# A most heartfelt thank you to our clients

**We would like to express our gratitude to our clients that, in these difficult times, have step up in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on most vulnerable groups.**

**A story of hope**

These last months have been extremely difficult for all our clients and users. The business community, around the globe is struggling financially, with many liquidations and lay-offs, which in turn has also had a great impact on our users.

In these difficult times, we have witnessed how the vast majority of our clients have succeeded in keeping jobs, and have gone the extra mile to protect their employees both in terms of their health and their financial stability.

Not only that, we have also seen how our clients have stepped up and put an extra effort in mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in society, by increasing the production and ensuring the availability of essential products and services, but also by being involved in countless pro bono initiatives.

This commitment to society is something that, at BusUp, we deeply value and appreciate from our clients. We are strong believers in corporate and personal responsibility and it is a pleasure to verify that our clients share the same vision of the world as we do.

It is impossible to convey and summarize all the extraordinary initiatives in which all our clients have participated during the last months, but we would like to share a summary of the ones that we have been aware of, and also the ones that we are most proud of. We do apologize in advance if we miss any relevant initiative and we invite our clients to share them with us so as to be able to make this amazing list as much longer and richer as possible.

**Covid-19 related initiatives participated by our clients**

**Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol:** This amazing hospital based in Barcelona, not only has succeeded in attending the surmounting demand generated by Covid-19, they have also led an international study that has proven the efficacy of “Remdesivir” antiviral in treating Covid-19, being the first scientifically rigorous study to demonstrate the effectiveness of a drug in treating Covid-19. [More details](https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/barcelones-nord/20200430/48845077589/can-ruti-hospital-germans-trias-i-pujol-tratamiento-coronavirus-covid-19-eficacia-medicamento.html)

**Grupo Big:** They are one of the largest food retailers in Brazil, and not only have they strengthened operations to ensure food supply in Brazil during Covid-19, they have also donated more than 300 tons of food to institutions that together attend more than 450 thousand families. [More details](https://www.big.com.br/noticias/35-grupo-big-reforca-compromisso-com-a-sociedade-diante-do-impacto-do-novo-coronavirus-no-brasil)

**Roche:** One of the largest healthcare companies worldwide, among many initiatives, Roche has launched a PCR test to detect Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, has been diligently and urgently working to bring a reliable immunoassay solution to the market. [More details](https://diagnostics.roche.com/global/en/c/covid-19-pandemic.html)

**Grifols:** Grifols is the largest healthcare company in Spain and, among other initiatives, they have developed diagnostic and screening tests for detection of Covid-19, and are working on a plasma-based potential treatment. [More details](https://www.expansion.com/catalunya/2020/06/11/5ee1d3f0e5fdeaa8378b464a.html)

**Nestlé:** Nestlé Portugal provided special protection and recognition to its employees, by providing a 12 weeks salary guarantee for those employees not able to work as a consequence of Covid-19, in addition to a bonus salary to employees that have been running the operations of the company in these demanding times. In addition, the company also committed to donate food, medical nutrition products and bottled water to bring relief to those most affected by the pandemic, to deploy available logistics capacities from their out-of-home business to support the needs of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in various countries, to donate CHF 10 million for immediate deployment in countries where it is most needed and to match 1:1 any donations to the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies or Federation made by their employees. [More details](https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/coronavirus-covid-19-response-partnership-ifrc)

**Siemens:** The company has developed a laboratory total antibody test¹ that will detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood. Siemens Portugal has gone big in their pro-bono activities by supporting the installation of two campaign hospitals, donation of 100 IT equipments, 2 echographs, and more than 1,000 meals, etc. [More details](https://press.siemens.com/pt/pt/comunicadodeimprensa/siemens-oferece-ecografos-ao-sns-para-acompanhamento-de-pacientes-com-covid-19)

**Cognizant:** Cognizant and its U.S. and India Foundations have committed $10 million to address the immediate needs and long-term impacts of COVID-19 in communities across the globe. [More details](https://www.globalgiving.org/cognizant/)

**Accenture:** In a joint initiative, Accenture has created a platform called People + Work Connect, an employer-to-employer initiative that brings together companies laying off or furloughing people with those companies in urgent need of workers, to keep people employed during times of Covid-19. There is no cost for employers to join and participate. [More details](https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/people-and-work-connect-brings-together-leading-companies-to-keep-people-employed-during-covid-19-crisis.htm)

**DXC Technologies:** Among its numerous Health Digital Services, this American Multinational corporation has recently launched an advanced Patient-Centered Care solution, a customizable and personalized-health offering that provides advanced patient-engagement tools that offer convenient care from anywhere, via phone or tablet, at an affordable price. [More details](https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/dxc-technologys-integrated-patient-centered-care-solution-creates-new-opportunities-for-interoperability-and-patient-engagement?publisherId=58763726&releaseId=69877216)

**Teleperformance:** Besides delivering a wide range of helpline and other essential support services to help public and government efforts in the fight against Covid-19 across all world regions, they have also provided support in the provision of food and medicine home delivery information and shopping vouchers in Italy, and made donations to vulnerable groups in Colombia and Portugal. [More details](https://teleperformance.com/en-us/resource-center/teleperformance-provides-worldwide-support-for-covid-19-essential-services)

**Millenium bcp:** The largest bank in Portugal has been crucial in providing financial relief to both Portuguese citizens and enterprises during the crisis, accepting delayed payments of credits, mortgages, among others. Besides the stress relief initiatives, Millennium bcp has also responded to the appeal from the AEP and the Ordem dos Médicos (Portuguese Medical Association) and joined the fundraising campaign with a donation of €50,000 to help acquire equipment to combat COVID-19. [More details](https://ind.millenniumbcp.pt/en/Particulares/Pages/Mbcp-AEP.aspx)

**Novo Banco:** This large Portuguese bank has provided several financial stress relief measures including commission-free products during Covid-19, and a delay of up to 12 months in credits repayment plans, etc. [More details](https://www.novobanco.pt/site/cms.aspx?labelid=medidas_nb_covid)

**Altice PT:** In addition to ensuring the robustness of the telecommunications networks during these demanding times, Altice Portugal (in collaboration with Huawei) has made available to the Ministry of Health hundreds of communications equipment that will allow thousands of Portuguese to remain connected, namely health professionals and inpatients who, due to the circumstances imposed by the pandemic outbreak of Covid-19, are currently deprived of contact with their families. [More details](https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/04/04/telecommunication-giants-pledge-to-keep-portuguese-hospitals-covid-19-patients-and-their-families-connected/)

**Merlin Properties:** This large Spanish real estate company has contributed to a joint initiative that aimed at bringing to Spain 4 latest state-of-the-art robots to process massive PCR testings. The robots have been installed in the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the hospitals of La Paz, in Madrid, and Vall d’Hebron and Clinic, in Barcelona. [More details](https://elinmobiliariomesames.com/empresas/merlin-participa-en-un-proyecto-para-poner-en-marcha-robots-para-realizar-pruebas-del-covid-19/)

**IESE Business School:** This business school #1 in the world in corporate education programs has provided free and open access online master classes during the pandemic to help the business community to better understand how to navigate during these times of high volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

We would like to thank all our clients for their trust in BusUp in these uncertain times and, most importantly, for their social contribution in fighting the negative impacts of this pandemic.

Please, feel free to contact us if you believe we may have missed any significant contribution from this list. We’ll be glad to amend.