KfW-Vorständin Christiane Laibach über finanzielle Zusammenarbeit und nachhaltige Entwicklung

Yes, financial cooperation has been, I think, a very important part and component of KfW and its field of work for many years. And I believe it is a great task to enable development in emerging and developing countries together with local partners in many respects: economic development, social development, but of course we are primarily concerned with the people on the ground who should benefit from this economic and social development, to enable them to live in better living conditions, to find work, to enjoy education, to enjoy good healthcare. And that makes it, I think, a very exciting task for all of us, also for me still, and it motivates all of us every day anew.

Yes, sustainability has naturally become more and more important over the last few years. And what we want to achieve, the positive effects we want to achieve, they should really have lasting sustainability. And of course, when we think of sustainability, we very quickly think of environmental conditions, social conditions: what do our projects mean for the people on the ground in their environment, in their immediate surroundings, but also in their social living conditions.

Yes, then I don't want to go too far geographically and would choose India.

Yes, I think, although I have traveled so much over the last decades, and I think I speak for many colleagues at KfW, we are always, on the one hand, very impressed, and perhaps sometimes also surprised, how living conditions differ. What we take for granted, what we have in terms of health, education, the opportunities here, the infrastructure that offers us, is anything but a given there on the ground. And working together with partners to improve that, I think, motivates all our colleagues again and again, also very much in cooperation with our local field offices. We have over 60 field offices around the globe, and there, with many local employees, to find the best and design the projects, that is simply great and motivates again and again, I think.

South Africa.

Well, first of all, of course, very positive, that probably doesn't surprise you. But 30 years is a long time, and yet they have flown by for me. And I think that is very much because I had the chance and I seized the opportunities to take on very different functions and tasks at KfW, always in the international area. But I was, when I was young, a young project manager in development cooperation. I was for many years at KfW IPEX-Bank, which provides financing for exports for exporters and German companies. And the last few years I was in Cologne at DEG, which is also part of development cooperation but works exclusively with the private sector. So I have always, as I said, used the opportunities to reinvent myself and transfer from old tasks to new ones. And so the 30 years have flown by. And even when I look at the present and the future, the topics that mainly occupy us now are environment, sustainability, climate, digitalization – such exciting topics for the entire international area that I am very much looking forward to continuing to work on this task.

Yes, I have. And as I said, I think it's great that KfW makes it possible, and we also like to promote that our employees can prove themselves in different functions and also bring the experiences they have gained from certain tasks into other areas. We believe that in this collaboration and this bringing together of knowledge and experience, there is great value for us as a company and thus also for our partners and our customers.

Yes, then I would perhaps like to travel a bit further north in Africa and choose Ethiopia.

Yes, both privately and professionally. Even if this word is used very often, sustainability is, I think, what drives me personally. We at KfW operate in an environment where we keep the long-term perspective very much in mind and do not act short-term. And so the topic of sustainability is very close to our hearts and, so to speak, in our DNA. And that is also what, I think, drives me again and again: to see what we can achieve, to look at it over longer periods. And then of course it is the employees with whom we jointly create and develop that. And I believe that this human aspect, this collaboration that comes together, to always come up with good, new, and creative ideas and concepts, that is a very, very high value for me, and simply very motivating and great.

Yes, closeness is important to us. Closeness is also important to us as the board to further develop and drive it forward. As you also say, collegiality is, I think, very great, and that is also in a totally exciting environment, especially in the international area. There are not only colleagues here in Frankfurt, but also in over 60 countries, different cultures, different working methods and approaches that we also learn and learn to deal with, and to filter the best from them. And that is a great experience, a great treasure that KfW has.

Yes, I also thank you for taking me on this world tour, which unfortunately only took place on the map. Thank you very much.