Wendel launches its endowment fund, Wendel Cares

Press release –March 22, 2022

Wendel launches its endowment fund, Wendel Cares

Wendel has created an endowment fund called Wendel Cares, through which Wendel aims to give fresh impetus to its philanthropic activities. Wendel Cares will bring all of the Group’s corporate patronage initiatives under one roof and extending their scope to other themes that are in line with the challenges facing our society today.

Wendel’s historical commitments

Wendel’s commitment to civil society is deeply embedded in its corporate culture and its family heritage. This commitment goes hand-in-hand with Wendel’s long-term vision of the investment profession. Historically, Wendel’s corporate patronage activities have been based on two commitments: education and culture, through its long-term partnerships with the Wendel International Center for Family Enterprise (Insead) since 1996 and with the Centre Pompidou-Metz since 2010.

In 2018, under the impetus of the Executive Board, Wendel extended its corporate patronage activities to solidarity initiatives. At that time, Wendel formed a philanthropy committee to select projects proposed by employees.

Félicie Thion de la Chaume, Chairwoman of Wendel Cares, said:

“In creating Wendel Cares, Wendel wishes to develop its philanthropic activities, in line with its values. Throughout its history, Wendel has always promoted the values of mutual assistance and social progress, expressed through family and childhood protection and unencumbered access to healthcare, education and culture. On the strength of this heritage, Wendel Cares will perpetuate those values by supporting the initiatives that fall within its scope.”

Scope

The objective of Wendel Cares is to finance organisations and associations active in one of the five areas to which it has made a commitment. The fund’s Board of Directors, composed of nine Group employees with experience in these activities, studies and then monitors these projects.

The endowment fund’s five commitments:

Wendel Cares will pursue Wendel’s historical corporate patronage activities by supporting:

• culture – via the Centre Pompidou-Metz
• education – via the partnership with Insead;

And will add three new commitments:

• equality of opportunity and integration into employment;
• medical research and healthcare;
• environmental protection.

Since 2010, Wendel has devoted more than €5 million to the support of around 20 associations.

Attachment

• PR_Wendel Cares_220322