Sustainability leaders recognised at the Eco-Business A-List awards Inspiring individuals across business, youth and civil society in Asia Pacific were honoured for their positive impact

Sustainability practitioners, entrepreneurs and social innovators who lead and represent companies that drive positive impact across the Asia Pacific region in putting the planet and society first were recognised and celebrated today at the fourth edition of the Eco-Business A-List.

A diverse range of individuals were recognised – they come from organisations that tackle ocean plastic, to converting agricultural waste into fertilisers, to those re-inventing electric vehicle ecosystems and ways to embrace sustainable lifestyles.

The Eco-Business A-List and A-List Youth awards are the annual who’s who list of distinguished sustainability leaders in Asia Pacific. Winners were unveiled at a hybrid awards ceremony hosted at Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore that commemorated 20 outstanding individuals who made a measurable impact on society and the environment in 2022.

These included individuals working across a wide range of organisations, such as sustainable materials engineering group Archwey, electric power distribution company Meralco, hotel management company HIND Management, marine conservation company Archireef, and environmental activists who have shown courage and commitment to the causes that they are fighting for.

The Eco-Business A-List and A-List Youth awards also celebrate individuals who are not only diverse in background, but also in age, and serves as a testament that passionate young people have the power to make a significant impact in sustainability in the region.

The 2022 Eco-Business A-List and A-List Youth drew more than 120 nominations from a wider geography this year, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

The nominees were assessed by two distinguished panel of judges representing leaders from business and civic society. After careful deliberation, 10 individuals from business, government and civil society sectors and 10 youths made it to the final A-List.

Jessica Cheam, founder and managing director of Eco-Business, said: “This year’s winners come from such diverse backgrounds, but they are united in their commitment to making a positive impact in the fields that they work in. Faced with urgent challenges from the climate crisis to resource use and improving livelihoods, it is more important than ever for those in decision-making positions to demonstrate sustainability leadership. We hope that by spotlighting the efforts of these individuals, others will also be inspired. Congratulations to all the awardees who have been recognised today, and thank you to all our partners and community for supporting this initiative.”

The A-List judges included:

• Donald Chan, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, CDP;
• Herry Cho, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability and Sustainable Finance, SGX Group; and
• Caroline Seow, Co-founder and Director, B Lab Singapore.

And judges of the A-List Youth included:

• Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited;
• Iris Chang, Regional Head of Sustainability, Grab;
• Chitra Venkatesh, Deputy Director, Knowledge and Strategic Initiatives, Global Compact Network Singapore; and
• Will McGoldrick, Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific, The Nature Conservancy.

Here are the winners of the Eco-Business A-List 2022: (see Appendix I for detailed citations)

1. Kanika Jhunjhnuwala, Executive Director, Sustainability and Environment, HIND Management, for pushing sustainable hospitality in New Zealand.
2. Mary Jean Feliciano, Vice Mayor, Brooke’s Point, Palawan, Phillippines, for protecting communities in her hometown from unsustainable mining.
3. Nguy Thi Kanh, Founder, Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID), for advocating and making progress for cleaner air in Vietnam.
4. Rozzeta Dolah, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Managing Director, Naglus Industries, for creating pollution control solutions from biomass waste.
5. Sean Gabriel Villoria, Chief Executive Officer, GerWeiss Motors Corporation, for his mission to electrify three-wheelers in the Philippines.
6. Shivangi Sultania, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Centre for Development Communication, India, for fighting to improve the lives of waste collectors in India.
7. Sidhant Gupta, Founder, Clearbot, whose solution helps to clean plastics and pollution from the sea.
8. Sjoerd Fauser, Founder and CEO, Archwey, for developing recycled and recyclable alternatives for the retail industry.
9. Tom Peacock-Nazil, Co-founder and CEO, Seven Clean Seas, for helping to tackle Indonesia’s marine pollution issue.
10. Willie Ng, Founder and Executive Director, Global Cerah, for converting agricultural waste into alternative proteins.

The winners of the Eco-Business Youth A-List 2022 are: (see Appendix II for detailed citations)

1. Ann Adeline Dumaliang, Trustee, Masungi Georeserve, for conservation efforts in the Philippines’ last green corridor.
2. Bintang Ekananda, Director and Co-founder, Alner, whose efforts are helping to reduce packaging waste in Jakarta.
3. Gary Bencheghib, Co-founder, Sungai Watch, for leading efforts to clean up Bali’s waters.
4. Kate Yeo, Climate Advocate, Singapore Youth for Climate Action, for pushing greater transparency in climate communications.
5. Melati Wijsen, Founder, Bye Bye Plastic Bags and YOUTHTOPIA, for empowering young individuals in the no-plastic movement.
6. Niels Gabriel Nable, Head of Sustainability Reporting and Partnerships, Meralco, for raising sustainability and ESG reporting practices in the private sector.
7. Tan Shi Zhou, Global Sustainability Consultant, Razer, for empowering the youth in environmental advocacy.
8. Vriko Yu, Co-founder and CEO, Archireef, for restoring endangered coral reefs through biomimicry solutions.
9. Neo Xiaoyun, Facilitator and Programmes Executive, The Untamed Paths; Educator, Ground-Up Initiative, for building greater human-nature connections for the next generation.
10.  Zagy Berian, Founder, Society of Renewable Energy, for progressing a just energy transition in Indonesia.

The Youth A-List initiative was presented in partnership with Singapore-listed real estate group City Developments Limited.

Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, CDL and Youth A-List judge said: “In this global race towards net zero, youths play a key role to drive positive change and take action against climate threats. CDL has always believed in engaging and empowering youths. With a better understanding of the climate emergency, we can expect greater action to build a sustainable future for all. EB’s Youth A-List has been serving the purpose to unearth and recognise youth eco-champions in the region, and CDL is delighted to be a major partner of this meaningful initiative since its inauguration. This complements our longstanding commitment to nurturing youths to become a force for change for over two decades now.”

Herry Cho, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability and Sustainable Finance, SGX Group, closed with these remarks: “In working to resolve challenges we face in Asia, we absolutely need pioneers. We must celebrate them, encourage them and cheer them on, as it can be a lonely journey. Nobody is a loser in the A-List awards. We would like to commend all nominees, and all present here, to celebrate these winners with us.”

William McGoldrick, Regional Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, The Nature Conservancy, and Youth A-List judge said: “It is so important for young people to be given a seat at the table, accelerating change to improve lives and the health of the planet as consumers, employees and influencers. It has been a privilege to help judge this year’s Eco-Business Youth A-List and extremely hard to pick the winners from such an impressive list of nominees. I was impressed by the amazing initiatives being led by nominees outside of capital cities. This demonstrates that sustainability is not just a big-city trend and fills me with hope that these emerging leaders will chart a new, greener, course for Southeast Asia.”

A-List winner Mary Jean Feliciano, Vice Mayor, Brook’s Point, Palawan, Philippines, on being suspended from her post for her actions against a nickel mining firm operating in the municipality: “It hurts to be suspended for doing what is right. But I am happy that the people believe in me and believe in my message that we should protect Brook’s Point and we should protect our mountains, the rivers, and the trees that gives us abundance.”

Youth A-List winner Zagy Berian, Founder, Society of Renewable Energy: “The A-List Youth Award is important and motivates me to expand our impact. I hope it increases the recognition of youth-led initiatives and prompts more stakeholders to collaborate with young people. Shaping the future of our planet requires bold action, and climate change is an important issue that must be tackled together through sustainable development. However, we cannot tackle problems without reducing GHG emissions; we have to promote responsible production and consumption, and an eco-friendly lifestyle. The young generation must first believe in the science surrounding climate change, and then take concrete action.”

The awards ceremony, attended by 100 guests in person and hundreds more virtually, featured a plenary discussion on leadership with Martin Tan, Chief Executive Officer, The Majurity Trust; Dr Rozzeta Dolah, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; and Tom Peacock-Nazil, Founder and CEO of Seven Clean Seas; videos of the winners, their portraits, and live interviews.

It commemorates the fourth edition of the annual A-List presented by Eco-Business, Asia Pacific’s leading media and business intelligence organisation dedicated to sustainable development, in partnership with Singapore-listed City Developments Limited.