Celebrating 78 ESG Champions: The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2023

The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2023 is pleased to recognize 78 ESG champions driving impactful and sustainable change to build a better Asia. Presented by regional NGO Enterprise Asia, the AREA is widely regarded as the gold standard for ESG and sustainability practices across Asia.

Beholding over 3,000 ESG programs for more than a decade, the AREA serves as a platform to showcase and provide well-deserved recognition to businesses and organizations championing sustainability, ultimately inspiring more enterprises to integrate sustainable business practices in their business strategies. Over 1 million individuals’ lives throughout Asia have been touched by the award-winning initiatives of this year’s ESG champions.

Richard Tsang, President of Enterprise Asia, stated in his welcome speech, “True sustainability can only be achieved by nurturing change agents within our businesses. These change agents thrive in environments that support and nurture their ambitions. As business leaders, it is our responsibility to foster a culture that encourages and empowers these change agents to flourish. By doing so, we enable the emergence of a new generation of leaders who will challenge conventional wisdom, disrupt outdated practices, and champion sustainable business models.”

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Since 2011, the AREA has been recognizing businesses from various industries while honoring their achievements in the categories of Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and Responsible Business Leadership. This year, over 300 submissions across 19 countries have undergone a 5-month long gruelling judging process which is based on the 3 criteria: relevance, effectiveness and reach, and sustainability.

The recipients of the Responsible Business Leadership Category which recognizes leaders who are strong advocates for responsible entrepreneurship and at the forefront of promoting sustainable practices and in institutionalizing the sustainability agenda within their business strategy include Mr. Lee Shun-chin, Chairman of CPC Corporation Taiwan, Mr. Joseph Huang, Chairman of E.SUN Bank, and Mr. Shi-KUAN, Chen, Chairman of SinoPac Holdings, from Taiwan, and Vitai Ratanakorn, President and CEO of Government Savings Bank, from Thailand.

Other notable award recipients are L’Oreal Taiwan and Watsons Personal Care Stores Philippines, Inc. under the Green Leadership category; Fwusow Industry Co., Ltd of Taiwan and HP Inc of Singapore under the Circular Economy Leadership category; Sinopac Holdings of Taiwan and the Philippine National Bank under the Corporate Governance category; Eupe Corporation Berhad of Malaysia, Qisda Corporation of Taiwan, and S&P Syndicate Public Company Limited of Thailand under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting category; Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Port Authority Of Thailand, Pertamina Patra Niaga Dppu Sepinggan of Indonesia, and TAU Corporation of Japan under the Social Empowerment category.

Prior to the AREA, the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2023 was held in the day. Similar to the AREA, this year’s ICS Summit was its first physical summit since the onset of the global pandemic. The summit convened with over 300 C-suite-level executives, business leaders, and CSR practitioners from 19 countries.

Themed “Sustainability as the Great Equalizer”, the summit provided a regional platform for leading thought leaders and CSR practitioners to explore how businesses of all sizes and industries can play with their respective strengths to leverage sustainability as a means of accelerating business growth as well as contributing toward a better world.

The Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn, expressed at the summit’s opening that “Sustainability offers us an extraordinary opportunity to create a level playing field, where every business, regardless of size, has the chance to contribute to a better world. It is our collective duty to seize this opportunity, to collaborate, and to inspire one another.”

The speakers were 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, 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 Bihn Phouc; Hon Yan Ting, Cecilia, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility of Prince Foundation; Jean-Gaetan Guillemaud, VP Corporate Affairs of Zuellig Pharma; Kounila Keo, Managing Partner of Mekhala Communications; Kristen Scharf, Country Manager of A21 Cambodia; Oeur Sothearoath, Chief Executive Officer of Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Co. Ltd; Sara Monti, Responsible Business Hub Coordinator of EuroCham Cambodia; Tomas Pokorny, Chief Executive Officer of Brixie Group & Board Member of Cambodia Assoc of Finance & Technology.

The AREA and ICS Summit 2023 are supported by CSRone, ESG Malaysia, EuroCham Cambodia, India CSR, 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. Bangkok Post, BusinessWorld, Commercial Times, Dailywire.asia, HKET, and SME Magazine are the media partners. NagaWorld Hotel is the venue sponsor, and the AREA door gift sponsor is Pernod Ricard.

Recipient List of the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (Area) 2023

Responsible Business Leadership Category

Social Empowerment Category

Investment in People Category

Health Promotion Category

Green Leadership Category

Corporate Governance Category

Circular Economy Leadership Category

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Category