Can you tell us something about EFG Bank?

I am a co-founder and Chairman of EFG International, an international private banking group. EFG Bank is our Swiss operation. Our CEO Lonnie Howell and I created this business with a real sense of conviction, feeling strongly as we did that private banking needed to do better by its clients. To us, the essence of private banking was often overlooked - namely, relationships, and providing the conditions for them to flourish. We ensured that Client Relationship Officers (CROs) are free to serve clients as they see best. They operate under just one main compulsion: to create solutions for their clients, not to sell any particular products. The results have been superb: from a standing start in 1995, we have enjoyed over a decade of unbroken growth, creating an international private bank spanning 30 countries, and with some 1,600 employees. Looking to the future, we see no let-up in opportunities for the continued dynamic growth of our business.

Why have you chosen to associate your business with Genève-Servette Hockey Club in Geneva?

We see this as an exciting opportunity for three reasons:

- It is a relationship that has been instigated locally by some of our people in Geneva, reflecting their passion for the game of ice hockey, and belief in the Genève-Servette Hockey Club. A number of CROs and employees in Geneva are supporters of the club, and have decided to participate directly, helping to structure and manage the relationship.

- We see it as an excellent means of enhancing the profile of EFG Bank in Geneva (where we have circa 350 employees, and which is the main operations centre for our worldwide organisation) as well as across Switzerland. We see the popularity of ice hockey in Switzerland mirrored among a number of our clients. Genève-Servette Hockey Club has a young and dynamic team, and it plays an important role in Geneva's sporting life.

- We see synergies with Right To Play, an international humanitarian organisation supported by EFG. In conjunction with Genève-Servette Hockey Club, for example, we are planning to hold Match Days in support of this organisation's excellent work.

Can you tell us some more about "Right To Play"?

Right To Play makes a real, practical difference to the lives of young people living in the harshest of conditions worldwide. It does so by using sport and activity programmes to encourage physical, social and emotional development. With projects in 23 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it improves the lives of child refugees, former child combatants, or those who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. A recent focal point of our relationship was a project to assist children in Imvepi Settlement, a refugee centre in Uganda for people fleeing the civil war in Sudan. This fired the imagination of many of our employees, who chose to provide practical (as well as financial) support. The drive, passion and commitment shown daily by the staff and volunteers of Right To Play is a source of motivation to us all.