5 July 2023
Learn about the impactful initiatives driving social empowerment, green leadership, circular economy, and more, inspiring businesses to embrace sustainable practices.
The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2023 has concluded with a celebration of 78 ESG champions who are driving sustainable change in Asia. Presented by Enterprise Asia, a regional NGO, the awards are recognized as the gold standard for ESG and sustainability practices in the region. The focus of the event was on highlighting the impactful sustainability initiatives undertaken by businesses and organizations, aiming to inspire more enterprises to integrate sustainable practices into their strategies.
For over a decade, the AREA has served as a platform to showcase and provide well-deserved recognition to businesses and organizations that are championing sustainability. This year’s event received over 3,000 ESG program submissions, and the initiatives of the ESG champions have positively impacted the lives of over 1 million individuals throughout Asia.
In his welcome speech, Richard Tsang, President of Enterprise Asia, emphasized the importance of nurturing change agents within businesses for achieving true sustainability. He highlighted the need for fostering a culture that encourages and empowers these change agents to flourish, enabling the emergence of a new generation of leaders who challenge conventional wisdom, disrupt outdated practices, and champion sustainable business models.
The AREA has been recognizing businesses from various industries since 2011, honoring their achievements in categories such as Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and Responsible Business Leadership. This year, a rigorous 5-month judging process evaluated over 300 submissions from 19 countries, based on the criteria of relevance, effectiveness and reach, and sustainability.
The recipients of the Responsible Business Leadership Category, which recognizes leaders advocating for responsible entrepreneurship and promoting sustainable practices, included Mr. Lee Shun-chin, Chairman of CPC Corporation Taiwan, Mr. Joseph Huang, Chairman of E.SUN Bank, Mr. Shi-KUAN, Chen, Chairman of SinoPac Holdings from Taiwan, and Vitai Ratanakorn, President and CEO of Government Savings Bank from Thailand.
Notable award recipients in other categories included L’Oreal Taiwan and Watsons Personal Care Stores Philippines, Inc. for Green Leadership, Fwusow Industry Co., Ltd of Taiwan and HP Inc of Singapore for Circular Economy Leadership, Sinopac Holdings of Taiwan and the Philippine National Bank for Corporate Governance, Eupe Corporation Berhad of Malaysia, Qisda Corporation of Taiwan, and S&P Syndicate Public Company Limited of Thailand for Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Port Authority Of Thailand, Pertamina Patra Niaga Dppu Sepinggan of Indonesia, and TAU Corporation of Japan for Social Empowerment.
Prior to the AREA, the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2023 was held, providing a regional platform for leading thought leaders and CSR practitioners to explore how businesses of all sizes and industries can leverage sustainability to accelerate business growth and contribute to a better world. Themed “Sustainability as the Great Equalizer,” the summit saw the participation of over 300 C-suite-level executives, business leaders, and CSR practitioners from 19 countries.
Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn, Chairman of Enterprise Asia, highlighted the extraordinary opportunity sustainability offers in creating a level playing field for businesses of all sizes to contribute to a better world. Collaboration and inspiration were emphasized as key factors in seizing this opportunity.
The summit featured distinguished speakers from various sectors, including Alexandra Tracy, President of Hoi Ping Ventures Hong Kong; CHEM Srey Oeun, Head of the Department of Corporate Affairs at Smart Axiata; Dr. Alexander Khanykov, Sustainable Development Counselor at the Moscow Region Export Center; Dr. Niven Huang, Head of ESG at KPMG Asia Pacific; Dr. Puthearath CHAN, President of the Advanced Sustainability Institute (ASI); Eugene Kraamwinkel, Chief Executive Officer, Phu Rieng Kratie Amphivath and Dau Tu Saigon Binh Phouc; Hon Yan Ting, Cecilia, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility of Prince Foundation; Jean-Gaetan Guillemaud, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Zuellig Pharma; Kounila Keo, Managing Partner of Mekhala Radiant Communications Co., Ltd.; Kristen Scharf, Country Manager of A21 Cambodia; Oeur Sothearoath, Chief Executive Officer of Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Co., Ltd (CBC); Sara Monti, Senior Responsible Business Hub Coordinator of EuroCham Cambodia; Tomas Pokorny, Chief Executive Officer of Brixie Group and Board Member of Cambodia Assoc of Finance & Technology.
The AREA and ICS Summit 2023 received support from CSRone, ESG Malaysia, EuroCham Cambodia, India CSR, the Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce (KLMCC), Malaysia Entrepreneurs’ Development Association (PUMM), Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors (MACD), Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia (MBCC), Singapore-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), Taiwan Sustainable Development Goals Exchange Association, and Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia YEAC. The media partners included Bangkok Post, BusinessWorld, Commercial Times, Dailywire.asia, HKET, and SME Magazine, while NagaWorld Hotel served as the venue sponsor. The door gift sponsor for AREA 2023 was Pernod Ricard.
