In the pleasant atmosphere of the Museum of Modern Art "Macura" in Stari Banovci, NIS presented the Sustainable Development Report for 2017 Aleksandar Antić, Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia, business associates of the company, representatives of the expert public and the media, as well as the representatives of trade unions and NIS’s upper-level management attended the presentation of the Sustainable Development Report. A panel discussion on the topic of “Sustainability of Innovation” was also held, and, alongside Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS, participants included, Miroslav Lutovac, Director of the Industry Sector of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Olivera Andrijašević from the audit firm Ernst & Young and Filip Ilić, NIS scholarship holder, who has gained employment within the company after completing his studies. Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS Kirill Tyurdenev, CEO of NIS, said that the principles of sustainable development have already been embedded in every process within the company. “More than anything else, the basis of sustainable development is care for people, in every possible way – from looking at gender equality as an opportunity to the creation of dignified living and working conditions. The most important thing is the health and livelihood of each and every employee. One of the most important pillars of sustainable development for NIS is our investment in people. Since 2009, NIS has invested more than 3 billion dinars in socially responsible projects, including more than 600 million dinars in education and science projects alone. For NIS, investing in youth and knowledge is an investment that is always worthwhile, because it is about talented and young people who are motivated for and focused on change, development and innovation and who contribute to modernization, which is the key to preserving the company’s competitiveness and sustainability.” said Tyurdenev. Aleksandar Antic, Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Aleksandar Antić, Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia, spoke about the importance of doing business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. “We often tend to lose focus on the fact that this planet is the only habitat we have and the only future for our children. That is why I am proud of the fact that NIS, as probably our wealthiest company, is the leader in the field and that it sets goals that are fundamentally important for all our futures, including the future of the company. For this reason, the Government of Serbia pays special attention to the goals of the United Nations regarding sustainable development, and deeply recognizes sustainable development as an economic, social and environmental dimension that needs to be revived in various fields – from sustainable energy to investment in human resources.” Antić said. Miroslav Lutovac, Director of the Industry Sector of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, said that it is of particular importance that NIS, as one of the largest companies in Serbia, operates in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. “NIS has become a role model based both on its business results and on those other, more important, results in recent times. Their inclusion of sustainable development within their strategic aims is pronounced evidence of their long-term commitment to it. Given its potential, NIS is a company which serves as a role model for many other companies operating on the territory of our country.” said Lutovac. Olivera Andrijašević from the audit firm Ernst & Young spoke about the domestic and international practice related to reporting on sustainable development, and stressed the importance of verification of the data presented by companies in their reports. “We, as a company, are very proud of being NIS’s partners in this field, for the third year now since 2015. NIS retains its position as a pioneer in reporting on sustainable development. When you are said to be the first in something, and especially if a process is concerned, that position and claim can never be lost, so NIS will historically always be and remain the first company in Serbia to recognize the importance of reporting.” said Olivera Andrijašević. Filip Ilić emphasized the importance of investing in young people, as well as the fact that during his studies he signed an employment contract with NIS, which enabled him to fully devote himself to professional development. “For me, investing in young people is actually a tangible form of sustainable development. I signed a contract with NIS while I was studying, and that allowed me to devote myself to learning and training; I did not have to worry about existential problems. Now that I am a part of the company, it is especially important to me that training and professional development never stops, but that I am given the opportunity to attend numerous trainings, visit scientific conferences, and solve tasks that are of strategic interest to the company. What I have learned during these trainings is that the level of knowledge we carry with us fully matches the knowledge of colleagues from other foreign companies that are leaders in certain areas,” Ilić said. NIS’s Sustainable Development Report for 2017, which is in line with the standards of the world’s leading organization in the field of sustainable business Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), was verified by the independent audit firm Ernst & Young. The report focuses on the challenges in NIS’s business operations in 2017, as well as on key issues related to the company’s business activities and socially responsible projects. Among other things, the Report states that, in 2017, NIS significantly improved its financial results, thus generating a net profit of 27 billion dinars, or an 80 percent increase on 2016. In addition, NIS invested 26.5 billion dinars in company development, and thus remained one of the leading domestic investors. In accordance with the Development Strategy until 2025, NIS’s priority in the future period will be the introduction of modern equipment and innovative technologies, which will enable the company to retain its leading position upon the regional energy market. In addition, in 2017, NIS continued to implement numerous projects in the field of environmental protection, and invested 479 million dinars for this purpose. Moreover, under the slogan “Future at Work”, NIS carries out socially responsible projects in which more than 370 million dinars were invested in 2017. The company’s priority in this area is to contribute to the social and economic development of the wider social community, with particular attention being paid to improving education, in order to create the best possible conditions for the future development of young people in Serbia. Also, NIS has paid great attention to the professional development of employees, and in 2017 alone 196 million dinars were invested in their training.
