KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2026 honored 69 outstanding ESG champions for leveraging innovation, digital transformation, and responsible business practices to drive sustainable impact across Asia. Held at the prestigious InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the awards ceremony brought together leading enterprises and visionary business leaders committed to shaping a regenerative, resilient, and inclusive future.

Presented by Enterprise Asia, the AREA continues to be widely regarded as the gold standard for ESG and sustainability practices in Asia, recognizing organizations that demonstrate innovation, accountability, and long-term value creation through sustainable business practices.

Richard Tsang, President of Enterprise Asia, stated, “The future will be defined not by the technologies we create, but by how we choose to apply them. The organizations recognized today have shown that innovation can be a force for regeneration, resilience, and inclusion. By leveraging technology responsibly, they are creating lasting value for businesses, communities, and the environment, setting a powerful example for the next generation of leaders.”

Since 2011, the AREA has recognized organizations across categories including Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and Responsible Business Leadership. Reflecting the evolving ESG landscape, the AREA introduced two new categories this year—Responsible Digital Practice and Sustainable Investing. Recipients were selected from over 350 organizations through a rigorous judging process based on relevance, effectiveness and reach, and sustainability.

Honored under the Responsible Business Leadership category are Simon Chen, Chairman of ADATA Technology Co., Ltd.; Joseph N.C. Huang, Chairman of E.SUN Financial Holding Co., Ltd.; and Shi-Kuan, Chen, Chairman of SinoPac Financial Holdings Company Limited; in recognition of their visionary leadership and commitment to sustainable business practices.

Notable awardees include Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad, Thailand’s Osotspa Public Company Limited and Bricolage Philippines INC. (MR. DIY Philippines) under the Green Leadership category; while industry leaders such as Taiwan region’s Cathay United Bank and Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corporation are recognized under the Social Empowerment category. Recipients under the Investment in People category include Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan and Vietnam Electric Cable Corporation (CADIVI), while Suntory Beverage and Food (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Taiwan region’s Syntec Technology Co., Ltd. are among the awardees honored under the Health Promotion category.

Distinguished award recipients recognized for their commitment to transparency and accountability include Taiwan region’s CTCI Group, Thailand’s Government Housing Bank, and Vietnam’s ROX Group under the Corporate Governance and Corporate Sustainability Reporting categories. In the Circular Economy Leadership category, Taiwan’s Far Eastern New Century Corporation and Oriental Union Chemical Corporation are among the recipients of the accolade. Thai Life Insurance Public Company Limited and Taiwan region’s Business Bank are among the inaugural recipients recognized under the newly introduced Responsible Digital Practice and Sustainable Investing categories, respectively.

In addition to the competitive categories, the AREA presented the Emblem of Sustainability to organizations demonstrating long-standing commitment to sustainability excellence. The Silver Emblem of Sustainability, awarded to organizations recognized by the AREA for five years or more, was presented to Asia Cement Corporation, while the Gold Emblem of Sustainability, reserved for organizations honored for ten years or more, was presented to Thai Life Insurance Public Company Limited.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2026 convened over 300 C-suite executives, business leaders, and sustainability practitioners from across the region. Themed “Leveraging Technology for a Regenerative and Inclusive Tomorrow”, the summit explored how digital transformation and emerging technologies can accelerate ESG adoption, drive systemic change, and unlock sustainable growth through thought leadership and cross-sector knowledge exchange.

The Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn, shared, “The promise of technology must be inclusive, and its benefits must be equitably distributed across sectors, communities, and economies. By harnessing innovation responsibly, businesses can drive meaningful progress, unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth, and create lasting positive impact for both people and the planet.”

The summit featured distinguished speakers including Dr. Niven Huang, Managing Director of KPMG Sustainability Consulting, Taiwan region; Dr. Surina Ismail, Chief Sustainability Officer of Group Sustainability at IOI Corporation Bhd; Nguyen Cong Minh Bao, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Green Transition Consulting & Training, Country Manager of GRI in Vietnam and National representative of Travelife in Vietnam, alongside other leading sustainability experts from across the globe.

The AREA and ICS Summit 2026 are proudly endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and supported by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia, CCI France Malaysia, Climate Governance Malaysia (CGM), CSROne, Danish Chamber of Commerce Malaysia, EUROCHAM Malaysia, Green Transition, Myanmar Business Executives Association (MBE), Singapore-Thai Chamber of Commerce (STCC), and Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE); with PR Newswire as the Official News Release Distribution Partner; Dailywire.asia and Commercial Times as media partners, and NIVEA Malaysia as the door gift sponsor.

Source: Enterprise Asia