Staff at HSBC Bank Malta plc had the chance to give their ideas and ask questions face to face to HSBC’s global group chief executive, Michael Geoghegan, who during his short visit, gave a straightforward appraisal to around 600 HSBC employees about how far HSBC has adopted the “joining-up-the-company” strategy launched during the 2006 roadshow. The staff also compiled questionnaires that will be forwarded to the group CEO.

Mr Geoghegan is visiting 27 cities across five continents in 21 days. This is the second time HSBC’s global CEO has visited Malta as part of his trip to HSBC’s most successful countries. These are Brazil, Mexico, USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, India, Hong Kong and China.

The aim of his roadshow is to further “join up the company” and to learn, first hand, how thousand of employees feel about the company they work for. The interactive conference included presentations by Mr Geoghegan and HSBC Malta’s CEO, Shaun Wallis.

Mr Geoghegan said: “We all have a responsibility to answer questions like: ‘How are we doing? Where are we winning? Where are we losing? Where are we going?’ In every country I also expect to hear directly from employees on this.

“During these sessions, I am giving an honest appraisal of how far we have come in “joining up the company” since last year, as this is what investors and customers want to hear about. What truly motivates me is the direct feedback, the audience participation, and the chance for thousands of us to come together and share our ideas and commitment to making this organisation the best place to work and bank at. It’s something that I hold dear to my heart,” he said.

HSBC Group’s CEO believes that companies where staff are engaged and look forward to work every day generally outperform their peers by about 15 per cent. His ambition is for HSBC staff to have the highest engagement level in the industry, to the extent that they even recommend the company to their friends as a great place to work.

Mr Wallis said: “Being part of this global tour gives us a sense of pride.

“Being really ‘joined up’ with the rest of the HSBC Group puts us, here in Malta, in the best position to give the best value to our customers and our shareholders.”

This was Mr Geoghegan’s third visit to Malta in 16 months. Prior to last year’s Global Roadshow visit, he was here for the launch of Malta’s World Heritage Sites, supported by HSBC Cares For Malta’s Heritage Fund.