University students from all over the United States in Charlotte for “Sync Up” event demonstrate company’s ongoing commitment to the community

Dateline:
Stamford and Charlotte, N.C.

More than 80 students participating in Synchrony Financial’s (NYSE:SYF) Business Leadership Program (BLP) took part this weekend in a bike-building activity that culminated in the donation Saturday of 20 bicycles to residents of  Hope Haven, a homeless and addiction recovery organization based in Charlotte.

The students gathered in Charlotte from universities across  the United States for the BLP “Sync Up,” a unique, three-day event designed to bring them together to meet company leaders and one another, and begin to learn about the business and its values and culture before formally starting immersive assignments and leadership development with Synchrony Financial this summer.  Participants also interacted with Synchrony retail partners and national speakers and even got tips on dressing for success.

“Volunteerism and giving back to the communities where we do business is a cornerstone of our culture, and an important component of the Business Leadership Program,” said Vice President for University Relations & Business Leadership Program Stephen Kennedy.  “We believe in the meaningful work Hope Haven is doing here in Charlotte and our incoming class of BLPs and BLP-Interns appreciated the opportunity to work together and contribute to the community in a way that aligns with our purpose statement of improving the quality of each life we touch.”

For 40 years, Hope Haven has been working to break the cycle of homelessness and addiction one family at a time. Today, Hope Haven serves over 300 homeless individuals each year who are alcoholics and addicts. With four locations in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, Hope Haven is the only licensed therapeutic community in the region that accepts adults and their children in a comprehensive residential recovery program.

Synchrony Financial’s Business Leadership Program is a two-year, three-rotation leadership development program for recent college and master’s graduates, with a supporting 10-week internship program for rising juniors and seniors, in the United States. Aimed at building domain, company and industry expertise, the BLP incorporates real world experience with cross-functional, customer and community service experiences to develop participants as leaders, and also as people.

The program participants are developed in every aspect of Synchrony Financial’s culture and given opportunities to live its values: Honesty. Responsible. Passion. Caring. Bold. Driven. The program provides diverse opportunities for young professionals to grow functional and leadership skills while providing immersive experiences designed to develop and sharpen their customer focus. The full-time rotational program culminates in a one-month community service experience.

Synchrony Financial began working with Hope Haven in 2011, with employees in the Charlotte office volunteering their time on an outdoor beautification project. In subsequent years, employees completed additional beautification projects and helped set up Hope Haven’s clothing closet. Synchrony Financial has also provided financial contributions to Hope Haven, including $15,000 for vocational programs in 2015.

Editor’s note: Photos of the bike build and donation (with captions) are available.

About Synchrony Financial     

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is one of the nation’s premier consumer financial services companies. Our roots in consumer finance trace back to 1932, and today we are the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on purchase volume and receivables.^*  We provide a range of credit products through programs we have established with a diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers to help generate growth for our partners and offer financial flexibility to our customers. Through our partners’ over 350,000 locations across the United States and Canada, and their websites and mobile applications, we offer our customers a variety of credit products to finance the purchase of goods and services. Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance) offers private label and co-branded Dual Card credit cards, promotional financing and installment lending, loyalty programs and FDIC-insured savings products through Synchrony Bank. More information can be found at www.synchronyfinancial.com, facebook.com/SynchronyFinancial and twitter.com/SYFNews.

 ^*Source: The Nilson Report (April, 2015, Issue # 1062) - based on 2014 data.

Contact: 

For Synchrony Financial – (855) 791-8007 or media.relations@synchronyfinancial.com

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