HSBC launches 8th export awards
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd in Bangladesh yesterday launched the eighth edition of the HSBC Export Excellence Awards to recognise the contribution of the country's exporters.
Francois de Maricourt, chief executive officer of HSBC Bangladesh, and Md Mahbub ur Rahman, deputy CEO, announced the awards at a press conference at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. Speaking at the event, Maricourt said Bangladesh's economy grew 7.3 percent last year, making it the fastest growing economy in Asia.
"Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of achieving this success and for the last eight years, we have provided a platform to Bangladesh's exporters to showcase their capabilities and celebrate their global potential."
The awards aim to support businesses to thrive further and connect them with global opportunities.
"This is something we have been doing for more than 150 years around the world," Maricourt said.
The lender will give away the awards in five categories. Of them, four will be the "Exporter of the Year" in the readymade garments; supply chain and backward linkage industry (apparel); traditional and emerging sectors (non-garment and -textile), and SMEs (non-garment and -textile) categories.
This year, the bank has introduced the fifth award titled "Excellence in Import Substitution".
There are two groups in the garment category: in the 'A' group, the eligibility criteria has been fixed at $100 million and above in annual export turnover, while it has to be less than $100 million to qualify for the group 'B'.
In the supply chain category, the annual turnover has been fixed at $10 million and above. Export earnings have to be $5 million and above for the award in the traditional and emerging sectors (non-RMG and -textile) category.
In the SMEs (non-RMG and -textile) category, the export turnover should be less than $5 million, while it has to be $10 million or above to meet the requirements for the excellence in import substitution category, according to a statement of HSBC. The awards are not exclusive to HSBC customers and are rather open to all Bangladeshi exporters. There is no entry fee, said the statement.
Deputy CEO Rahman said, "Through the HSBC Export Excellence Awards, we highlight the achievements of the country's most successful exporters and recognise their relentless efforts to make Bangladesh's mark in the global arena."
He said the bank believes Bangladesh has immense export potential and HSBC is proud to be playing its role in supporting those who are taking great strides to develop this burgeoning powerhouse of the economy. Nomination forms and other details of the awards are available at business.hsbc.com.bd/eea.
The deadline for submitting the nomination is August 31, 2018. The award ceremony will be held in September, said Talukdar Noman Anwar, country head of communications. Companies can also nominate others for the awards.
The winners are selected based on criteria such as annual contribution to national exports and the economy, diversity, corporate social responsibility, sustainable business practices and governance strengths.
The Daily Star, the Prothom Alo, and global information and measurement company Nielsen are the partners of the awards.