A big thank you to #TeamSiemens for providing Covid-19 relief

We have been living in extraordinary times for more than half a year. The Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges the world has faced in decades. It has fundamentally changed the lives of billions of people, and in some cases even upended them. There has been a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear. But I’d like to take the time to say thank you – thank you to all the Siemens employees who have shown their outstanding commitment to helping others overcome that uncertainty and fear. 

It’s said that in every crisis there is also an opportunity. I believe in that, because I have seen in the past months how a crisis can bring out the best in people. I have seen people rise to the challenge and go the extra mile to make the most of a difficult situation. And I have seen people look out for and support one another in incredible ways. Sure, there has been a lot of bad, but also a great deal of good.

Back in April, when the full scope of the Covid-19 pandemic was still unfolding, we in the Managing Board at Siemens decided to set up a Covid-19 aid fund. The goal of the fund was just as clear then as it is now: to provide support to relief organizations and medical facilities as well as to individuals impacted by the crisis. And the way we wanted to do that was as a team. In addition to our personal contribution as managers, we decided that Siemens AG will match every euro donated by our employees. 

The fund is managed by Siemens Caring Hands e.V., an organization that was founded in 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Back then, the management and employees at Siemens AG were as shaken as the rest of the world – and motivated to provide direct, uncomplicated assistance to the victims of the attacks. That was when Caring Hands came into being. Years later, we at Siemens would come together again to help the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Asia as well as the victims of the historic 2013 flood of the Elbe River in Germany. 

This time around, our employees came through once again. So far, Caring Hands has collected €15.2 million in total! That’s simply remarkable. So again: thank you! Thank you to every individual who donated to the fund to help others around the world who are in need. It means a lot that so many people were willing to pitch in. 

It means a lot to the poor families in Ecuador who are being provided with basic sanitation that they didn’t have before. It means a lot to families in Bangladesh, India or the United Kingdom who have struggled to put food on the table but now can. It means a lot to the healthcare institutions and community centers in Mexico, the United States or Chile whose jobs are made even just a little easier through our aid fund. Here you can find out all the ways our Covid-19 aid fund is being put to use:

Finally, I have to say that it means a lot to me personally because it shows that we at Siemens understand our responsibility to society. In a time when our values, our democracies and our global partnerships continue be tested, it’s up to each and every one of us to come together and work together, not cut ourselves off from society and the rest of the world. And I think a lot of people understand that. And that’s what I mean when I say that I’ve seen a great deal of good over the past few months. I’m grateful to be part of #TeamSiemens.