On 31 March, Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) presented its first “BIL Challenge Cup Awards” to three intrapreneurship projects proposed by its employees. Karin Scholtes, Head of People, Culture & Communication, explains the approach behind the concept.
In September 2021, Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) launched an internal call for projects on three unifying themes: the development of new business opportunities, ESG and the organisation of BIL. 150 employees responded to the call for ideas. On 31 March, the banking group presented its first “BIL Challenge Cup Awards“, rewarding the best team in each of the three categories.
Karin Scholtes, how did the idea come about?
The idea did not come from the PCC department but from a member of staff in another department of our group, who presented the concept to me. I thought it was an excellent idea and submitted it to our Executive Committee. They quickly gave the green light to this challenge.
This is the first time we have launched the initiative within the bank and we intend to repeat it in the following years. Out of the 15 projects submitted, we chose the three best ideas. This does not mean that the others were bad. We also selected a favourite project, which made a strong impression on us.
Why did you choose these topics in particular?
BIL is not just a retail bank – since its foundation in 1856 it has been the bank of reference for entrepreneurs. Intrapreneurship is a great opportunity to develop skills, to better understand and serve entrepreneurs. We also felt it was important to focus on environmental issues. We embarked on the ESG path two years ago. And environmental issues and the ecological transition have never been as crucial as they are today. ESG is a key issue for us and our clients. It is therefore natural and important that we address it together, to support them in their environmental objectives and challenges.
As far as the client theme is concerned, bringing the world of entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial projects into our group is crucial. Regulation monopolises many resources, and it seemed crucial to refocus our energies on those for whom we ultimately work: our clients. And from an organisational point of view, listening is an important value within our bank: we listen to our employees, but also to their ideas in order to develop them and to move the bank forward.
“We helped them build their teams by advocating multidisciplinary expertise and by suggesting employees from different departments who could contribute their know-how.”
Karin Scholtes, Head of People, Culture & Communication at BIL
From an HR perspective, what were the main objectives of this challenge?
The approach was threefold: firstly, to develop intrapreneurship internally, by instilling an entrepreneurial spirit within the staff. Secondly, we wanted to offer our employees the opportunity to turn an initial idea into a real project, from design to implementation.
Our internal surveys show that our teams have many ideas. These are often discussed around the coffee machine, but rarely go beyond that stage. So we wanted them to get attention within the organisation and to be implemented.
Finally, the third objective was to reunite, in team building mode, the employees who had returned to the office after two years of confinement and teleworking. We wanted to unite them around a common objective and to ensure that the intrapreneurs were involved in the bank’s projects.
In order to reinvent itself constantly, our group needs profiles and talents who are willing to invest in development in entrepreneurial mode and who have an intrapreneurial mindset. Because today’s banker is above all an entrepreneur at heart, who understands the challenges of his clients, who are also entrepreneurs, in order to better support them in their business projects.
How were these intrapreneurs supported?
We helped them build their teams by advocating multidisciplinary expertise and by suggesting employees from different departments who could contribute their know-how. Depending on the topics chosen, we provided them with an internal mentor to help them develop, (re)position and even bring their idea to fruition, and to direct them to other people within the bank who were already working on similar concepts.
They also benefited from the expertise of external coaches. For example, Ilana Devillers, CEO of Food4All (F4A) shared her secrets for a successful pitch and Kamel Amroune, CEO of The Dots inspired them on the path of an entrepreneur from idea to execution. Like a start-up that has to raise funds or convince an audience that its idea is excellent, the teams had to present their project in front of a jury of experts and members of the Bank’s Executive Committee. During these six months, we also gave them visibility within the group on their project, by communicating on our Intranet.
What was the most important aspect of this challenge?
The number of employees – 150, or 15% of the total workforce – who responded to the call for projects. We were also extremely surprised by their interest and above all by their commitment, knowing that 2022 will be a year full of challenges, for the bank and for themselves, because we have many projects on our roadmap this year. It should also be noted that the teams worked on their project outside office hours, in the evenings and at weekends. This demonstrates their strong desire to invest in a better value proposition and in the future of their bank.
“Our employees need to know that their entrepreneurial ideas, if they are relevant, can be developed and put into practice within our bank.”
Karin Scholtes, Head of People, Culture & Communication at BIL
What skills do you think these teams acquired during the challenge?
Our employees clearly learned how to sell and defend a project. Between the development and the deployment of the project, it will certainly be a long way for some teams. As HRD, this challenge also aimed to develop internal project and entrepreneurial skills. And there is nothing like “learning by doing” to achieve this.
What will you do with this challenge?
Four project ideas have been selected. It is now a question of seeing how the teams will implement them and make them a reality. For our part, we will remain agile in promoting their projects and integrating them into the bank’s current and future projects. It will be just as important for us to capitalise on their feedback and their feelings after this challenge.
Our objective is to make this first edition a habit, and to make it an annual competition. Our employees need to know that their entrepreneurial ideas, if they are relevant, can be developed and put into practice within our bank. For us, creativity remains an important driving force, especially in these times of crisis. It helps us to see the world differently, to reinvent ourselves and to do things differently.
