Introduction by the chairman              
 Our vision and values                      
 Sustainability report overview              
 Group overview                               
 Group executive committee          
 Executive summary                           
 Stakeholder engagement               
 Economic contribution                    
 Corporate governance and ethics
 BEE and FSC                                   
 Shareholders                                
 Customers                                        
 Employees                                     
 Suppliers                                         
 Corporate social responsibility
 Environment                                    
 African footprint                                  
 International footprint                       

Governance and risk management
   
 
pictures: The historic head office building in Maputo and Head Office Namibia
The historic head office building in Maputo. Head Office Namibia.

We continue to nurture a strong culture of corporate governance and responsible risk management in line with Standard Bank’s governance and risk management systems and practices in South Africa. In turn, we extend these systems and skills to the remainder of our African operations. As we strengthen our presence in Africa, we continue to review our compliance and risk management skills, systems and processes and, where appropriate, enhance these further.

Our risk management function in Africa, as with our South African and International businesses, is responsible for identifying and understanding the different types of risks we face, internally and externally, and for measuring and managing them accordingly through established and emerging risk management methodologies. The risk universe in Africa, however, tends to be more volatile and less predictable than in developed countries. Accordingly, we tend to follow a more adaptable and dynamic risk management process.

The principal sustainable development pillars

The principles and practices of our sustainable development commitment in South Africa guide our overall approach to sustainable development for the rest of our African operations. This commitment is based on our broader corporate aspirations and activities in the economic, social and environmental domains. It is also influenced by world-class practices in corporate governance, good corporate citizenship and sustainable development. We are currently concentrating our sustainable development commitment in Africa around four principal pillars:
  • infrastructural development and financing;
  • HIV/Aids;
  • corporate social investment; and
  • building high-value human capital

We support the aims and ambitions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) – and, where practicable, we increasingly strive to harmonise our sustainable development and corporate citizenship programmes with the needs of Nepad and related political, social and economic initiatives aimed at stimulating sustainable socioeconomic development in Africa.