RBS 2009 Annual Report Download - page 40

RBS Group Annual Report and Accounts 200938
Business Services & Central Functions
Ron Teerlink, Chief
Administrative Officer
MFor biographies
see pages 8-11
Business Services
Business Services is the shared services Division of the RBS Group.
We provide a range of high quality support services to the customer-
facing businesses of the Group.
•Technology Services designs, builds, implements and supports
global technology solutions for our Divisions and Group functions.
•Group Operations shapes and executes service delivery and
transaction processing for our customers, in the most efficient,
secure and effective way possible.
•Property Services provides portfolio management and workplace
design solutions as well as day-to-day facilities management services
across our global footprint.
•Group Sourcing & Vendor Management selects, manages and
develops the best and most suitable supplier relationships, making
sure that the current and future purchasing needs of the Group are
delivered across all locations and brands.
•Security & Risk provides support and advice to protect our
customers, our information and our people against key security and
fraud threats.
Business Services creates value through economies of scale, the
application of shared platforms, specialised knowledge and working in
partnership with each of the customer-facing divisions. Our close
working relationships across the Group ensure an alignment of the core
business priorities with a better understanding of the allocation of costs,
service pricing and business driven investment prioritisation. Our focus
is to deliver high quality service for the customer and continually to make
the things we’re good at, even better.
Business Services also plays a key role in restructuring and lowering
the Group’s cost base and manages a sizeable, and in some areas long
overdue, investment programme. During 2009, Business Services was
able to fund new technology and property investments from increased
efficiencies and synergies generated from across the Group. Business
Services is reducing its headcount by 9,000 over the period 2009-2010,
intensively working with employees and various internal stakeholders,
including unions and social partners. By providing our people with
active support throughout the process, we have been able to limit the
number of compulsory redundancies.
Business Services (formerly Group
Manufacturing) supports the customer-
facing businesses and provides operational
technology, customer support in telephony,
account management, lending and money
transmission, global purchasing, property
and other services. Business Services drives
efficiencies and supports income growth
across multiple brands and channels by
using a single, scalable platform and
common processes wherever possible.
It also leverages the Group’s purchasing
power and is the Group’s centre of
excellence for managing large-scale
and complex change.
Central Functions comprises group and
corporate functions, such as treasury,
funding and finance, risk management,
legal, communications and human resources.
The Centre manages the Group’s capital
resources and Group-wide regulatory
projects and provides services to the
operating divisions.
40,000m2
of space saved by our Intelligent Working initiative