Restoration of the damages to three of Alpha Bank`s most beautiful
Transcription
Restoration of the damages to three of Alpha Bank`s most beautiful
IN FOCUS THE BANK ss e PRODUCT NEWS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Mazi GROUP COMPANIES CULTURE SPECIAL THE WORLD OF ALPHA BANK GROUP Restoration of the damages to three of Alpha Bank’s most beautiful listed buildings from the fire which broke out in them on Sunday, February 12, 2012 AT A GLANCE Μazi CONTENTS ss e Μazi IN FOCUS THE WORLD OF ALPHA BANK GROUP p. 2 THE BANK Training and Development Division Human Resources Division Sale of the entire share capital of Cardlink S.A. Guided tour of the exhibition “Domenikos Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome” Alpha Bank Bulgaria CULTURE “The Contribution of Economic Libraries in Research and Development”. One-day Scientific Conference Holiday Offer p. 11 p. 14 p. 15 p. 15 p. 16 p. 17 p. 18 The publication “Travelling in Greece with Yorgos Manousakis” will be sold by Alpha Bank at a discount p. 18 p. 19 of 40% throughout April 2015 3 2015 ss e “Coins in the Ancient Greek World” PRODUCT NEWS Earn 10 Bonus points for every Euro of purchases p. 20 Earn 20% of your purchases’ value by redeeming Bonus points p. 20 Bonus Loyalty Programme Offer at AB Vassilopoulos p. 21 Diners cards Offer p. 21 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Donation of pharmaceutical supplies and other equipment to islands “Corporate Social Responsibility in Action” GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd Design - Production: GOD A.E. p. 24 p. 26 Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. E-mail: communication@alpha.gr communication1@alpha.gr p. 23 p. 25 Alpha Bank Romania Editor: CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION 40, Stadiou Str. 102 52 ATHENS, GREECE Τ p. 22 p. 28 Alpha Bank Albania SHA p. 29 Alpha Bank a.d. Skopje CULTURE SPECIAL “Art Network”- Yannis Moralis p. 30 AT A GLANCE p. 34 < Contents > Μazi IN FOCUS Restoration of the damages to three of Alpha Bank’s most beautiful listed buildings from the fire which broke out in them on Sunday, February 12, 2012 Nicoloudis Building A period building with a characteristic arcade connecting Panepistimiou Street with Stadiou Street, built in 1938 by Architect Alexandros Nicoloudis and later expanded with the addition of an extra storey. The building was declared a Historic Listed building and work of art by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs in 1995. u u u u u u u On February 12, 2012, the Building was severely damaged by the arsons in downtown Athens. Its restoration involved structural reinforcements and extremely complex constructions of artistic elements, such as custom plaster constructions, pulled items, custom revetments and paving with special < 2 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS marbles, painting using special paints, and numerous enhanced-quality custom constructions inside the Building. The reconstruction design for the Building was developed by Architect Stefanos Kalligas and Civil Engineer Fotis Tsoulos, and the restoration of the internal office areas by the Architectural Firm "Eleni Manouilidi and Associates". The project was carried out by selected external associates of the Bank under rigorous supervision by the Bank’s Property Management and Security Division, with Vana Tzinieri acting as Civil Engineer and Construction Supervisor. < 3 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS < 4 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS Building at Panepistimiou 45 and Pesmazoglou 12 - 14 The listed building at Panepistimiou 45, which housed the Popular Bank, is one of the oldest buildings of the Alpha Bank’s Main Building complex. u u u u u u u u . The complex was declared a Listed building by the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works in 1983. Reconstruction and structural reinforcement works, as well as works to restore the complex to its original form (i.e. two distinct buildings) were carried out during the period from 2006 to 2008, to architectural designs by Alexandros Kalligas and structural designs by Victor Abakoumkin. < 5 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS On February 12, 2012, the Building suffered extensive damages as a result of arson, which completely destroyed the Building’s ground floor and first floor. The smoke and soot from the fire, together with the water used in fire extinction, also caused serious damages to the Building’s other floors. The project to repair and restore the Building was a challenging and complex one, as it was limited by the constraints of the Listed building, and had also to deal with the problem of the great number of structural and decorative elements made of marble, iron and glass, which had been completely destroyed. In addition, the high temperatures during the fire had damaged the Building’s load-bearing structure, necessitating extensive structural reinforcement. The Building was reconstructed following the detailed mapping and new design to the original drawings of the marble floors, the perforated marble parapets of revetments, and the cast-iron railings. In addition, the stained-glass composition covering the atrium was fully restored, using a metal frame and tinted glazing. The reconstruction design for the Building was developed by Architect Stefanos Kalligas and Civil Engineer Fotis Tsoulos, and the restoration of the internal office areas by the Architectural Firm "Eleni Manouilidi and Associates". The project was carried out by selected external associates of the Bank under rigorous supervision by the Bank’s Property Management and Security Division, with Anna Kouna acting as Architect and Restoration Design Supervisor, and Sofia Kouna as Civil Engineer and Construction Supervisor. < 6 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS Athinas Branch One of Alpha Bank’s most beautiful and high-profile Branches is the Athinas Branch, housed in the eclectic two-storey Listed building at the corner of Athinas Street and Voreou Street, in the historic centre of Athens. On February 12, 2012, as a result of the arsons in downtown Athens, the Athinas Branch suffered damages on a large scale, from the fire as well as form the smoke and soot produced, making the operation of the Branch impossible. The Management of the Bank expressed its intention to fully restore the damages and for the Branch to resume its operation in the Athinas Street Listed building as soon as possible. To address this extremely difficult situation, the Officers of the Branch and of the Bank’s Support Divisions took immediate action. The very next day, the Athinas Branch Personnel was relocated to the nearby Agoras Branch, from where it operated on a provisional basis. < 7 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS The key restoration tasks included removing destroyed ground floor of the Branch, ornamented with the work items, repairing the facade embrasures and security “Blind Hopes - Prometheus” (1965 - 1966) by Greek painter roller shutters, installing a new controlled access door Yannis Tsarouchis, which had previously formed part of the and new ATMs, laying new electrical cabling and installing ceiling of the theatre “Amy’s Ark”, established in 1965 in new lighting units, cleaning the air conditioning ducts and Plaka by Yannis Tsarouchis, Minos Argyrakis and Evgenios equipment from soot, painting the internal areas and Spatharis. The work had been detached from the ceiling facades of the Branch etc. and transferred onto canvas. In 1986, it was purchased by the Bank and placed on the ceiling of the Athinas Branch. Special mention should be made here to the ceiling of the < Luckily, it had not been seriously damaged by the fire of 8 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS February 12, 2012. It was however covered in a thick layer of soot, so that its restoration had to be assigned to a crew of conservation specialists who worked using appropriate techniques, under the supervision of the Bank’s Art Collection Section. After all restoration activities were completed, operation of the Athinas Branch in the Listed building located in the street of the same name was resumed on February 23, 2012, only ten days after the disastrous events. The project was carried out under rigorous supervision by the Bank’s Property Management and Security Division, with Maria Argyropoulou acting as Civil Engineer and Construction Supervisor. < 9 / 34 > Μazi IN FOCUS Although the events of February 12, 2012, caused the partial destruction of buildings belonging to the Bank, they also demonstrated its readiness to respond and successfully cope with these difficult conditions of physical destruction, by relying on its Business Continuity Plan. Management of the situation and coordination of the restoration activities were undertaken by the experienced Executives of the Property Management and Security Division, led by its Manager Constantinos Lamprinopoulos. An inventory of the damages was immediately established, after which decisions were promptly taken concerning the restoration tasks, which were assigned to individual crews and supervised by engineers of the respective Division. The successful conclusion of these tasks was made possible through the excellent coordination, unity and tireless work of all those involved, drawing on the unwavering commitment, experience and skills of the Personnel of the Bank and its associates. < 10 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK Training and Development Division The most important training programmes of February 2015 D uring February, a total of 65 training Programmes were carried out, with participations numbering 3,390 persons in total. More specifically: Code of Conduct under Law 4224/2013 In the context of the implementation of the Code of Conduct under Law 4224/2013, an urgent need arose for briefing Branch Personnel, primarily those handling Non-Performing Loans (Business Delinquencies/Customer Delinquencies Officers), as well as Employees of the respective Head Office Units. Therefore, in collaboration with the Retail Collections Division, a number of 3-hour briefing sessions were held at the Bank’s Training Centre as well as regionally. The training Programmes were carried out from 27.1 to 17.2.2015, and were attended by 918 persons in total. TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS BRANCH NETWORK ATTICA AND EASTERN CENTRAL AND AEGEAN CONTINENTAL GREECE NORTHERN GREECE ISLANDS AND CRETE PELOPONNESE TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 380 209 83 96 768 NUMBER OF BRANCHES 260 153 58 61 532 DIVISIONS NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 150 TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 918 The briefing sessions were conducted by Executives from the Retail Collections and Training and Development Divisions. New Training Halls for Call Centre Services In February, the Thallo and Auxo Training Halls started their operation at the Bank’s Training Centre in Aghios Stefanos, Attica, to be used exclusively for training in Call Centre Services, with a similar training hall also operating at the Thessaloniki Training Centre. < 11 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK The relevant Programmes begin with theoretical training in effective telephone communication and customer service, held in the Auxo Training Hall, after which the practical training is continued in the Thallo Training Hall, which features 20 custom sound-proofed Call Centre posts. The specifications of the Thallo Training Hall were successfully developed with the valuable contribution of the Project Management Division, so as to allow trainees to monitor real data, as they would in their actual Call Centre Agent post, and make live calls to actual Customers. With the Trainer’s assistance and guidance, the trainees become familiar with the appropriate way of approaching Customers in order to provide them with information or schedule a meeting. The first training programmes were conducted with participants from the Retail Collections Division at basic and advanced levels, with respective Programmes being planned for the Retail Banking Products Back Office Division. This new training facility and practice has already met with very positive response. Thallo and Auxo Training Halls < 12 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK Periferiakis Odou – E Branch Training Hall Training of Customer Relationship Officers +Tellers from Citi During the last weeks of February, additional training programmes entitled “Citibank + CRO” and “Citibank + Tellers” were carried out. These were addressed to colleagues originating from Citibank, who will be providing services to Alpha Bank Customers out of the former Citi Branches. These programmes were attended by a total of 86 persons. < 13 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK Human Resources Division Together … at Theatrical Performances M arch was a month dedicated to the Theatre. Under its sponsorship programme, the Bank offered about 760 tickets to its Employees and their children, providing them with an opportunity to attend theatrical performances. Our youngest spectators, aged up to 3, followed the musical journey of a child that wakes up because the melody that accompanies him ceases to play, in the expression show “Listen”. Children aged 4 to 8 attended the show “The Child and The Spells”, a fairy tale filled with dancing, funny characters and live music, at Porta theatre. The children’s plays "Gela, Lela, Kornas and Cleomenes", at Poreia theatre, and "The Mystery of the Chamelin State”, at the Porta theatre, were attended by children aged 6 and above. Finally, the Bank’s Personnel were given the opportunity to watch the play "The Wedding", a theatrical monologue by Anna Vagena, staged at Metaxourgio Theatre, and the black comedy “Mojo", at Porta theatre. < 14 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK Sale of the entire share capital of Cardlink S.A. O n 23.1.2015 the sale, took place, of the entire share capital of Cardlink S.A., formerly held by Alpha Bank and Eurobank Ergasias S.A. at 50% each, to a company of the Quest Holdings Group for a total transaction consideration of Euro 15 million. Cardlink S.A. operates in the area of network service provision of POS terminals for electronic transactions with payment cards. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Guided tour of the exhibition “Domenikos Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome” O n Wednesday, February 18, 2015, the Bank organised a special guided tour of the exhibition “Domenikos Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome”, presented at the Pireos Street Annexe of the Benaki Museum. The tour was attended by invited Customers of the Private Banking Division, with the Bank being represented by Members of the General Management, Division Managers and Executives of the Private Banking Division and the Alpha Private Bank Centres. < 15 / 34 > Μazi Alpha Bank Bulgaria O < 16 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK CULTURE “The Contribution of Economic Libraries in Research and Development” One-day Scientific Conference T he Alpha Bank Library, as a member of the Hellenic Economic Library Network (H.E.LI.N.), participated in a one-day scientific conference entitled “The Contribution of Economic Libraries in Research and Development” which was successfully organised by the Network at the Head Office of the Bank of Greece in Athens on Friday, March 6, 2015. H.E.LI.N. was created in 2012 in order to promote cooperation between the libraries-members in exchanging information, so that the quality and effectiveness of the services provided to their users are enhanced. The participants in the Conference were mainly academics or researchers who highlighted, through their presentations, the contribution of economic libraries in research, development and entrepreneurship. The main conclusions of the Conference are the following: economic libraries is deemed necessary in order for organisations and businesses to become more competitive and for innovation and expertise to be promoted. management of data facilitating researchers in their work. Another common belief among the participants was that, given the fact that economics are applied to other scientific fields, the collections of the economic libraries have to be interdisciplinary. The more immediate and efficient the The one-day Conference was attended by about 200 persons, including university professors, researchers, students and < 17 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK CULTURE Holiday Offer F or the Easter holidays, Alpha Bank and the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation will offer all their Publications at a discount of 30% for the public and 40% for the Bank’s Personnel from Wednesday, April 1 until Wednesday, April 15, 2015. All Publications may be obtained either by visiting the “ALPHA BANK – CULTURE store” or by placing an order via telephone or e-mail (40, Stadiou Street, ATHENS, tel.: +30 210 326 2465, e-mail: infopolitismos@alpha.gr, website: www.alphapolitismos.gr). ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The publication “Travelling in Greece with Yorgos Manousakis” will be sold by Alpha Bank at a discount of 40% throughout April 2015 A lpha Bank offers the publication “Travelling in Greece with Yorgos Manousakis” at a discount of 40%, i.e. Euro 13.20, throughout April. This book presents a cultural journey in Greece, guided by the compositions for posters and travel brochures created by the distinguished painter Yorgos Manousakis. These timeless creations, depicting either individual monuments and works of art from antiquity to the present day or the beauty of the Greek landscape, are transformed into silent interpreters of Greek history. The Publication may be obtained either by visiting the “ALPHA BANK – CULTURE store” or by placing an order via telephone or e-mail. ALPHA BANK – CULTURE store 40, Stadiou Street, GR-102 52 ATHENS Tel.: +30 210 326 2465 E-mail: infopolitismos@alpha.gr www.alphapolitismos.gr Nikos Zias, Angeliki Kokkou Commercial Bank of Greece, Athens 1993 Dimensions 28.5 x 23 cm, 144 pages, 75 illustrations Bilingual edition (Greek-English) ISBN 960-7059-03-4 Opening hours: Monday - Friday 8:30-16:30 Contact person: Ms Panayiota Kallimani < 18 / 34 > Μazi THE BANK CULTURE “Coins in the Ancient Greek World” O n Wednesday, February 11, 2015, the fourth-grade students of the 1st Elementary School of Aghios Dimitrios visited the permanent Exhibition Space of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection in order to attend the educational programme entitled “Coins in the Ancient Greek World”. In the course of the Programme, the Curator of the Collection, Dr Dimitra Tsangari, presented the history of numismatics: the invention, minting, iconography and diffusion of the coin in the ancient world from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Period. The students, divided into groups, filled in the specially designed educational leaflet, familiarised themselves with the minting technique of ancient coins and struck their own coins using die replicas. Each child had the opportunity to mint the Athenian and the Alexandrian tetradrachms in clay and to keep them as a souvenir. At the end of their visit, they were offered the relevant educational material. < 19 / 34 > Μazi PRODUCT NEWS Earn 10 Bonus points for every Euro of purchases W ith the aim of promoting the announcement of AXA Insurance and Hondos Center joining the Bonus Loyalty Programme as new Major Partners, an advertising campaign was carried out through TV and radio, having as its key message the Bonus offer of earning 10 Bonus points for every Euro of purchases. The same communication campaign was also realised on the Kotsovolos e-shop (www.Kotsovolos.gr). The offer ran throughout March and was valid on all Bonus cards. In order to watch the TV spot, press here. In order to listen to the radio spot, press here. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Earn 20% of your purchases’ value by redeeming Bonus points W ith the aim of promoting the Hondos Center as a new Major Partner of the Bonus Loyalty Programme, a limited-range communication campaign was launched via magazines, to promote the offer of a 20% discount on the value of purchases for Bonus cardholders, which they can claim by redeeming their Bonus points. The offer ran on top of the discounts made during the winter discount period, in order to increase the benefits for Customers. < 20 / 34 > Μazi PRODUCT NEWS Bonus Loyalty Programme Offer at AB Vassilopoulos W ith a view to providing Bonus cardholders with privileged offers for their everyday spend needs, and in the context of the excellent collaboration with the AB Vassilopoulos supermarket chain, the Bonus Loyalty Programme is once again running its successful Bonus points redemption offer of the past years. More specifically, Customers making purchases using their Bonus Cards at AB Vassilopoulos stores earn on-the-spot 20% of their purchases’ value by redeeming Bonus points. The offer was communicated to Bonus cardholders via their monthly account statements, as well as using dynamic promotional material on the Bonus site, the Bonus page on Facebook and via the Bonus app. The offer runs until 30.4.2015. More details are available at: www.alpha.gr/bonus ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Diners cards Offer W ith a view to promoting the offers of the Diners cards at all super markets, a radio advertising campaign was designed and carried out, with the key message: “Earn 3% of your purchases’ value at all super markets”. The offer was also supported by means of a single-sheet leaflet that accompanied the Diners cards account statements, and an e-newsletter sent to Diners cards Customers. The offer ran throughout March. In order to listen to the radio spot, press here. < 21 / 34 > Μazi CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Donation of pharmaceutical supplies and other equipment to islands Τ he Bank’s social contribution through the programme “Donation of pharmaceutical supplies and other equipment to islands”, in collaboration with the “AGONI GRAMMI GONIMI” programme, will continue during 2015. The Programme was launched in 2014 and covered the needs of local health centres in medical and pharmaceutical supplies, while also helping to improve the health services provided to local residents in the islands of Kasos, Tilos, Nisyros and Leipsoi. In 2015, the Programme continues, expanding to other islands. So far, medical supplies and pharmaceutical equipment have been delivered to the islands of Patmos (19.2.2015), Symi (25.2.2015), Astipalaia (12.3.2015), in the presence of representatives of the Bank, the “AGONI GRAMMI GONIMI” and local authorities. < 22 / 34 > Μazi CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY “Corporate Social Responsibility in Action” O n Thursday, February 19, 2015, the “Corporate Social Responsibility in Action” Conference was held at the Auditorium Maroussi Plaza for the second consecutive year. Participations included companies from various sectors, which presented their activities in the Corporate Social Responsibility domain. The intensification of the dialogue on corporate social responsibility at the institutional level, the diversification of social needs, the permanent linking of the Corporate Responsibility concept to the achievement of business objectives, and the participant’s increased awareness of Corporate Responsibility issues, were some of the topics presented. During the Conference, Sylvia Kourkouli, from the Marketing and Public Relations Division, presented Alpha Bank's Social Contribution Programme. < 23 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd supports the “ELPIDA” Charity Association A s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd sponsored the event organised by the “ELPIDA” (“HOPE”) Charity Association for children with cancer and leukemia, on the occasion of the International Childhood Cancer Day, on February 15. The Association was founded in 1991 with the aim of improving treatment and care conditions for children suffering from cancer. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Alpha Bank Ltd Cyprus Blood Donation Day O n Wednesday, February 18, 2015, the Bank organised a Blood Donation Day, which was hosted at the Treppides building, next to the Bank’s Main Building. This initiative was supported by many members of Personnel from the Larnaca district, who took part. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Alpha Term Deposit with Miles and Alpha Premier Accounts T he advertising campaign for the Bank’s new deposit product, Alpha Term Deposit with Miles, was continued until mid-February 2015. It was followed by a repeat run of the advertising campaign for the Alpha Premier Accounts, with the aim of communicating the many options that the Bank provides to its various Customer categories through its diverse range of deposit accounts. The advertising campaigns were implemented via TV and radio, as well as selected web sites. < 24 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd Aegan Visa – Double Welcome Miles A dvertising of the new “Aegean Visa – Double Welcome Miles” promotional offer was launched in late February, with a view to further boost the said card. All new Aegean Visa cardholders, who apply for a new card between March 1 and April 30, 2015, will be earning double welcome miles (10,000 miles) in Aegean’s newly upgraded Miles+Bonus Programme. The advertising campaign takes place by means of advertisements on television, radio, and the Internet (web banners). ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Alpha Bank Romania Alpha Bank Romania receives Excellence Award Snapshot from the presentation of the award. A lpha Bank Romania received the Excellence Award for its contribution to the development of the local market for office buildings, in the very first “Best Office Buildings” Gala organised in Romania by the Romanian edition of the Forbes Magazine. During the event, which was attended by the key actors of the local market for office buildings, the most important projects of the Romanian real estate market, were presented. On behalf of the Bank, the award was received by the Executive Vice President for Wholesale Banking Periklis Voulgaris. < 25 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Romania “Alpha Auto First Car” A lpha Bank Romania is among the first banks in the country to launch loan products for the car market. More specifically, the Bank introduced the “Alpha Auto First Car” product – a car loan granted for purchasing new vehicles through the Government’s “First Car” Programme. The key benefits of the “Alpha Auto First Car” Loan for Customers are the advantageous interest rate and the small down payment, which amounts to only 5% of the car’s value. The loan is available in Romanian Leu (RON), with a maximum repayment period of 60 months. Moreover, Alpha Bank Romania offers prospective Customers the possibility to find out on the spot, in the Bank’s Branches, the maximum loan amount they are eligible for, and provides its approval within only 24 hours from the submission of the relevant documents. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. Social Contribution by Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. I n the context of its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, Alpha Bank Srbija a.d., responding to a relevant appeal made by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of Belgrade, made a donation towards the construction of a daily care centre for the Association’s members. The Bank also donated the funds for the treatment of a sixteen-year-old high school student, who is suffering from the Hodgkin syndrome. The involvement of Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. in charity activities helps improve the local community, and promotes the spirit of solidarity and the importance of helping those in need. < 26 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. supports the young athlete Milica Strainovic I n the context of its initiatives in support of young talented athletes, Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. provided financial assistance for the athletic activities of young karate fighter Milica Strainovic. The Bank has been supporting this athlete since 2009. Milica Strainovic has won more than 100 medals in national and international competitions and having secured her place in the national team of Serbia. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• “Your opinion matters” W ith the aim of offering increasingly improved services of higher quality to its Customers, and in line with its compliance with the new Law on the protection of consumers of financial services, which came into force on March 27, 2015, Alpha Bank Srbija a.d. expanded the contents of the leaflet entitled “Your opinion matters”. The leaflet provides Customers with information on the procedures and steps involved in submitting complaints, suggestions, objections and praises about the Bank’s operations, and invites them to contribute to the improvement of its quality of service. < 27 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Albania SHA Breast Cancer Campaign A lpha Bank Albania SHA, in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility policy, will make a donation for the purchase of a mammography machine for one of the country’s State Hospitals. The donation will be made to the Ministry of Health and the amount involved will be generated from credit card commissions received until October 31, 2015, when the campaign is scheduled to end. The products participating in this campaign, which is communicated via Print, radio and digital media, are the American Express® and Visa Classic credit cards. The key communication message of the campaign is: “We all fight against breast cancer.” < 28 / 34 > Μazi GROUP COMPANIES Alpha Bank Albania SHA “Alpha FIX 5” Housing Loan A lpha Bank Albania SHA launched its new housing loan product “Alpha FIX 5”, which has a 6% fixed interest rate for five years and a maximum repayment period of 30 years. The product was launched along with an offer of 0% disbursement fees for applications. The advertising campaign was realised via TV, radio, Print, outdoor and digital advertisements, with the key communication message: “Everything can change except your home loan”. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Alpha Bank a.d. Skopje Alpha Bank a.d. Skopje participated in the “One Billion Rising for Justice” event “0 ne Billion Rising” is the largest global action in human history seeking to end violence against women and girls. It was started in 2012 as part of the Valentine’s Day movement and as a mass world-call to action, triggered by the staggering statistics according to which more than one billion women and girls across the entire planet have been victims of harassment during their lifetime. This year, at the invitation of the Zonta International Club and the Women’s Organisation of the city, Alpha Bank a.d. Skopje participated in the “One Billion Rising for Justice” event, held at the city’s largest shopping mall. < 29 / 34 > Μazi CULTURE SPECIAL “Art Network” Yannis Moralis Citibank’s Tsimiski Branch, Thessaloniki, 1969. C omposition for Citibank’s Tsimiski Branch in Thessaloniki, 1969. Wall ceramics composition of incuse clay slabs measuring 15 x 30 cm each Total dimensions: 5 x 17.5 m Architectural study: Thymio Papagiannis, Ioanna Benehoutsou Construction of clay slabs: Eleni Vernardaki As early as 1962, Yannis Moralis started to create compositions of large dimensions for both interior and exterior spaces. His first work of this type was the marble composition intended for the façade of the Hilton Athens Hotel. < 30 / 34 > Μazi CULTURE SPECIAL Initially, he would draw the theme from the particularity and the functionality of the space in question and then he would create a peculiar universe of elements and shapes, within which presentations, images of cities and symbols were transformed. The rough drawing of the initial concept was converted into a clear proof and then into a detailed model, through the adjustment of its elements to the architectural grid. The ceramist Eleni Vernardaki, who cooperated on a permanent basis with the artist from 1960, transferred the latter’s drawings to handmade clay slabs and added colours thereon. Moralis created wall sculptures for two branches of First National City Bank in Thessaloniki and Piraeus. In both cases, they cover a big wall on the ground floor. For Tsimiski-C Branch, Moralis decided to use architectural features to depict patterns deriving from post-Byzantine Thessaloniki as well. He isolated elements from the Byzantine temple-building, simplified their forms into the basic shapes, Clay slabs 15 x 30 cm. Designed by Y. Moralis 69 / Clay slabs Construction / E. Vernardaki at the / A.D.C. (Athens Design Center), 1969. < 31 / 34 > Μazi CULTURE SPECIAL Tsimiski-C Branch, Thessaloniki, 2015. such as cycle, square, triangle, arch and decorative bands, and created nine patterns of equal dimensions. All the clay slabs are in clay colour, slightly tinted with brown and ochre, while they receive light in the impressed points of their surfaces. In combinations and in units, they sketch and reveal the complex image of the city arranged in geometrical symmetry in the central part of this wall sculpture. The perimeter of the composition is framed and highlighted by nine bands of simple clay slabs. The proofs and models of this wall sculpture, along with his entire archive of architectural works, were donated by Moralis himself to the Benaki Museum in February 2009. < 32 / 34 > Μazi CULTURE SPECIAL YANNIS MORALIS (Arta 1916 - Athens 2009) BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE He studied painting and printmaking (1931-1936) at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Umbertos Argyros and Yannis Kefallinos and then in Paris at the École des beaux-arts (1937-1939). In 1947, he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he taught until 1983. He is regarded as one of the greatest Greek painters of the post-war generation, whose work spans six decades and includes paintings, stage and costume designs, prints, illustrations of books and other publications, posters, ceramics, architectural applications, et al. In his early works, features from the ancient Greek civilisation are combined with the modern European trends of the interwar period as well as with the teachings of the Renaissance. Balanced between depth and theme, his compositions are organised rhythmically and gradually reject any superfluous elements. From 1960, he expresses himself primarily through geometric shapes in order to render the form which, by gradually eliminating material substance, becomes a symbol. < 33 / 34 > Μazi AT A GLANCE Social Contribution Events On Saturday, April 4, 2015, social contribution events have been scheduled to take place in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Larissa, for collecting food supplies which will be offered to socially vulnerable groups. The main Branches of the Bank in each Prefecture’s capital as well as Branches located in cities or islands which minted their own coin in antiquity display, in a prominent position, a picture of the ancient coin issued in the relevant city or region and owned by the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection. Starting from the next issue, the characteristics and history of these coins will be briefly presented in a new column. Alpha Bank participated, for the 7th consecutive year, in “Earth Hour” initiative, an international campaign aiming at sensitising people against climate change. The Bank turned off the lights of its Main Buildings in Athens and in Thessaloniki, on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 20.30. The Bank sponsored the 2nd “Nikos Analytis” Student Contest in Corporate Social Responsibility, organised by the Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Hellas), in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business and with the support of the European Parliament Information Office and the European Commission Representation in Greece. The student contest is named after Nikos Analytis, former CSR Hellas Chairman for many years, and aims to promote collaboration between the academic and business community, by giving young people the opportunity to contribute their views to the debate regarding adoption of a more responsible corporate conduct. The contest is addressed to graduate/postgraduate programmes that include Corporate Social Responsibility in their scientific interest areas, and involves the preparation of an essay entitled “The role of Corporate Social Responsibility in entrepreneurship as a driver for growth, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises and preferably on the sectors of tourism, shipping, and agri-nutrition”. < 34 / 34 The Bank's Procurement, Property and Security Division, in collaboration with the Corporate Social Responsibility Section, donated to “The Smile of the Child” organisation the infrastructure of 68 Call Centre posts, which were made redundant following the acquisition of Citi's Retail Operations. > Μazi Happy Easter!