On 8 October a new initiative was launched at ING’s head office in Amsterdam: a series of discussion sessions on ING’s role in society. Under the capable guidance of Dutch talk show host and former politician Felix Rottenberg, CEO Jan Hommen engaged into dialogue with people from all walks of life: households and companies, social partners, NGOs, media, policy makers, academia and investors. The subject of discussion was ING’s corporate social responsibility.

Why does ING initiate this? The company’s responsibilities towards society have come under scrutiny: they are forcefully debated by the general public. ING considers it of utmost importance to actively contribute to this debate and is very much willing to reflect on its responsibilities. Unfortunately, most of the discussions in the public arena are about ING rather than with ING. The discussion sessions are organised to break through this barrier by involving ING’s stakeholders more actively in the thinking process on the further development of the company’s strategy towards corporate social responsibility.

Economist Noreena Hertz made a call for action. She asked ING managers to use the momentum of the financial crisis by putting corporate social responsibility into practice. Jan Hommen emphasised the importance of embedding social, ethical and environmental interests in ING’s operational management: in its financing policies and products and services offering, but also in remuneration policies and the company’s community initiatives. Hommen reiterated the progress ING has made, but also acknowledged that there is still room for improvement.

Based on the remarks made by the various discussants, ING will further intensify the dialogue on its role in society over the coming months. The following sessions will be dedicated to identifying a number of clear choices for the future. Among the agenda items will be the importance of financial education as well as the integration of environmental and human rights issues into financing policies and ING’s products and services offering.