A manager with HSBC, Victor Friggieri, 51, has been named this year’s Worker of the Year.

In 2004, Mr Friggieri, manager energy and sustainability, was director founder of the HSBC Cares For The Environment Fund.

He built a relationship with non-governmental environmental organisations and acquired assistance for a number of projects including the planting of 15,000 indigenous trees at Xrobb l-Ghagin, EcoSchool and the preservation of the Yelkouan Shearwater Bird Colony in Mellieha.

As a member of the bank’s sports and social club, he organised a number of activities for employees, most of which were linked to the environment.

In 2005 he worked on leatherback turtle conservation in Costa Rica and in 2007 he became the first climate champion in the HSBC Climate Partnership project.

Mr Friggieri initiated a campaign among bank employees to save water and energy and introduced ways which led the bank to reduce carbon footprint by 20 per cent in the past four years.

His work was officially recognised in 2008 when the bank was given the environmental award for industry.