ONGWEDIVA – FNB Namibia recently partnered with the Ongwediva Town Council for the Annual Ongwediva Trade Fair as one of the main financial supporters. This was aimed at emphasizing its commitment to remain the industry leader by creating value for all stakeholders.
“We will be the bank of choice by remaining passionate in providing exceptional customer experiences with a workforce that is energized, engaged, encouraged, recognized and rewarded for delivering on our brand promise of helpfulness,” said Ian Leyenaar, chief executive officer of FNB Namibia.
Leyenaar pointed out that the bank has dedicated business and SME divisions which are geared in assisting Namibians in achieving their dreams as business people – be it on a large or small scale. He added: “On a national level, in demonstrating our commitment to service excellence and as a clear example of how the private sector can contribute to the job creation part of the national development agenda, we have increased our staff complement from just over 1 070 in 2000 to close to 1 982 in 2014. This is in line with the good growth experienced by the group and makes FNB one of the country’s leading private sector employers. Even more important to mention is that some 65 percent of our employees are female, 86 percent are previously disadvantaged Namibians and only four are expatriates. Only two of 26 members of the top management are non-Namibian.”
Leyenaar stressed: “FNB Namibia is the company with the largest market capitalization on the Namibian Stock Exchange and some 74 percent of FNB Namibia’s income is retained in Namibia, ensuring that FNB is not a ‘foreign-owned’ company. FNB is currently almost 42 percent locally owned; hence 42 percent of all dividends plus 5 percent non-resident shareholders’ tax are ploughed back into the Namibian economy. Moreover, of the roughly N$921 million pre-tax profits for the financial period ending 2013, only N$102 million (11 percent) flow to the 58 percent majority shareholder in South Africa. This is clear proof of the level of investment that FNB is ploughing back into the country and the Namibian economy through the retention of profits, tax payments, local dividend payments and the FNB Foundation contributions to society in Namibia. We really believe that we are a ‘True Wealth Creating Business Partner’.”
Leyenaar congratulated the Ongwediva Town Council for the wonderful trade fair which once again proved to be a huge success, especially in promoting entrepreneurs and SMEs – something he said is close to the heart of FNB Namibia.