Petra Sandner is driven by the desire to shape the green transformation of the banking landscape and bring about positive change. For almost three years now, the 48-year-old has held the position of Chief Sustainability Officer, responsible for the sustainable development of the entire Helaba Group. This role was newly created for the entire corporation and filled internally "I find my current subject area to be one with an incredible amount of creative possibilities," she elaborates. "It offers a lot of space – there has rarely been so much change in banks. Everyone can contribute, do good, and find meaning in their work."

The path to this position was not necessarily predetermined. After completing her hotel management training and a degree in business administration, Sandner joined Aareal Bank in 2003, where she worked in hotel financing. After a stint at IKB, she moved to Helaba in 2008 to focus on transport financing, eventually becoming a department director in 2016. Sandner says that after 15 years of working for the Landesbank, she is not only familiar with the structures and many employees, but her experience in the credit business is helping her in her current role to understand how best to support and finance the green transformation of bank customers.

"We have achieved a lot and made a lot of changes," Sandner summarizes the past years. Even though she is confident that Helaba will achieve the sustainability goals it has set, she acknowledges that some aspects have proven to be more challenging than initially thought. "That's normal," says Sandner. "You also need perseverance and a certain level of tolerance for frustration."

In the fight against climate change, she believes patience is necessary, as meaningful change takes time. "Of course, it would be better if things happened faster, but the key is that change is occurring. If I weren't confident that we can achieve something, I wouldn't need to get up in the morning." She takes pride in the fact that Helaba applicants give feedback that the bank's sustainable initiatives are perceived as authentic and credible.

By the end of the year, the Helaba Sustained Program is set to be completed, the purpose being to sustainably strengthen the group and implement regulatory requirements from the European Union and supervisory authorities. According to Sandner, at that point, Helaba will have achieved its interim objectives across the corporation, including those related to business focus, product development, market presence, and regulatory compliance.

"Helaba Sustained" brings together sustainability experts with employees from various departments throughout the group. This integration ensures that sustainability is firmly rooted within the corporation and can continue to evolve from there. This responsibility falls to the eight-member Sustainability Management team, which was established last year and is led by Sandner.

In 2021, the Helaba Group set five sustainability goals and derived corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure their achievement. Now, there are six of these KPIs in place. One of them pertains to promoting diversity, aiming to increase the representation of women in leadership positions to over 30%. Another KPI is focused on expanding the share of sustainable business volume in the portfolio to 50% by 2025, with substantial progress already made, reaching 46% last year. Petra Sandner notes, "We observe positive developments in all our KPIs, and we are actively working to further develop existing ones and introduce new ones where necessary."

Of particular importance to her is leveraging opportunities to advance transformation financing even more than before. While this is typically not an issue for larger corporations, there is still a need among medium-sized companies. Sandner aims to target the larger mid-sized clients of Helaba to provide better support and guidance on their transformation journey. She points out, "There are already many positive examples, but there is potential for further improvement." CEO Thomas Groß has recently stated that financing and supporting the green transformation is viewed as one of the bank's growth areas.

Sandner emphasizes that in transformation financing, the focus is always on the object being financed. The key consideration is the funded activity, meaning that, for example, green activities of an energy producer would be financed, even if the company still has substantial investments in coal or natural gas but is transitioning to greener practices.

In its Sustainable Lending Framework, Helaba has established criteria for determining what it considers sustainable. This framework aims to address gaps arising from the still evolving ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulatory landscape. Helaba defines financing that contributes to positive ecological or social impacts and responsible corporate governance as investments in areas such as renewable energy, affordable housing, health, and education. Controversial weapons, like cluster ammunition, as well as financing for gambling, nuclear power, or coal, are excluded from their sustainability criteria. The specialized sustainability rating agency ISS ESG has evaluated and approved the framework.

For Sandner, sustainability personally means constantly considering, "Should I make this decision, do I need to buy this, or travel there? What effects am I causing with these choices?" She places significant importance on passing this awareness of how she consumes, lives, and manages resources to her two children. Sandner emphasizes that mindfulness is not about deprivation. She clarifies, "Living sustainably does not automatically equate to restriction. I don't see it that way. Instead, it's a transformation."