3 questions to Patricia Håkansson at Sparbanken Skåne

Patricia Håkansson, Sustainability Manager at Sparbanken Skåne answers three questions.

2022-09-01

Sparbanken Skåne is the largest of Sweden's nearly 60 independent savings banks. The bank has 22 branches in 15 Skåne municipalities and employs around 500 people. Patricia Håkansson is the bank's sustainability manager since August 2021 and is responsible for leading, developing and following up Sparbanken Skåne's sustainability work.

1. Hi Patricia! In a time of war, uncertainty in the economy and also an election campaign with shifting issues on the agenda - is there any risk of sustainability falling further down the agenda in society and what is important to counteract this?

Thereis definitely a risk, but at the same time the sustainability perspective has also become more visible in recent months. Protecting and preserving democracy is as important as it is fundamental, but unfortunately this is not the case everywhere in the world. Climate change is already affecting society on a daily basis. The pandemic taught us a lot about health, digitalisation and supply chains, and now we are economically challenged by an energy crisis. Of course, a recession can force society and businesses to make savings, and politicians sometimes tend to look for short-term solutions, but I would say that more people still realise that long-term thinking and responsibility is the way to a more stable world. This is something we must continue to work on and there is a heavy responsibility on the financial industry to drive this issue from a financial perspective.


2. You have had all the managers of the Bank and also the Board of Directors of the Bank carry out Certification Sustainability in the financial sector - what do you want to achieve with it?

ForSparbanken Skåne, sustainability is something that should be integrated throughout the organisation and, above all, it is a strategic issue. If we are to succeed in our goals, we need to create a clear common thread from strategy and governance to monitoring and metrics. Basic knowledge of sustainability is essential if we are to develop and drive the issues forward in the organisation. Through training, we increase the understanding and commitment needed.


3. What is Sparbanken Skåne's focus in the area of sustainability in the near future?

Asfor many others, there are many regulations coming in that affect us in our daily work, but there is also a lot happening strategically. It is important that we involve all employees in the bank and the focus is to continue to integrate the sustainability perspective into all areas of the organisation's operations. At the same time, we will continue to talk about sustainability with our customers and, together with them, help in the transition required for a more sustainable society.



Here you can read more about Sparbanken Skåne's sustainability work:
https://www.sparbankenskane.se/om-oss/hallbar-utveckling-hallbarhet.html