Who: ING Commercial Banking

Objective: To engage employees and strengthen client relationships

Solution: Sponsorship of the Discerning Eye exhibition, which provides an opportunity for works by lesser-known artists to be hung alongside contributions from internationally recognised names. The agreement is now in its 11th year.

Rationale: “Banking is a people business. Art is all about people. So it’s the perfect vehicle,” says Adrian Simpson, ING Commercial Banking’s head of UK corporate communications. “There’s also a cultural fit in that exhibitions like this are the engine room for tomorrow’s talent. And as a bank, we need talented and engaged employees to perform at our best. That makes it a natural partnership. We also encourage staff to get involved an internal art competition, in which the winning pieces are put forward to Discerning Eye. We’re very keen to align the bank’s values with employees’.”

Evaluation: “We don’t use any formal metric,” says Simpson. “But we have extensive word-of-mouth feedback. We measure it through the fact that staff keep coming back. They’re clearly engaging. And in terms of client contact, we have a packed room every year, with people having to stand shoulder to shoulder. That tells us it’s working.”