WHEN Bill Winters arrived in Singapore for a week-long business trip more than a month ago, at the top of the agenda was not just work, or to taste the good food this island has to offer.

The group chief executive officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank instead got down to work with Patrick Lee, the bank’s cluster CEO, Singapore & Asean market, and 20 staff volunteers, by planting feature trees and riverine saplings along an upcoming boardwalk at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

Lee said: “The informal setting of volunteering events helps to foster team bonding, as well as for colleagues from different departments to interact. They get to accomplish a common community goal while building connections in a way that might not be possible in a work-setting.”

When quizzed on a little-known fact about certain trees and plants, Irene Tay, assistant vice-president, Planning & Development, Mandai Wildlife Group, said: “Nature provides us with many benefits from materials to medicine to shelter … The fruit extract of one of the critically endangered species, Barringtonia racemosa, is used against diseases like Malaria while the vulnerable species, Palaquium obovatum, also commonly known as Gutta-percha, provides latex that can be processed and used as dental fillings.”

Standard Chartered Bank is committed to sustainable social and economic development across its business, operations and communities, including an achievement of net zero emissions and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Lee said: “In line with this commitment and vision, we are supportive of having our employees involved in community projects that support sustainability efforts. Employees in the bank are each given 3 days of volunteering leave to invest in the community and live out our brand promise of ‘Here for good’. Tree-planting has a long-term effect, providing shade and cleaner air for generations to come.”

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Therefore, the bank also took part in National Parks Board’s OneMillionTrees movement since late 2021.

In September 2021, a group of volunteers headed to Coney Island Park to plant the first 100 trees. This year, about 240 have been planted so far. 

Among the saplings planted that day, there were a few critically endangered native species and even presumed nationally extinct species, contributing to NParks’ aim to introduce more of these species into the coastal habitat to help their population recover.

To further play its part in Singapore Green Plan 2030 to make Singapore greener and more sustainable, the bank has contributed a sum to the Garden City Fund, and is in talks with NParks for more such sessions this year.

Garden City Fund’s chairman Leo Tan said: “Companies that invest and involve their staff in the Plant-A-Tree programme are taking the lead to ensure that they create sustainable business environments. Beyond that, they also contribute to a living heritage and provide a conducive environment for their company and employees to operate in…

“Trees not only improve air quality, they are also a nature-based solution that helps to mitigate the impact of potential higher temperatures due to climate change. With the support of our community, we hope to work towards our goal of planting one million more trees in Singapore by 2030. This will help us transform Singapore into a City in Nature, a key pillar of the Singapore Green Plan.”

Trisha Ching, Standard Chartered Bank’s associate director, who was also a volunteer at the event, said: “It was really exciting to see colleagues from all walks of life shovelling, planting and getting their hands in the dirt. Not only was it a great reminder that we can make a difference, but that our difference increases exponentially when we bring people along the journey. It’s also a testament to our culture and the commitments we make as an organisation!”

Lee said: “For future plans, we are working on expanding the variety of sustainability / environment conservation-related volunteering activities available to our employees, including waterway clean-ups.”

Stepping up their regular beach clean-ups activities, which was a ground-up movement by staff volunteers, in June 2021, the bank started partnering Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity, in its “Plant-A-Coral, Seed-A-Reef” (PACSAR) programme at Marine Park Education and Outreach Centre on St John’s Island.

This includes scrubbing and removal of algae from the tanks and growing coral fragments. The fragments are maintained to allow them to grow into larger fragments and healthy enough before they get out-planted within the Marine Park.

Karenne Tun, director of National Biodiversity Centre, National Parks Board, said: “Coral reefs provide important habitats for many other marine organisms. It can serve as a nursery for marine animals such as turtles, fishes and crustaceans. Without coral reefs, the habitat becomes barren and this will cause the reef biodiversity to decrease.”

Standard Chartered Bank’s head of Supply Chain Management, Asia, Tom Bollen, said: “This is a great way for volunteers to learn about Singapore’s marine biodiversity and contribute to reef restoration efforts in Singapore.”

Wynn Li, Standard Chartered Bank’s senior branch manager, who was a volunteer at PACSAR, said: “Hierarchy doesn’t matter when it comes to volunteering and this encourages leadership within the team. Many team members started to open up, improving communication within the team, and volunteering also encourages human interactions. Teaming up to accomplish this meaningful goal of marine conservation also reinforces the bank’s direction of sustainability. Colleagues reacted very positively about how the company focuses on staff and community well-being, and certainly built on our loyalty.”

Lee said: “Increasingly, colleagues have been more aware of environment conservation and climate change issues. We are pleased to be able to partner NParks and Mandai Wildlife Group in opportunities to give back in these areas. The bank is also interested to explore further collaborations in related projects, for example, in habitat restoration, guided walks and horticulture.”

This article is part of a series on doing good for our community, supported by Standard Chartered Bank