Creditanstalt are held by women; this compares with an industry average of 22 %.
We are committed to our social responsibility.
Through our present activities we want to create a desirable framework for life in the future. Bank Austria Creditanstalt is fully committed to its social responsibility and its social sponsoring activities – with due consideration to customer and shareholder interests.
Within the framework of a well-structured mix, social sponsoring initiatives take priority over pure marketing considerations. Our attention is focused on humanitarian aspects suited to the promotion of a positive development of society.
Just as in its day-to-day activities in a competitive market environment, BA-CA pursues a clear strategy in its social sponsoring activities. The focus is on supporting Austrian families and children who are in need through no fault of their own, and helping sick and handicapped people on a broad basis. We achieve this objective by supporting various organisations or initiatives and providing assistance in emergencies.
Below are some examples of the projects we support:
BA-CA Familienfonds
The fund provides quick and unbureaucratic support to Austrian families with children, helping them to cope with crises. Established in 1994, the fund is managed by the Caritas organisation of the Archdiocese of Vienna.
The “Poverty hurts” initiative of Volkshilfe Österreich was launched to give financial support to Austrians in need – many children suffering from chronic diseases, victims of accidents, handicapped children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds below the poverty line.
The “Fürs Leben” welfare foundation of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich helps sick children of needy parents by making financial contributions towards medical treatment.
The “Austrians in Need” welfare fund of the Austrian Federal President supports people who get into financial difficulties through no fault of their own.
“Vinzidorf”
Combating homelessness in Austria is the aim of the Vinzenz community. Bank Austria Creditanstalt supports their current campaign.
The CliniClowns’ objective is to make children in hospital laugh and brighten up the everyday lives of older patients in line with the belief that laughter is the best medicine.
The bank now also supports Oikocredit, the international microfinance organisation which grants loans and project finance in developing countries with the help of about 700 partners. For many people, this initiative is a way out of poverty.
Active partner for science and research
Bank Austria Creditanstalt maintains non-profit foundations for the promotion of science and research at the University of Vienna, at Vienna’s University of Economics and Business Administration, the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine, the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Innsbruck.
These foundations grant scholarships, support university projects and award prizes (including BA-CA prizes at the University of Vienna, and the “Student of the Year” award at the University of Innsbruck). BA-CA also promotes interdisciplinary initiatives and symposia, and helps organise lecture series and exchange programmes.
Joint events serve to promote a continuous dialogue between the business sector and research or teaching at the university level.
Activities are funded from interest earned on the assets held by the foundations. Funding is granted on the basis of a thorough selection process by boards of trustees comprising top representatives of the universities and of Bank Austria Creditanstalt.
Bank Austria Creditanstalt has set up Foundation Chairs at the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and at the University of Linz. Moreover, BA-CA is one of the main donors of the Jubilee Private Foundation of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Cultural activities
Bank Austria Creditanstalt is a major factor in cultural activities. The BA-CA Kunstforum is an outstanding exhibition centre for classic modern art and the post-war avant-garde. Exhibitions organised by the BA-CA Kunstforum in 2006 covered a wide range “from Warhol to Madonna”, “from Dali to Francis Bacon”, and also focused on works by the painters Markus Lüpertz and Marc Chagall. These exhibitions attracted some 300,000 visitors.
Learning from history
“It is our moral and democratic obligation to assume responsibility,” said Bank Austria Creditanstalt’s CEO Erich Hampel when he presented a 2-volume publication of more than 2,000 pages on “Austrian Banks and Savings Banks under National Socialism and in the Post-War Period”. The international, independent Historical Commission that had been set up by BA-CA in 2000 completed its work with this publication after almost 5 years. However, the published final report is not to be seen as the end of this process. The source materials used by the Historical Commission – comprising some 1,500 metres of files – will be made accessible to the public in the form of a historical archive to be created at BA-CA’s Head Office in Schottengasse in Vienna. Discussing and understanding the role of Austrian bankers vis-à-vis Jewish customers and employees during the expansion of National Socialism in Europe is an important step towards formulating a common understanding of European history.