Article written by Valora Analitik, a content creation partner for Grupo SURA.

Companies around the world are giving more and more importance to social and environmental initiatives in the regions where they operate, so understanding their real impact is becoming increasingly relevant today. The following interview was given by María Mercedes Barrera, Corporate Citizenship Manager of Grupo SURA, to Valora Analitik.

María Mercedes Barrera spoke with Andrés Cardona, editor of Valora Analitik, about the main progress made by companies as social actors in contributing not only to their own sustainability, but also to that of the societies in which they operate. María Mercedes stressed that it is important to understand that companies are there to create greater well-being in society, beyond their impact as economic actors, in an environment where they are seen as social and political actors, with rights and obligations. This is what Grupo SURA understands as corporate citizenship.

"We have to analyze and look for ways in which we, as actors, can become more relevant in society. Grupo SURA has been working on this, but I also see that other companies are increasingly including environmental, social and governance criteria in their decisions and processes. We need to continue to make headway in this area in order to be able to understand the impact that this has on society," stated Maria Mercedes.

In this sense, concepts such as Sustainable Profitability, gain particular relevance, this being Grupo SURA's strategic objective, which seeks to create added shareholder value while contributing to a more harmonious level of development for all those societies in which it operates. 

Based on this understanding, in recent years Grupo SURA has focused on an analytical framework that recognizes the balance and interconnections between the different dimensions that support wealth and, therefore, social well-being. This framework is referred to as integrated capital management, and includes economic, social, natural and human capital. 

For more, watch the full interview here:

*This article was prepared by the Valora Analitik staff for Grupo SURA. Its content is of a purely journalistic nature and does not compromise any specific positions taken or recommendations made by our Organization.