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HSBC in Italy partners with ESCP Business School to sponsor scholarships for the first-ever LGBT+ leadership course in Europe
HSBC announces the sponsorship of several scholarships dedicated to Italian students of the first European academic programme devoted to LGBT+ talent, offered by ESCP Business School.
HSBC decided to underline its commitment to diversity and inclusion by funding a plan of initially three years, during which two scholarships per year will be awarded to young Italian leaders who intend to become leaders of change and explore how LGBT+ identity can benefit the workplace.
The programme, entitled “LGBT+ LEADERSHIP - Increase your impact with authenticity”, includes a four-day intensive course on ESCP’s Berlin campus. A select number of students, jointly appointed by ESCP Business School and HSBC, will develop responsible leadership skills through project work, mentoring and an international network that will train the LGBT+ leaders of the future.
Together with the global experience for LGBT+ Diversity of PROUT AT WORK, programme participants reflect on the unique challenges LGBT+ individuals experience in the workplace. They are encouraged to think about how they can broaden the type of behaviours they use at work to enable them to become effective change leaders in their organisations and develop their LGBT+ leadership signature.
Building a new generation of diversity and inclusion-conscious leaders benefits not only the professional community but also wider society. Investing in LGBT+ leadership means promoting inclusion, through leaders who value each individual for who they are while enhancing the diversity of their teams. HSBC strongly believes in these values and we are proud to share them with the ESCP Business School. The programme we have decided to fund through the awarding of scholarships is unique on the European scene, and will enable us to create and promote more inclusive workplaces in Italy by building a new managerial class that is more attentive to valuing difference.
Gerd PircherCEO of HSBC in Italy
LGBT+ individuals have always assumed leadership roles, but bringing their authentic selves to the job has often been a different story. This unique programme addresses this challenge. In doing so it also recognizes both the central contribution that a diverse workforce can make to a company’s performance and the impact of the LGBT+ community on society and businesses. We are very excited to collaborate with HSBC in giving LGBT+ talent the opportunity to develop their leadership signature, communication, and networking skills at ESCP Business School, Berlin.
Stephan SchmuckLGBT+ Leadership programme Director
More about HSBC in Italy
HSBC Continental Europe has been present in Italy since 1995. It offers a full range of banking services, operating through its Milan office. Our clients include large national companies and groups, medium-sized enterprises with an international vocation, subsidiaries and branches in Italy of foreign multinationals, financial institutions and public bodies. HSBC Italia offers a range of services, including corporate lending, trade credit financing, liquidity management and interest and exchange rate risk hedging. It also operates in capital markets (equity and debt) and M&A transactions. The bank is among the most active in the field of export finance and Italian export financing. HSBC offers a range of account and transaction services through electronic channels, such as its proprietary home banking platform HSBCnet, the HSBC Connect host to host system and the SWIFT payment system.
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