One of the Island’s biggest charities has received an unexpected financial boost from employees of a visiting multinational firm, in combination with a prominent local businessman.

BMC Software Inc. donated $20,000 to the Salvation Army, in honour of its annual sales recognition conference, held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess this week. Based in Houston, Texas, the company recorded $1.49 billion in sales last year and is the world’s fourth largest software firm.

More than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies rely on their software. Each year, around 400 of its employees from almost every country in the world, converge at an international destination in order to be recognised for their performance within the conglomerate.

Former UBP MP Allan Marshall was invited by the company to be a guest speaker and give a presentation on Bermuda.

However, when he discovered the group wanted to organise a “fun, run, walk” in support of a local charity, he waived his speaking fees in favour of the initiative. Around 200 employees, most of which have never been to Bermuda before, set out for the fundraiser on Thursday.

Cos Santullo, BMC Software’s senior vice-president of world-wide sales and services and a friend of Mr. Marshall, said the company felt compelled to make the contribution in the name of philanthropy.

He explained: “We run this conference each year to recognise our hard-working employees, at a world-class resort.

“Our charitable initiative is something we’ve done in many countries already. We choose to have a fun, run and walk on Thursday and we said the more employees that participate, the larger the contribution the company would make.