In the build-up to the ceremony in September, we are shining a light on each of our valued Awards Sponsors, without whom these awards would not be possible.

Putting our Awards Sponsors in the spotlight

This week, it's the sponsors of the Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the Year Award, Handelsbanken Plc, the local relationship bank that provides bespoke banking services to corporate and individual customers.

We spoke with Handelsbanken to get their thoughts on sponsoring the awards. Here's what they told us:

“As a local relationship bank, positively influencing the communities in which we are based, wider society and the environment is an integral part of our culture and everyday work at Handelsbanken. We are excited to be part of the Buckinghamshire Business Awards, recognising the contribution of businesses to the Buckinghamshire economy and beyond.

“Businesses in the area have really shown their resilience in recent times. Buckinghamshire is often seen as a commuter belt area, but we know it’s got its own unique identity and communities to serve. This came into sharp focus during the pandemic when travel was limited and more people worked from home. Businesses had to think on their feet in order to adapt their operations and in some cases pivot their business model to keep serving customers and, therefore, the local community. Everyone looked after each other. 

Celebrating sustainability

“Over the challenging recent years, every business has been affected in a different way. While supporting our community, we want to recognise the efforts of everyone who’s been navigating the pandemic - especially those who have managed to continue a commitment to sustainability despite the extra challenges we’ve faced. We know that a commitment to sustainability is a long-term pledge and we think we should celebrate businesses’ efforts to be more sustainable.

“We’ve chosen to sponsor the Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the Year Award in particular as it completely aligns with Handelsbanken’s values as a bank deeply committed to sustainability. In fact, we’ve pledged to become net zero by 2040, which is a decade ahead of many of our peers. Everyone is working so hard on this that it’s going to be difficult to choose a winner from the many Buckinghamshire businesses which are striving towards a greener and more sustainable future – that’s a good problem to have though.

Businesses have a leadership role to play

“It can’t be stressed enough how admirable it is that firms have continued to work on sustainability despite the profound challenges we’ve faced over the past couple of years, and continue to face. It’s important to us as part of the wider Buckinghamshire community to recognise and celebrate this.

“Businesses now and in the future need to play a leadership role in society, taking responsibility for promoting and implementing effective sustainability strategies. For banks in particular, this is an opportune moment to show the positive impact we can have being everywhere in society, in becoming climate positive in our own operations, but also helping our customers transition to a low carbon economy.”