The transformations and innovations that are currently underway, and that will continue to evolve in the coming years, illustrate the importance of people who will always find themselves at the heart of what happens.

We are rediscovering at the start of the 21st century that the ultimate objective of the economy is the human being, their environment and their happiness. This rediscovery leads us to believe that the future of the Bank relies chiefly on a rediscovery of the human behind the customer, the employee, the working environment and the brand.

In this frame, innovation is one of the three fundamental values of our Group alongside professionalism and team spirit. It also sits at the heart of our Ambition SG 2015 transformation plan that seeks to make Societe Generale "THE relationship bank, a reference on its markets, chosen for the quality and commitment of its teams."

Every day, each of us can give our customers something that will make all the difference for them, because innovation creates a relationship in which everyone is a winner: our employees, who are known for their creativity and our customers, who expect services from their Bank that are simpler, more complete, and meet their needs.

It is this wealth of ideas, good sense, observation and creativity that we must be able to harness and share.

It is no wonder, then, that the Innovation division relies on a network of 500 Innovation managers, or Innov-actors, providing every Group employee with access to a programme which encourages everyone to innovate. As such, the Group Innovation Awards are organised from September 15 to November 30 on the theme of "Innovation: you live it, you share it."

The Awards will be presented in each of the four categories for the best innovations submitted in 2010.
These four categories correspond to the pillars of the Ambition SG 2015 which sit at the heart of the Innovation programme.
- Our customers
- Our employees
- Our operating model
- Our image/communication

The expected innovations should meet one of the three criteria chosen for this year. They should encourage our Employees to be open to outside ideas and to introduce new innovations into our Group, or to create a completely new idea. We have also selected, as a third criterion, proposals for improving existing processes. As sources of operational efficiency, each of our Employees is encouraged to take a second look at their daily activities.

Beyond these criteria, a strong correlation with the objectives of the Ambition SG 2015 transformation project which will make all the difference. As Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles writes in Societe Generale's blog, SGeneration, "it’s not just innovation for innovation’s sake. It should allow us to provide services that are more relevant, of better quality, and that make use of more suitable technology."

Our idea of innovation is a daily adventure that is encouraged, carried out and lived by our entire Group and thanks to which our customers and employees find keys to success and accomplishment for the benefit of everyone!