Macquarie Group Foundation
Arunthethy Thevaraja and Emma Austin
Arunthethy and Emma (alongside the 2017 BFS graduate cohort) spent more than 1,000 hours collecting recipes from over 100 Macquarie employees and compiling them into a Macquarie cookbook. The recipes represent 24 different cultural backgrounds and symbolise the value of bringing one’s whole self to work.
By garnering support from a range of colleagues and external suppliers, including employee network groups, marketing staff and in-kind support from a printer, the team were able to cover production costs. Priced at $A40 a copy, the book raised more than $A165,000 (including matching from Macquarie), for charity partner Sivan Arul Illam, a Sri Lankan charity supporting underprivileged children and women.
Arunthethy and Emma decided to support a small charity with the intention of having a large impact, and helped choose the projects to which Sivan Arul Illam directed the donation.
More than 3,000 cookbooks were sold across Australia and internationally in London, Germany, India and Manila, with half of these distributed to BFS clients.
Rohit Gupta - Volunteer of the Year
After four years of volunteering with various organisations in Bangalore, Rohit realised that there were gaps in how volunteers get connected with NGOs. To bridge these gaps, Rohit founded a non-profit organisation called Khushiyan, which means happiness. The organisation’s mission is to ‘connect helping hands’ by bringing NGOs and volunteers together to build positive community relationships.
In 2017, Rohit organised 55 events with over 35 organisations, volunteered more than 800 hours of his time and connected with over 500 volunteers and raised $A5000. In addition Rohit has connected with three national publication houses and successfully collected new books worth around $A10,000 for free distribution to NGOs as needed.
Rohit has actively engaged eight Macquarie colleagues, getting them involved with Khushiyan. He also actively engages the wider Gurugram office, especially during Foundation Week when he regularly organises fundraising and volunteering events.
Artur Kaluza - Pro Bono Adviser of the Year
Artur, together with his wife and their four-year-old son, travelled to Uganda to volunteer with The School for Life in 2017 for a month in July, with Artur visiting again for a week in September.
Initially, Artur planned to analyse sustainable commercial opportunities for the charity but this soon turned into a full organisational review. By the end of his time in Uganda, Artur had interviewed all of the management team, conducted a strategic, operational and commercial review of School for Life, and created a growth plan that is now being implemented.
Artur also conducted a financial literacy workshop with school teachers and a full day training workshop with the management team.
Since returning to Australia, Artur continues to maintain a deep connection with School for Life, spending between 3-10 hours each week advising the organisation. He coordinated a team of colleagues from procurement, credit and risk management, segmentation, HR and strategy to participate in a one-day workshop with the School for Life team in Australia.
Artur has also run fundraisers for the organisation and joined its board in July 2017.
Mexico Macquarie team - Team of the Year
In September 2017, Mexico was hit by strong earthquakes that affected thousands of people (killing hundreds) and significantly damaged the country’s infrastructure. In response the Mexico City Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was focused on getting involved in the relief efforts. After deep research of different projects they partnered with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH Mexico) to help them to rebuild the facilities that supports more than 700 children in Morelos.
The team coordinated different activities to raise money including a Casino Night and Silent Auction with more than 60 attendees including employees, families, friends and key business partners. Staff donated items for the auction and provided the venue for free to try to raise as much as they could. The event had great participation with half the office attending.
The team also collaborated with friends and colleagues from the New York office for their fundraising efforts, garnering support for their cause. Overall the Mexico City CAC volunteered over 690 hours and raised over $US206,556 (with Macquarie matching) for NPH Mexico.
New York Macquarie team - Office of the Year
The New York office (1200 staff) contributed over 11,000 hours and logged over 100 activities across volunteering, fundraising, pro bono and board service. Staff mobilised behind key programs and campaigns like Macquarie LEADS and Foundation Week, which had over 30 events in the NY office.
Beyond campaigns and programs, staff have become more involved year-round with non-profits like Sheltering Arms, a Macquarie strategic grant partner, through ongoing events and mentoring young people. Nearly 650 staff volunteered with Sheltering Arms in FY18, up 116% from the prior year.
Organisations supported through group efforts included the Double Discovery Center at Columbia, Carter Burden Network, Read Ahead, New York Cares, The Hope Program and Young Women's Leadership Network.
