Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS The ceremony was attended by Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS, Đorđe Milićević, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Vojvodina Province, Mayors and Presidents of 11 municipalities and towns where NIS operates: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Čačak, Niš, Pančevo, Zrenjanin, Kikinda, Kanjiža, Srbobran, Žitište and Novi Bečej, and also the owners and beneficiaries of the projects delivered in the previous period. All 11 municipalities and towns included in the programme, as well as the projects and funds invested in their development in the last nine years were presented at the ceremony. In addition to the official presentation of the programme results, the municipalities also presented themselves by displaying their authentic products, food and folk costumes at stands in the lobby of NIS’s Business Centre. The municipalities and towns were presented by the owners and beneficiaries of the projects delivered in the territories of the local communities where NIS has been implementing the Together for the Community Programme. Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS, stated at the ceremony, “Successful performance of any company is measured by numbers, but its true value is in what stays behind, in what has been invested in the future and the community where we work and live. For 9 years now, NIS has been not only a large business system that produces and sells, but also a good corporate citizen, close neighbour and friend that contributes to the development of 11 municipalities and towns in Serbia. It makes us very proud to watch the former ideas and projects become a realistic, better part of life in the communities with which we cooperate.” Đorđe Milićević, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Vojvodina Province Đorđe Milićević, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Vojvodina Province, said, “We always expect the most from the big ones. This being said, I believe that NIS is one of the most successful companies today and the greatest budget contributor in Serbia. However, there is another dimension, corporate responsibility of large companies, I would call it the human dimension, and it has continuously been exhibited by NIS. 758 projects have been delivered and over 735 million dinars has been invested in the development of culture, science, education, ecology, public health, social protection and sports in the territory of AP Vojvodina through the Together for the Community Programme, which NIS has implemented every year since 2009. This data shows without a doubt that NIS has not only been taking care of itself, its market, positioning and profit all this time, but also of the places where it does business. Together with the respective local self-governments, it has been trying to help solve the problems of citizens in those local communities, sparing no expense. The Government of Vojvodina Province will always take part and be a partner in corporate socially responsible activities, supporting the initiatives designed to care for the local community and its inhabitants.” Mayor of Novi Sad Miloš Vučević Mayor of Novi Sad Miloš Vučević stated that the event shows that the end of a year is not only time for NIS to reflect on its corporate results, but also its contributions to the development of Novi Sad and many other towns and local self-governments across Serbia. “Your success, Mr Tyurdenev, is the success of us all, you invest capital to improve the lives of all citizens, you invest in the overall development of our country. Whether you call our relationship synergy or strategic cooperation, what matters the most is that it brings results which are often immediately visible, facilitating progress in culture, sports, science, environmental and social protection in many places in our country. This makes me certain that our cooperation will produce better results every year,” said the Mayor of Novi Sad. Darko Bulatović, Mayor of Niš Darko Bulatović, Mayor of Niš, noted that the Together for the Community Programme is important primarily because of the highest level of social responsibility displayed by NIS. “Eight years of joint work, 67 projects, over 70 million dinars for education, culture, social protection, support and assistance to children, the young and the sick is something that we have accomplished together and for which we are immensely grateful to you. The fact that you and we do this joint work openly and publicly is an added value. Its greatest value by far is that we do it together. For this, I am grateful both personally and on behalf of all citizens of Niš,” stated the Mayor of Niš. Andreja Mladenović, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Andreja Mladenović, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, made the following statement, “I am thankful to NIS for being a socially responsible company and recognising the importance of investing in the community where it operates. This project sets a good example for all the companies in Serbia with regard to how they may contribute to a better quality of living for all by investing in the society where their employees work and live.” Developing the local communities where NIS operates is one of its strategic objectives. Therefore, the company has been developing the Together for the Community Programme for nine years now to improve the quality of life in the local communities where it does business. So far, the programme has supported over 900 projects, which helped the social and economic development of the municipalities and towns, and the company invested over a billion dinars in them. The competition covers five fields: ecology, science/education, public health/social protection, culture and sports. 42 projects supported within the 2017 programme, for which NIS has allocated 110.5 million dinars, are being implemented and will be completed by 30 June 2018.
