Where people feel good and are given the opportunity to grow, companies grow. In our world, we constantly encounter evidence that it is by creating the right conditions for people that we build a sustainable future. This is why we at Wihlborgs work long-term with our properties and tenants, but also why we get involved in what is happening in our surroundings and in our society.
Focus on the region's continued development
As our entire operations are based here, it is crucial for us that the region continues to develop in a positive way. Of course, we help promote development and job-creation through our core business – developing and managing properties. However, we are also involved in developments in many other ways. We work actively to create new infrastructure and we collaborate with the business community, municipalities and the region.
We also support initiatives that promote work, education and inclusiveness. The target is for a majority of our investments in sponsorship activities to be directly connected to societal commitment or other forms of community involvement by the end of 2022.
Regional and urban development
The development of new infrastructure is of major significance to the business community and jobs in the region. In 2020, we continued our involvement in the Öresund Metro Executive – a Swedish-Danish forum working to build a metro between Malmö and Copenhagen. We are also involved in the plans for a fixed connection between Helsingborg and Helsingør. In late 2020, Wihlborgs and the City of Helsingborg presented a joint proposal for future development of the area around Helsingborg Central Station, which shows how to facilitate a fixed connection between Helsingborg and Helsingør while also creating an attractive city district with new offices, housing and a sustainable living environment where there is currently a ferry terminal and railway lines.
We are a partner in Helsingborg to H22 – a city expo that will develop the solutions of tomorrow for a better quality of life in a smarter and more sustainable city.
Our partnership with Øresundsinstituttet and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden provides us with facts and knowledge about the region and enables us to support their work with development and providing information about the region.
Øresundsinstituttet
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden
Business community development
The innovation and business climate in the Öresund region is of major significance to Wihlborgs and the ongoing development of the region. To boost this climate of innovation, we support Ideon Science Park and Medeon Science Park at which we own properties. Business development also takes place in industry hubs such as the Media Evolution Center in Malmö and Hetch in Helsingborg, where we are involved in various ways. We are also active and contribute with support to new business centers, city cooperation and similar organizations in our cities.
Media Evolution Center
Since 2019, we have been a partner to the Malmö “Business Community Gala”, as we consider it to be an important initiative that stimulates the city’s business community. A new commitment we made in 2020 was our partnership with Navet in the “Better business days” initiative, which aims to spread knowledge and inspiration about how the Öresund region can grow in a more sustainable – and thus stronger – way.
Community-focused sponsorship
Wihlborgs supports a range of different initiatives and operations that make positive efforts in the region. Over time, we have reduced the proportion of traditional sponsorship, for example of elite sports, and instead now prioritise initiatives with a focus on work, education and inclusiveness.
In 2020 we established a new sponsorship policy which clarifies that the majority of our sponsorship should have a clear community focus and sets out guidelines for how we take sponsorship decisions. We will also place clearer requirements on the organisations we support to annually report the results they achieve.
We are also involved in the local association and business communities of Denmark. We collaborate with municipalities and local job centres to offer traineeships and regularly welcome trainees and hourly employees to help provide them with work experience.
17 working hours for community-focused activities
In addition to the fact that we as a company support various initiatives, all our employees have the opportunity to invest 17 working hours in one of the community-improving initiatives that we support. This means that you can get involved in one of our partner collaborations during working hours, for example as a homework helper or mentor. That way, more of us can contribute, create new relationships and learn more about our region. Good for us as individuals, good for Wihlborgs, good for our partners and good for the region!
The fact that it is exactly 17 hours ties in with the UN's global goal number 17, which is about partnerships. We are convinced that cooperation between different organizations is the right way to drive positive development in the region.
Activities and initiatives that we sponsor
Meeting places that engage
We believe that something happens when people meet. That is why we are proud to have attractive workplaces where employees want to meet and exchange ideas, knowledge and inspiration.
We also ensure that the local business community and decision-makers in the cities can meet regularly and discuss important development issues. Two such meeting places are the women's tennis week in Båstad and Wihlborgs Kontaktyta, a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange for our customers and partners.
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