Firm wins SISA awards

Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) has won two awards at the Social Impact and Sustainability Awards (SISA) 2024.

The company received the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award for Educational Empowerment for its Harvard Business School Scholarship Initiative and the Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award for the company’s One Staff, One Tree Initiative.

The Managing Director of SBC, Ziad Maalouf, was also recognised as the Social Impact Personality of the Year for his leadership in advancing social responsibility at SBC and, nationally, across Nigeria, through the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) and a commitment to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) growth.

During his keynote speech, Maalouf emphasised the importance of empowering communities and individuals, stating: “It’s not enough to give; we must invest in people. True social responsibility is about creating opportunities for sustainable development.” This, he reiterated, is the crux of such initiatives as the Harvard Business School Scholarship Initiative (HBSS).

The Harvard Business School Scholarship Initiative, a groundbreaking programme designed to support talented Nigerians with scholarships for the Harvard MBA programme, empowers individuals to pursue world-class education, with the goal of creating future leaders who will drive sustainable development in Nigeria. SBC’s commitment to educational empowerment reflects its belief that investing in human capital is key to long-term societal progress.

Additionally, SBC’s One Staff, One Tree Initiative, which was recognised as the Sustainability Initiative of the Year, encourages SBC employees to plant trees, contribute to environmental sustainability and promote a greener future. By engaging its workforce in this initiative, SBC demonstrates its commitment to environmental responsibility and its role in tackling climate change.