Sponsorship activities realised in 2013 were aimed at building the image of PKO Bank Polski SA as a reliable financial institution, open to the needs and expectations of its clients, engaged in the development of the country and local communities. Every year, the Bank sponsors several hundred events in culture, education and sport areas. In addition to large, nationwide sponsorship programmes, the Bank participates in small projects of great importance to local communities.
Sponsorship of culture and arts
Sponsoring culture and arts is one of the most important areas of PKO Bank Polski SA’s sponsorship activities. In the support of national culture, the Bank engages in important cultural events and takes care of the activities of cultural institutions.
PKO Bank Polski SA has unwaveringly supported the National Museum in Warsaw for many years. In 2013, the Bank patronised the renewed and modernised Medieval Arts Gallery which exhibits the richest collection from this period in Poland. Moreover, the Bank actively participated in an exceptional cultural event – the Night of Museums in Warsaw.
The cooperation with the Warsaw Philharmonic is also long standing. In 2013, the Bank acting as Strategic Sponsor of the Warsaw Philharmonic for 2013, was a sponsor of the ceremonial inauguration of the Lutosławski Year, celebrated to commemorate the centenary of the composer’s birth.
The Bank’s leading sponsorship initiatives include the patronage of Polish Theatre in Warsaw, which celebrated its centenary in 2013.
Other institutions that can count on the Bank’s support include museums, opera theatres and philharmonic orchestras operating in various regions of Poland whose planned exhibitions or programmes attract large audiences and have an impact outside the region’s boundaries. Such cultural institutions include: the Wrocław Opera, the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz, the Łódź Philharmonic, the Jaracza Theatre in Łódź, the Warmia and Mazury Philharmonic Orchestra.
Other spectacular musical events in which the Bank had the privilege to participate again included the International Wratislavia Cantans Festival – one of the most important classical music festivals in Poland and the Poznań Nightingales concerts.
PKO Bank Polski SA as a cultural patron was involved in the preservation and popularisation of Polish cinematographic works by becoming involved in the programme for the digital reconstruction of Polish film classics. Thanks to financial support, the younger generation of Poles will be able to watch works by Polish film classics in excellent sound and image quality. In 2013, the second stage of the digitalisation of selected Polish classical movies, begun in 2011, was completed.
In 2013, the Bank for the second time took patronage of the Film Festival in Gdynia. During the event, guests of the festival participated in the premiere of the digitally reconstructed ‘Man of Marble’ (Człowiek z marmuru) directed by Andrzej Wajda.
For many years now, the Bank has supported initiatives whose purpose is to protect the national heritage and Polish cultural legacy. As part of this mission, for the fourth time the Bank was the Exclusive Partner of the ‘Lech Wałęsa Award’ (Nagroda Lecha Wałęsy) granted to people ready to make sacrifices for democratic values, and whose attitude creates opportunities for introducing political and social changes. Cooperation with the ‘Lech Wałęsa Institute’ (Instytut Lecha Wałęsy) Foundation which symbolises solidarity with persons or organisations acting for agreement and joint cooperation of the nations, freedom and respect of basic human rights – is of particular importance to the Bank.
As evidence of the care for the Polish cultural achievements, PKO Bank Polski SA for several years has been a strategic partner of the ‘Kisiel Awards’ (Nagrody Kisiela) the granting of which was initiated by Stefan Kisielewski, a writer and columnist.
Science and education
Science and education are the natural directions of the Bank’s sponsorship activities as an employer, an institution open to young people, a learning organisation which develops its employees’ competences. For many years now, the Bank has cooperated with universities in organizing conferences and symposia which are important from an academic, economic and social perspective. The Bank also addresses its activities to children. A project worth noticing in this group of undertakings is cooperation with the Planetarium ‘Copernicus’ Skies’ (Niebo Kopernika) at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw carried out since the end of 2010. The projects carried out jointly with the Planetarium are addressed mainly to children for whom the Bank dedicated the offer of School Savings Unions programme and PKO Junior.
For years, PKO Bank Polski SA has been a partner of the Knowledge of Poland and Modern World Contest and a sponsor of scholarships for the best participants. Participation in the Contest is an opportunity for high school pupils with extensive knowledge to be admitted to a university and win prizes.
The Bank again supported Poland’s Championship in Team Programming and participation of the University of Warsaw team in European University Contest and World University Contest in Team Programming – the most prestigious IT contest in the world, which promotes able and ambitious students. The team of IT specialists from the University of Warsaw won the silver medal in the last Contest, which took place in St. Petersburg. This is the best result of all the Polish teams that participated in the contest.
Sports events
In 2013, the Bank initiated a running programme called ‘Let’s run together’ (‘Biegajmy razem’) as part of which the Bank provided sponsorship for: 40 mass runs throughout Poland, a running training programme BiegamBoLubię carried out in the stadiums of more than 60 cities and towns, and a project called ‘Korona Maratonów PKO Banku Polskiego’ with the participation of bank runners. The most important running events include: the Cracovia Marathon, Poznań Marathon, Wrocław Marathon, Running Triada ‘Zabiegaj o pamięć’ composed of the following runs: 3 May Constitution Run, Warsaw Uprising Run and Independence Run. As part of the runs, charity campaigns were carried out as a result of which the PKO Bank Polski Foundation gave more than PLN 400 thousand and 4 440 contestants, including 333 employees of the Bank, ran for the needy
Apart from the running events which definitely dominated in the sports sponsorship category, the Bank also supported other prestigious sports events, such as the Piast Race (Bieg Piastów), Cavaliada or the Finals of the Large Sailing Ships Regatta.
Undertakings related to the sector
The Bank is involved in leading undertakings related to the sector, thus intensifying its promotional activities supporting sales of the offered products and services. The purpose of the supported initiatives was to present the Bank as the financial market leader.
The examples of such initiatives include i.a. sponsorship of contests: the Entrepreneur of the Year organised by EY, and Young Business Brands executed by the publisher of Rzeczpospolita. Other examples of sector initiatives are: the 9th Economists Congress, the CEE IPO SUMMIT conference in Warsaw, the 3rd European Financial Congress, the 5th Retail Banking Congress, the Listed Company of the Year Gala, the 2nd Congress of CFOs of SEG Listed Companies.