Maybank Group Global CR Day 2024 Empowers Over 18,000 Lives Worldwide

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Over 22,000 Maybank employees worldwide commemorated the 12th Maybank Group Global CR Day, where they impacted over 18,000 community members across various local and international locations. They continued their role in empowering lives and protecting the environment through sustainable initiatives.

With the theme “Leading the Charge in Sustainability”, the Maybank Group Global CR Day is part of the Group’s flagship employee volunteerism programme, Cahaya Kasih (CK). This platform enables and empowers Maybankers throughout the Group to come together as agents of change, making positive and sustainable impacts on communities, the environment, and education towards a more sustainable future.

The Maybank Group Global CR Day provides Maybankers with the opportunity to showcase their year-long commitment to their CK initiatives. It is considered one of the largest single community programmes undertaken simultaneously in one day by a Malaysian-based corporation on a global scale.

This global initiative aligns with Maybank’s Sustainability Commitments, which include improving the lives of two million households across ASEAN by 2025, achieving one million hours per annum on sustainability, and delivering one thousand significant UN SDG-related outcomes by 2025.

Maybank Group Chief Human Capital Officer, Datuk (Dr) Nora Manaf, stated that the 12th year of Global CR Day continues to demonstrate Maybank’s unprecedented commitment to transforming lives, communities, and the environment. This aligns with the Group’s mission of Humanising Financial Services, supported by its M25+ strategy.

“As a leading financial institution in the region, we continue to champion this large-scale corporate responsibility initiative through the power of community and collaboration. This year, under the theme ‘Leading the Charge in Sustainability’, our social impact programmes are designed to alleviate the challenges and needs of the communities, led by our employees. By implementing high-impact sustainability initiatives, we aim to improve the livelihoods of people, communities, and the environment. Our primary objective is to ensure that the Cahaya Kasih employee volunteerism programme consistently addresses real-world issues while equipping underserved and unserved segments for the future. This ongoing commitment allows us to create lasting change and meaningful impact throughout the year, supported by a two-year cycle, which enables us to make a difference more effectively. The programme exemplifies our dedication to making a difference, addressing critical issues, and supporting those in need. In doing so, we contribute to a more equitable and compassionate world.”

This year, over 97 initiatives were implemented by employees across the Group, not only in Malaysia but also in international offices, including New York, London, Greater China, and ASEAN. They demonstrated their year-long efforts with their beneficiaries

In Kuala Lumpur, 112 volunteers from Maybank’s Group Audit (MGA) collaborated with University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) on the initiative ‘Wellbeing Empowerment to Community (WEC)’. The aim was to drive greater awareness of positive well-being by promoting a culture of care, support, good health, and quality education to 100 patients at the Women and Children Health Complex (WCHC), UMMC. MGA supported the refurbishment and upgrading of a recreational room, renamed the ‘Tiger Cubs Recreational Centre’, and a meeting room on the 8th floor of WCHC. These spaces offer patients, parents, visitors, and hospital staff areas to unwind and interact, as well as venues for interactive and educational activities. Additionally, MGA contributed to UMMC’s ‘Sekolah Dalam Hospital Programme’ by supplying stationeries, reference books, and furniture, ensuring sufficient learning resources for teachers and patients. Monthly activities led by volunteers, including storytelling, movie days, interactive games, financial awareness workshops, sustainability-related programmes, counselling sessions, tuition, and computer classes, will continue.

With a continued focus on reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and promoting sustainability, 80 employees from Maybank Group Global Banking’s (GGB) Business Compliance Control Office and Strategy departments held their second-year “Think Outside the Trash” initiative. Collaborating with Impactlution, a CSR event solutions company supporting community upcycling and recycling programmes, volunteers learned to build modular pieces using ‘Ecobricks’ made from repurposed trash. These pieces will be distributed to communities in Petaling Jaya, especially in schools and housing areas. Simultaneously, six other initiatives from 10 departments within GGB carried out CR projects in various Klang Valley and Penang locations.

With the aim of raising awareness of the importance of coastal conservation, 392 volunteers from Maybank’s Insurance & Takaful arm, Etiqa, were deployed to nine locations in Malaysia to conduct mangrove cleaning, seeding, and planting activities. A total of 1,200 mangrove plants, 200 mangrove seeds, and 200 forest trees were planted, benefiting local communities and broader environmental stakeholders. These initiatives protect coastal villages from floods, storms, and erosion, and support seafood populations, helping fishermen secure reliable catches and income.

In other ASEAN countries, Maybank Singapore, in collaboration with Fei Yue Community Services (FYCS), implemented their ‘Let’s Go Papazao with Maybank’ initiative for the elderly. The aim was to promote an active lifestyle through a walkathon, reduce social isolation, enhance community engagement, and raise digital awareness.

Meanwhile, Maybank Cambodia launched the ‘Uniting Through Sports: Building Stronger Communities’ programme to foster unity, promote a healthy lifestyle, and encourage active participation among students.

Across the globe, Maybank New York partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) for the ‘Grab & Go Activity Kit Distribution Day’ initiative. This initiative focuses on preserving and sharing society’s knowledge, history, and culture while providing free access to information for education and reference. Activities included resume reviews, interview workshops, and library restoration and beautification projects.

Elsewhere, members of the Board, senior management, and employees in various locations participated in initiatives such as setting up solar panels, supporting urban farming, teaching life skills or financial planning, and tree planting.

The Global CR Day, first introduced in 2010 to commemorate Maybank’s five decades of financial services, saw over 10,000 employees take part in the inaugural event. The increasing number of participants reflects the strong team spirit among employees in joining this unique global volunteerism programme.