Fortis uses sponsorship primarily to raise awareness of our brand and to develop our brand image. In principle, we only enter into long-term commitments and do not sponsor projects with an obvious political, religious or philosophical bias, or projects that only serve individual interests.

In the Netherlands, we sponsor activities in the fields of sport (football and running) and entertainment (musicals). We are involved in Belgium in team sports (football, basketball and volleyball) and a broad mix of cultural events (music, film and the arts). We have an active sponsorship programme in Luxembourg with commitments in sports and music. In Turkey, Fortis is the naming sponsor of the Fortis Turkish Cup. All of these activities underline Fortis’s values, such as performance, team spirit and accessibility. In addition to these sponsorship activities, we develop our own events and hospitality opportunities to support our businesses and to thank our customers for their loyalty and trust. Wherever possible, we combine a sponsorship programme with a good cause. The Fortis Marathon Rotterdam, for example, offers a platform for a broad range of cause-related initiatives that we help to set up and support. An example is the Fortis Charity Challenge, in which four organisations use the Marathon platform, challenging each other to raise as many funds as possible.

The Fortis Ambassadors concept involves Fortis employees in our sponsorship activities. It gives them the opportunity to watch cultural performances or attend sports events at discounted rates or to actively participate in sponsored events as volunteers or competitors. By doing so, our employees are true ambassadors for the company while enjoying the benefits of sponsored activities. All this helps to make them proud of the company they work for.