Joining in the celebrations commemorating Pride Week, Bank of Valletta plc (BOV) organised a casual day for all its employees on 9th September, encouraging them to wear rainbow colours and take team photographs to show support towards the LGBTIQ+ community and highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion.

This was done with a view of building stronger interpersonal relations, celebrating diversity and also respecting the individuality of each and every team member.

The team at BOV's Sliema branch

Teams from across BOV’s branches and offices sent various photos and testimonials. The team at BOV Sliema branch promoted the theme of “One Team, One Community, One Love,” while those at BOV Gzira branch highlighted that “Love and happiness can never be wrong”. Staff at BOV’s Cospicua branch said “Just be you, and that’s going to be so much better than wishing to be anything else”.

Head of Human Resources Ray Debattista expressed his satisfaction at the overwhelming response towards the initiative on behalf of People and Change at BOV. “After an absence of almost three years, we are delighted to be able to organise such initiatives again and witness our people rallying behind such important causes,” he said.

“At BOV, we strongly believe in ensuring that our people have a voice and are comfortable voicing their opinion. Through this activity, we wanted to underline this important message and rally our support behind this event,” Mr Debattista added.

Additionally, the bank also extended its support to the Malta Youth Council that works towards raising awareness and educating the public about sexual health practices, while promoting testing and working towards eradicating the stigma towards members of the LGBTIQ+ community. To show this support, the façade of the Republic Street branch in Valletta was dressed with banners promoting love in all its forms.