By Sandra Agyeiwaa OTOO
CalBank has marked its 35th anniversary with a special week-long internal event called the ‘Red Values Week’, aimed at reflecting on the bank’s core values and preparing for future growth.
Under the theme ‘Rooted in Values. Built to Last. Proudly Indigenous’, the celebration also seeks to reflect the bank’s foundational principles and future strategic direction.
Carl Selasi Asem, Managing Director (MD) of CalBank, stated in an interview that the initiative is not only a notable achievement for the bank but also a moment to reflect on the values that have underpinned its growth and stability. “The red values week actually coincided with our 35th anniversary. We thought it was wise to be able to celebrate. 35 years of CalBank has always been a success through the values of this bank and we thought that our staff, it was important that we reflect on those values to see where we are and where we want to get to,” he mentioned.
Mr. Asem elaborated that the name ‘Red’ represents the values of being responsible, effective, and decisive in all aspects. “Red is about being responsible, being effective in our days and also being decisive and that is why we have the name ‘Red’,” he mentioned.
According to him “I think for CalBank, when you look back on our predecessors, the seeds that they have sown, it is those seeds that when we’re reflective, you realize that those seeds have actually jumped the bank to greater heights.”
He also noted that despite facing challenges, particularly over the last three years which required significant loans, the bank’s resilience can be attributed to its core values.
He added that responsibility, effectiveness, and decisiveness have driven the bank’s success and will continue to propel it forward, with a strong vision to reach 100 years of operation.
“In those challenges as we do, we have also seen that it requires a bit of loans especially the last 3 years but the only resilience we have had is through the values that we have had. We go back and dig deep from those values. Those responsible nature, how effective you really wanted to be and the decisiveness has made us to be who we are today and those values are the ones that propel the bank from the 35th year and we strongly believe that we will be 100 years old in this country and still be moving very strong,” he revealed.
Mr. Asem expressed appreciation to the bank’s stakeholders and shareholders for their continued support saying “We have been very grateful that all our stakeholders, especially our shareholders have been standing behind us even in our challenging times and they have supported us throughout this time and we show a lot of gratitude.”
The Managing Director expressed the bank’s optimism for the future, stating that they are poised for even greater achievements in the coming years. He emphasized the bank’s strong belief in its potential to become one of the top banks in the country. The Red Values Week was organized mainly for CalBank staff, providing them with time to reflect on their roles and how they can better serve customers.
Looking ahead, CalBank is focusing its business strategy on individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are expected to make up 70percent of the bank’s revenue. “Our strategy as the board approved last year is to focus on individuals and SMEs. To form about 70percent of our revenue scheme and that has been a major focus that we are working on, on a daily basis. We really wanted to be relevant in the community in which we operate and majority of those businesses come from SMEs and that is where our focus is,” he said.
