Tag: 3BL

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 12, 2024 /3BL/ – Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for human resources, employee benefits, insurance services, and payroll, has earned spots as a “Top Five” vendor solution from small and medium businesses in six HR system Voice of the Customer (VoC) categories. The company’s evaluation is based directly on Paychex customer feedback for vendor satisfaction and user experience in the Sapient Insights Group’s 2023-2024 HR Systems Survey White Paper Report, 26th Edition.

The Annual HR Systems Survey provides a global view of current and future company plans for technology adoption, crucial practices, emerging technology trends, and Voice of the Customer ratings directly from the HR buyer. The findings from this year’s survey represent the perspective of over 5,000 respondents and 2,310 unique organizations spanning 54 countrie

“Paychex offers a comprehensive HR solution focused on the needs of small and medium businesses. Over the last few years, we’ve seen increasing VoC ratings for Paychex in multiple HR system categories, partly due to their investments in new platform technologies and expanded services,” said Stacey Harris, chief research officer and managing partner at Sapient Insights. “When Paychex customers were asked what drove their ratings, common themes included ease of use, friendly service, and their ability to align with small business outcomes.”

Paychex Flex®, the company’s cloud-based SaaS solution, was rated highly for the quality of vendor relationships and the quality of the user experience by customers with 500 or fewer employees who completed the survey across the systems categories of HR service delivery, HR management systems, learning, payroll, performance, and time management. Paychex Flex is an all-in-one solution that helps to automate and streamline payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent management, and the employee experience through a secure platform backed by a team of HR professionals providing actionable advice to solve complex workplace challenges.

“It is an honor to earn ‘Top Five’ ratings and recognition across a range of HR technology categories based on direct feedback from our customers who use the Paychex Flex application daily,” said Tom Hammond, Paychex vice president of strategy, partnerships, and business development. “We know that our customers have a choice on the tools and technology they leverage, which is why we will continue to deliver strong, intuitive, and relevant HCM solutions to America’s small and mid-sized businesses.”

Voice of the Customer Methodology

The Voice of the Customer rankings of the Sapient Insights Group’s 26th Annual HR Systems Survey are based directly on feedback, ratings, and comments from customers of these applications. This year, more than 250 HR vendors received customer rankings in the annual survey, with the data used to create the VoC charts.

User Experience: Respondents rank the quality of the user experience for all deployed applications on a scale of 1-5 (poor to excellent). Sapient Insights Group specifically asks them to focus their answers on the application’s end-user experience for all stakeholders, including IT, HR, managers, and employees.Vendor Satisfaction: Respondents rank the quality of their vendor relationship for all deployed applications on a scale of 1-5 (very dissatisfied to very satisfied). Sapient Insights Group asks them to specifically focus on relationship factors such as service levels, vendor communications, and alignment of product roadmap to their needs.

All survey participants are then asked additional open-ended questions to provide further details on the reasons behind the specific ratings for user experience and vendor satisfaction. Based on these answers, Sapient Insights Group provides an average user experience and vendor satisfaction rating for every application that receives a qualifying number of responses from validated buyers. This data is used to create the VoC charts.

About Paychex 
Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) is an industry-leading HCM company delivering a full suite of technology and advisory services in human resources, employee benefit solutions, insurance, and payroll. The company serves approximately 740,000 customers in the U.S. and Europe and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. The more than 16,000 people at Paychex are committed to helping businesses succeed and building thriving communities where they work and live. To learn more, visit paychex.com.

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KeyBank has named Rachael Sampson Head of Community Banking for its Consumer Bank. In this newly created role, Sampson will lead teams responsible for the strategy, implementation and execution of a variety of consumer products and services designed to acquire and deepen relationships with clients in low-to-moderate income and diverse segments, as well as the national consumer sales strategy for these segments. Her team will also oversee the day-to-day management of Key’s workplace banking and financial wellness programs, and the direction of Key’s women and diverse consumer client-focused initiatives.

Sampson reports to Victor Alexander, Head of Key’s Consumer Bank, which serves more than three million clients with branch offices in 15 states and a national multi-channel distribution. Sampson and the Community Banking team will partner closely with KeyBank’s Corporate Responsibility team to identify opportunities aligned with Key’s purpose of helping clients and communities thrive.

“Rachael’s promotion is reflective of and the next step in the significant progress we’ve made in reaching and helping clients in low-to-moderate income and diverse segments,” said Alexander. “We are excited about the work Rachael and her teams will do to amplify and build upon our efforts, which includes three special purpose credit programs for homebuyers and homeowners, and drive consistency and execution across our footprint.”

Sampson, who has been with KeyBank for 18 years, previously led KeyBank’s Key4Women and Key@Work programs which are now part of the new Community Banking organization. She has also served as a Commercial Bank relationship manager in KeyBank’s Cincinnati Market.

Sampson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Thomas More University and is a Master of Business Administration candidate from the University of Cincinnati.

ABOUT KEYBANK

KeyBank’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $188 billion at September 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

CFMA #240109-2395631

Mandi McReynolds, Steve Soter, Andie Wood, and Ernest Anunciacion are back to kick off the third season of ESG Talk. The group revisits thought-provoking conversations from season two — including insights on sustainability, regulation, and ESG reporting — and shares a preview of what’s to come in the year ahead.

Listen Now

Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube.

NEW YORK and Charlotte, N.C., January 12, 2024 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for driving market transformation through healthy buildings, organizations and communities, and ARCHETYPE Investments announced today that Charlotte, NC – based dynamic investment and development company specializing in retail and multifamily properties became an early adopter of IWBI’s WELL for residential program, which is now open for enrollments. The first-of-its-kind, WELL for residential is an evidence-based, third-party verified certification program designed to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support human health and well-being. This collaboration will allow ARCHETYPE Investments to renovate its Continuum 115 Apartments using WELL strategies designed to positively impact resident health.

Grounded in the science-backed principles of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its 10 WELL concepts, the WELL for residential program consists of more than 100 health strategies that support new and existing residences and are applicable to both single-family homes and multifamily buildings. During the launch phase of the program, IWBI is partnering with leading architects, builders, developers, operators and owners – such as ARCHETYPE Investments – to transform the global residential market to make healthier and more resilient homes more accessible to more people in more places.

“By integrating evidence-based WELL for residential standard into our already health and wellness focused strategies at Continuum 115 Apartments, we give residents an elevated sense of confidence that their inspiring and WELLIFIZE-technology-enabled homes are made even more healthy and resilient for them to enjoy,” said Jaykant Patel, ARCHETYPE founder and managing principal.

“The WELL for residential program takes a holistic approach to address health and wellbeing in the home environment,” said Liz Miles, vice president for stakeholder relations at IWBI “We applaud ARCHETYPE, the first developer to introduce the WELL for residential program in North Carolina, for leading the charge to elevate best practices in the residential sector.”

The development of the WELL for residential program drew upon two years of industry input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI’s WELL for residential advisory, a working group of over 100 globally renowned subject matter experts including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals. Companies can earn the WELL Residence seal for residences upon completion of third-party review and verification of selected strategies. To be certified as a WELL Residence, a home must achieve at least 40 points. Projects also have an opportunity to earn pre-certified WELL Residence status for participating units upon preliminary design review, a milestone step forward that allows participants to communicate achievement before construction is completed.

Today, in the U.S. alone, the residential sector spans more than 120 million homes totaling roughly 224 billion square feet of real estate. The importance of creating healthier environments in the residential sector has become a top priority among homeowners.

The WELL for residential program adds to the WELL ecosystem and provides a new pathway for creating people-first residences. This program builds upon the work IWBI has already done within the multifamily sector through its WELL Certification and WELL ratings. IWBI applauds the leadership demonstrated by the multifamily residential developers and owners who have pursued WELL Certification. Their experiences have helped inform and inspire the development of the new WELL for residential program.

While numerous studies show healthy homes are increasingly in demand, regulations and standards focused on resident health in homes are largely lacking. The WELL for residential program seeks to provide a solution that helps transform the global residential market and ensure that everyone, no matter their backgrounds, has access to a home that enhances their health and enables them to make healthier decisions.

The WELL ecosystem comprises WELL Certification under the WELL Building Standard, a library of building and organizational strategies focused on health, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating and certification under the WELL Community Standard. WELL’s holistic, evidence-based approach has provided a roadmap for organizations to promote human and social capital performance and enhance their ESG strategy. As a result, thousands of organizations including nearly 30% of Fortune 500 companies across nearly 130 countries have adopted WELL strategies in more than 40,000 locations totaling almost five billion square feet of space.

About ARCHETYPE Investment 
ARCHETYPE Investments is a vertically integrated real estate investment, development, and management company, rooted in Charlotte, North Carolina, and dedicated to infusing wellness into the commercial real estate landscape. ARCHETYPE’s primary focus revolves around multi-family residential and retail properties throughout the Carolinas. Its mission, moving forward, involves closely working with rigorously vetted investors, esteemed financial institutions, and committed business partners who share core values, all with the goal of promoting wellness in the commercial real estate sector. More information on ARCHETYPE Investments can be found here.

About the International WELL Building Institute 
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people-first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and WELL ratings and certifications, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Enterprise Provider, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Performance Rated, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact: 
Info@archetypeinvestments.com 
media@wellcertified.com

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Pilot is part of Duke Energy’s Vision Florida program, which is designed to test innovative projects to prepare the power grid for a cleaner energy future

Duke Energy’s first floating solar project in Florida is now producing clean, renewable energy while helping the company better understand the capabilities of innovative clean energy technologies to benefit Florida customers and communities, now and in the future.

The almost 1-megawatt floating solar array features more than 1,800 solar panels that float on top of 2 acres of water surface on an existing cooling pond at the Duke Energy Hines Energy Complex in Bartow. The bifacial solar panels absorb light from both sides, which can produce 10%-20% more power than their single-sided counterparts.

Crews assembled the module floating system on land in segments before securing it with anchors in the water. The project took approximately six months to construct and connect to the grid.

The pilot is part of Duke Energy’s Vision Florida program, which is designed to test innovative projects such as green hydrogen, hydrogen produced from sources other than fossil fuels, and various battery energy storage technologies, to prepare the power grid for a cleaner energy future.

Last month, the company announced plans to build a one-of-its-kind green hydrogen production and storage system connected to its existing solar site in Volusia County.

“We are committed to building a smarter, cleaner energy future for our customers, while continuing to look for ways to maintain affordability and reliability,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “By exploring alternative solutions on a smaller scale and on our own property, we are maximizing the space and expanding our use and knowledge of innovative emission free technologies that will move us forward on our path to net-zero carbon emissions.”

Duke Energy has been harnessing the power of the sun and advancing solar technologies in Florida since the late 1980s. The company plans to have 25 grid-tied solar power plants in operation in 2024. The sites will provide about 1,500 MW of emission-free generation and benefit all of the company’s 1.9 million Florida customers.

As a result of the company’s continued commitment to solar investments, Duke Energy is already passing approximately $56 million of corporate tax savings annually to Florida customers from the Inflation Reduction Act.

To view a video and read more about the project, visit https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/a-new-way-to-harness-the-suns-power.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853 
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

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Submits Net Zero roadmap to Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)Confirms goal to seek no deforestation across primary commodities by 2025Accelerates regenerative agriculture practices, advances renewable energy at manufacturing sites and reduces CO2e emissions through efficiencies and innovations

CHICAGO, January 11, 2024 /3BL/ – Mondelēz International (Nasdaq: MDLZ) announced a significant milestone toward its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain by 2050. After joining the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)’s Net Zero Carbon Ambition two years ago, the Company has submitted a time-bound plan within SBTi’s timeframe, consistent with the 1.5°C protocol. Achieving this milestone includes providing documentation of the company’s carbon accounting, aligning to new standards, continuing to transform its business operations and supply chains, and transparently reporting progress. Furthermore, Mondelēz International confirms a goal to seek no deforestation across the company’s primary commodities by 2025, in accordance with European Union Deforestation Regulation and SBTi guidance.

Mondelēz has made targeted investments and progress in three key areas1:

More Sustainable Ingredient Sourcing: Working to advance deforestation-free supply chains, reduce carbon emissions, accelerate regenerative agriculture practices and support biodiversity. 
 Cocoa – The company continues to invest in regenerative farming practices by further scaling farm mapping, farmer training and tree distribution. As part of the Cocoa Life program, the company trained ~220,000 farmers in Good Agricultural Practices, distributed ~6.7 million trees and mapped ~246,000 farms across Cocoa Life communities (as of 2022). As a founding company of the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI) in Ghana, the company has been an active industry member of the landscapes initiative in the Asunafo Region collaborating to implement climate-smart cocoa production practices as well as agroforestry models.Wheat – Mondelēz International implemented a strengthened charter of farming practices in Europe, deeply rooted in regenerative agriculture, as part of the company’s Harmony Ambition 2030. This includes working with partner farmers to diversify crop rotation and integrating decision tools to help optimize fertilizer use while piloting trainings for farmers through the Harmony Academy platform, a smartphone application encouraging the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices and promoting soil health as well as through the first-ever Harmony Tour, a dedicated training program on the ground.Dairy – In Europe, the company is working with several dairy suppliers on greenhouse gas reduction programs at the farm level, already achieving reductions of ~6-10% CO2e vs. their baselines.Operations: Reducing the company’s global manufacturing footprint by transitioning towards renewable electricity, improving manufacturing plant efficiencies, and substituting cleaner energy. 
 Renewable Electricity – Advanced the use of renewable electricity across Company-owned manufacturing facilities through power purchase agreements (PPAs), on-site solar panels and renewable energy credits (REC) sourcing from wind and solar power sources.Manufacturing Plant Efficiencies – Initiated investments in several of the Company’s European operations to expand state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and invest in newer technologies such as electric ovens to reduce natural gas use.Transition to Bioenergy – Substituted cleaner energy at some of the Company’s operations.Logistics: Focusing on investing in new mobility concepts, reducing warehouse emissions by converting to renewable sources, and improving efficiency of distribution networks by optimizing routes, improving truck and container utilization, and reducing travel distances. 
 Intermodal and Mobility Concept Initiatives – Partnered with Indian Railways and utilized coastal waterways network to improve distribution, enabling CO2e emission reductions for select routes.Warehouse Emission Reductions – Achieved CO2e emission reductions in one of the Company’s largest distribution centers by installing solar rooftop panels connecting to an existing electricity grid.Distribution Efficiencies – Reduced Direct Store Delivery transport idle time and improved vehicle fill rate across U.S. Mondelēz distribution networks.

“We are actioning business transformation and making strong progress, but the road to Net Zero requires global collaboration across industries, sectors and landscapes to unlock innovative and collaborative solutions allowing us all to go further, faster,” said Christine Montenegro McGrath, Senior Vice President and Chief Global Impact and Sustainability Officer at Mondelēz International. “We remain focused on leveraging proven models and available solutions, while at the same time using our scale and influence to help drive technical advancement, public-private collaboration and investment to incubate innovation.”

In addition to these accomplishments, Mondelēz International continues to explore collaborative financing and innovation incubation through platforms like Sustainable Futures, the Company’s impact investment platform, while advancing research and development in climate-smart technology and practices to implement at the sourcing level, across supply chain and in owned operations and through to brand, packaging and consumption.

About Mondelēz International

Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2022 net revenues of approximately $31 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate’s Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDLZ.

Contacts: Maggie McKerr 
1-847-943-5678 
news@mdlz.com

1 Additional detail about our ESG goals and progress against our goals can be found in our recently published 2022 Snacking Made Right report under “Our ESG Progress” and “About Our ESG Goals” on pages 10-11 and 78.

CNH was recently recognized by the 2024 German Design Awards, presented by the German Design Council (est. 1953). Thanks to the CNH Design Team, STEYR, a brand of CNH, was selected via its Plus tractor series for Excellent Product Design in the Utility Vehicles category for its impressive synergy of function, design, quality, and sustainability.

STEYR Plus tractors are the first to feature a dramatic new design developed for the brand’s products. The new style emphasizes modernity, strength, power, and technology through features such as striking new hood styling with integrated road and work lighting.

Inside the cab, additional comfort and better visibility complement the latest in telematics, which ease the operator’s task through instant data transfer from the machine to the cloud and auto guidance with automated steering.

“We are honored to see our efforts to enhance the tech aesthetics of STEYR recognized by the German Design Council,” said David Wilkie, Design Director at CNH. “It underlines the importance of good design in delivering our customers a world class experience when they use our machines.”

Winning this award is a testament to CNH’s commitment to designing sustainable products by creatively challenging traditional norms in the industry. Through innovative design, sustainable products are further recognized and used to make our world a better place.

The new GRI Climate Change and Energy Standards aim to be the blueprint for sustainability reporting on climate change-related impacts, with a broader perspective including impacts on people.

Why is the standard being revised?

The objective of the revision is to ensure that the GRI Standards continue to represent internationally agreed best practices, align with recent global regulatory developments, and incorporate the relevant authoritative intergovernmental instruments in the field of climate change, GHG emissions, and energy consumption. Notably, the Climate Change Standard integrates the latest insights from the ongoing GHG Protocol Standards and Guidance Update Process, benefitting from the expertise of the Global Director of the GHG Protocol Initiative (GHGP) at the World Resources Institute, who is a member of the Standard’s Technical Committee. Moreover, the exposure draft supports the sustainability reporting landscape, enabling more transparency on key climate change impacts.

Why is this significant?

GRI Standards are used by over 14,000 organizations, with wide adoption in major markets around the world. The revised content reflects the call of many stakeholders for more transparency on climate change reporting. The enhanced disclosures on climate change-related aspects empower organizations to publicly communicate their most significant impacts on climate change and how those are being addressed in a credible standardized way. The revision aims to augment transparency, organizational accountability, and decision-usefulness of the disclosures to internal and external stakeholders.

What are the changes?

The GRI climate change exposure draft includes new disclosures on transition and adaptation plans, just transition, GHG emissions reduction targets, GHG removals, and carbon credits. The GRI Energy exposure draft includes a new disclosure on energy policies and commitments. The exposure drafts also consider the interrelations of climate change with other sustainable development topics, such as biodiversity.

A distinctive feature of the GRI Climate Change exposure draft is its emphasis on the human aspect of climate change – something that is not stressed enough in the climate reporting landscape. It incorporates the concept of just transition, which focuses on greening the economy in a fair and inclusive way, creating decent work opportunities, and leaving no one behind. The draft contains a dedicated disclosure on just transition metrics. Finally, climate change and biodiversity are interrelated, as climate change is a major driver of loss of biodiversity, which, in turn, can accelerate climate change processes. Biodiversity is also referenced in several requirements throughout different disclosures.

Get Involved

The Climate Change and Energy Standard exposure drafts were made available for public comment on November 21st, 2023. The opportunity remains open until February 29th, 2024, for all stakeholders to submit their views and feedback, including on the drafts’ feasibility and completeness. You are encouraged to provide feedback through the online survey, available through the following link: Climate Change and Energy exposure drafts survey. 

Additionally, GRI is running a webinar series around the roll-out of the Standards. GRI North America was pleased that 49% of the hundreds of attendees of the last global webinar were from the North American region. GRI will hold a Q&A webinar on the exposure drafts on January 24th at 11:00 AM (ET). Reserve your spot here.

CINCINNATI, January 11, 2024 /3BL/ – Kala Gibson, executive vice president and chief corporate responsibility officer at Fifth Third Bank, has been elected Board Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2024 National Board of Directors. His term began on January 1, 2024. He previously served on NMSDC’s Executive Committee.

For over five decades, NMSDC has been committed to meeting the procurement needs of America’s leading corporations, universities, hospitals, and government organizations, which has changed the trajectory of minority suppliers by helping them to achieve long-term economic success. NMSDC board members are responsible for helping expand opportunities for minority business enterprises.

“This year’s NMSDC Board of Directors is comprised of not only the leading voices in the supplier and business diversity, but in corporate America,” said NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire. “With Kala’s expertise and guidance as Board Chair, we will continue to transform NMSDC into an organization dedicated to accelerating economic growth and building generational wealth for years to come.”

With more than 30 years in the financial services industry, Gibson leads the Bank’s Corporate Responsibility Office, which works to build strong communities, promote inclusion, and address climate change. In his role, Gibson oversees community development banking, community impact banking, inclusion and supplier diversity, corporate sustainability and philanthropy. Under Gibson’s leadership, Fifth Third has delivered $3.5 billion in loan capital, community investments, financial accessibility programs and philanthropy over the past three years (2021-2023*) to accelerate equality, equity and inclusion, including $297 million to diverse suppliers and $187 million to nine disinvested neighborhoods within the Bank’s footprint.

“I appreciate the confidence of the NMSDC in my leadership and am looking forward to serving as Board Chair,” said Gibson. “NMSDC does incredible work to progress the economic inclusion of diverse suppliers nationwide. I look forward to helping small and minority businesses establish and deepen their connections in the economy to expand equity and help build generational wealth.”

Gibson joined Fifth Third in 2011 as business banking executive for Eastern Michigan. He also served as the Bank’s head of Business Banking for many years, overseeing the division’s strategic planning, operations, sales force, credit fulfillment and product development. Gibson currently serves as chair of the Fifth Third Foundation’s distribution committee, the Bank’s Corporate Sustainability Committee and is a founding member of the Bank’s Executive Diversity Leadership Council.

In addition to the NMSDC, Gibson dedicates his time and expertise to a variety of causes including serving on the boards of the National Urban League, Grand Valley University Foundation and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization committed to increasing the ranks of Black executives at major world corporations. For his civic and professional contributions, he has received several awards, including the Cincinnati Business Courier’s 2023 C-Suite Award, Cincinnati Men of Honor award for his inspirational leadership, Savoy’s Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, and Crain’s Detroit 40 under 40.

To learn more about the NMSDC and its 2024 Board Members, click here. More about the Bank’s efforts in the community can be found in its Community Impact and Sustainability reports.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Deposit and credit products provided by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.

# # #

*Figures are through the third quarter of 2023. 

CONTACTS 
Tiffaney Hardy (Media Relations) 
Tiffaney.Hardy@53.com | 513-534-8039

SINGAPORE, January 11, 2024 /3BL/ – Arrow Electronics is helping technology startup Oyika roll out battery charging stations in Southeast Asia cities to support a new generation of clean and quiet electric motorbikes.

The switch from petroleum-fueled motorbikes to battery power can be a significant step towards improving urban air quality in the region. Nearly 90 percent of families own at least one motorbike. And without pollution controls, a motorbike’s small inefficient engine generates tailpipe emissions equal to ten automobiles.

Air pollution is associated with elevated levels of cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as long-term effects of climate change.

But replacing tens of millions of petroleum-powered motorbikes is a daunting task. Oyika’s founders identified the hours needed to recharge electric vehicles as one of the primary barriers to switching to battery power.

With Arrow’s help, Oyika has developed a smart battery exchange system at convenience stores. It is managed with a mobile app.

“Battery swapping essentially mimics the user behavior of combustion technology,” said Roderick Chia, Oyika’s chief technology officer. “Swapping out batteries is very much like refilling a fuel tank. It takes a minute or two.”

Arrow is working on several aspects of Oyika’s integrated solution, including design engineering for the new smart battery and power management, 4G IoT telematics, component sourcing, smart battery monitoring, and GPS-enabled security and safety.

Oyika meets regularly at the NTU-Arrow Invent Lab in Singapore. The lab was established in 2022 in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University. Oyika is testing battery stations in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, with expansion plans in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other motorbike markets.

Oyika has aligned its battery-as-a-service business to five of the United Nations’s sustainability goals, including climate action, affordable and clean energy, good health and well-being, gender equality and reduced inequalities.

About Arrow Electronics

Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 220,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2022 sales of $37.1 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that help improve business and daily life. Learn more at arrow.com.