Oslo Business Forum - Articles

Santander and OBF sign strategic partnership

Written by Mauricio Andres Funes | Apr 6, 2020 2:17:55 PM

Santander Consumer Bank in Norway and Oslo Business Forum agree to collaborate in creating a path to become Europe’s most climate positive business conference.

Santander Consumer Bank in Norway becomes the main partner of Oslo Business Forum, Norway’s biggest leadership conference. The two companies have been working closely together since 2018 and wish to explore collaborative methods to enhance the focus on sustainability, particularly through CO2 reduction and promoting digital transformation. 

“This agreement further strengthens our long-term relationship with Santander,” says Christoffer Omberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Oslo Business Forum. “Throughout the years, Santander has been engaged and supportive of our mission. As we re-think business and plan for the years ahead, we are confident that this agreement will enhance our goal of becoming the most significant business conference by 2022,” says Omberg. 

“Our partnership is much more than just contributing to a conference. Santander wants to change and improve the arena for collaboration, networking and idea-sharing among businesses in Norway together with Oslo Business Forum," says Anna Berndtsson, National Brand & Sponsorship Manager in Santander Consumer Bank in Norway.

Partnership signing event, at Santander Consumer Bank in Norway. From left:
Tony Rogne, Sales and Marketing Director at Santander, Dina Moldestad, Commercial Manager at OBF, Knut Øvernes, Managing Director at Santander, Fredrik C. Paulshus Dehli, Partnership Manager at OBF. 

Encouraging a collaborative mindset

“Making the conference climate positive is an important signal of how to think in all industries in the years to come if one wants to be competitive. Santander is helping Oslo Business Forum offset the related carbon footprint by working together with CHOOOSE,” says Berndtsson. CHOOOSE, a Norwegian-based climate action streaming service, makes it easy to act on climate change by making solutions for global CO2 reduction. Through this collaboration, Oslo Business Forum is supporting some of the most impactful CO2-reducing projects around the world.

Embracing sustainability for the long-term also means leveraging technology to propel businesses forward. “Our company mission is to help people and businesses prosper,” says Berndtsson. “Like all businesses, Santander needs a motivated, diverse, skilled workforce that is able to deliver what customers want, harnessing the power of new technology,” she says. 

Santander is embracing Oslo Business Forum’s new take on delivering insight and actionable ideas to leaders. With the launch of the OBF Leadership Platform, an online competence development for leaders, Santander is providing 200 of its leaders with weekly lectures, interactive webinars and live streaming of the upcoming conference. 

About Santander

Santander Consumer Bank AS is one of the largest Nordic banks providing auto financing solutions, loans, credit cards, deposits, sales finance and insurance to private customers, with more than 1,500 employees in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Santander Consumer Bank AS is part of Banco Santander, the 16th largest banking institution in the world with a history of over 160 years.

About CHOOOSE

CHOOOSE is creating a new conversation around climate change. One that is action-oriented and inspires creative, climate positive actions with measurable impact. CHOOOSE makes it delightfully easy to act on climate change by making solutions for global CO2 reduction available to everyone. With CHOOOSE technology, people and companies can directly support some of the most impactful CO2-reducing projects around the world, by integrating towards the CHOOOSE platform. These projects are carefully handpicked by our international carbon advisory team, and verified by acknowledged institutions such as the United Nations.