RBS 2010 Annual Report Download - page 29

27RBS Group 2010
Divisional review
Wealth
and the Coutts24 team pride themselves in ‘going the extra mile’ when
responding to enquiries. This was evident during the volcanic ash cloud
restrictions. Stranded clients experienced a range of financial and travel
issues but received support from Coutts24 with payments, short-term
credit sanctioning, booking new journeys and reserving hotels.
Supporting entrepreneurs
In 2010, we hosted our 5th annual Coutts Prize for Family Businesses,
with MI Dickson and Shepherd Neame winning the top awards in their
turnover category.
Our launch of the Coutts Social Enterprise Advisory service demonstrated
our commitment to entrepreneurs. It aims to match clients with social
entrepreneurs looking for funding and/or mentoring. The Entrepreneurs’
magazine and Coutts Entrepreneur’s video were launched – the former
reached 1,500 clients, the latter showcased the breadth of industries
across which our entrepreneurs work. In RBS Coutts, our businesses
on the Isle of Man and Jersey continued to focus on entrepreneurs,
sponsoring awards and events to raise our profile. And our sponsorship
of London Fashion Week was part of a programme designed to build
our profile with entrepreneurs from the creative industries, which play
such a vital role in their contribution to our economy.
Focusing on women clients
We ran more than 60 events solely for women, which were attended
by around 1,900 clients and prospects. The continuing success of the
Coutts Woman website has led to plans for a global roll-out in 2011. The
RBS Coutts FT “Women in Asia” awards helped us to build on the launch
of the RBS Coutts Woman initiative and lay the foundations for a global
approach to targeting this valuable segment. The year also saw the
creation of the Coutts Women Network (CWN), a series of tailored
events. Using mentoring and professional development programmes,
it aims to create an inclusive and supportive environment for women.
Being recognised for the quality of our service
RBS International launched its three customer promises in 2010, a
campaign which saw the business achieve world class levels of Net
Promoter Scores. It was also shortlisted in five categories at the National
Customer Service awards, with a Jersey employee winning ‘Frontline
Professional of the Year’. In addition, two RBS International products,
Autopilot and Navigator, won the Innovation Award in the 2010
Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts awards.
Supporting good causes
In 2010, the Coutts Charitable Trust donated around £1 million to
worthwhile causes and Wealth Management staff in the UK have raised
around £300,000 for charities like the NSPCC, Maggie’s Cancer Centres
and the Prince’s Trust. The Coutts Senior Client Partners chose ChildLine
as their nominated charity in 2010, raising over £215,000, which would
fund a ChildLine supervisor for three years.
The team at RBS International led an active sustainability
programme in their business and raised more than £160,000 for
Macmillan Cancer Support.
The MoneySense for Schools programme is an online, interactive
financial education programme to help 11–18 year olds prepare to
manage their finances in the future. Specially trained RBS International
employees helped to deliver over 100 lessons in schools and colleges
during the year.
Our tradition of supporting the performing arts goes back over 150 years
and continued in 2010. This included Coutts’ principal sponsorship of
the Almeida Theatre in London (for the eighth successive year) and
Adam & Company’s sponsorship of the Scottish Ballet’s Autumn Season,
Geometry and Grace, for which it received a Commendation in the Arts
& Business Scotland Awards. These sponsorships are an important
element of our client centric service. It’s an approach that has helped us
to acquire new clients across Wealth Management. In Coutts for example,
there were 4,833 new clients in 2010. And of these, over 1,000 were
referred to us from other divisions within RBS, demonstrating the breadth
of relationships we have across the Group.
Looking ahead
In 2011, we have a strategy for growth and a desire to develop further a
well-balanced business across all of our jurisdictions. The second phase
of our IT project will also see us roll out the platform in Coutts. It promises
to be a busy and exciting year.
Our sponsorship of London Fashion Week
is part of a programme designed to build
our profile with young entrepreneurs.
Our investment in new systems is designed
to improve the service we give our clients.