The Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2021 has named Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad executive chairman Rozali Ismail Entrepreneur of the Year, and Royal DSM Singapore Asia’s Most Sustainable Company of the Year. The winners were awarded for their exemplary leadership, sustainability efforts and accomplishments.
Organised by MORS Group, the ACES Awards acknowledges successful corporations and business leaders in Asia across two key domains – leadership and sustainability – and honours their contributions in making substantial and exemplary impact on the world and within their community. It also extends a platform for these innovative companies and their leaders to build rapport with one another, as well as exchange ideas and best practices in order to drive sustainable growth across Asia.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Outstanding business leaders find balance between visionary foresight, performance and character. They also possess strong integrity, humility and focus, along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyse cooperation among their people.
As head of Puncak Niaga Holdings, Tan Sri Rozali exemplifies all these qualities and has been relentless in his unbounded ambition to add value and purpose through his work, beyond simple profits.
He founded the investment-holding conglomerate in the 1990s, with a diverse portfolio of subsidiaries in the construction, water, sewerage, and environmental engineering sectors. The company also conducts research and technology development for water, wastewater and environmental areas.
The company has seen eminent success under Mr Rozali, who has amassed various other accolades and achievements – both in Malaysia and internationally – through his great leadership, entrepreneurial traits, persistence and determination.
He has remained sanguine on his path despite various challenges and has triumphantly exceeded the expectations of stakeholders. For example, throughout the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic, Puncak Niaga has continued to create sustainable value and stayed on course in achieving its strategic objectives while sustaining its entire workforce, business activities and operations.
Apart from staying true to the company’s commitment to embrace a people-centric culture built on empathy, trust, open communication, respect and care, Puncak Niaga promotes a harmonious working environment and embraces workplace diversity to the highest degree. It also invests as much attention to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by conducting outreach programmes to local communities and funding government efforts in curbing the pandemic.
As a strategic leader, Mr Rozali emulates role models who have not only accomplished what he aspires to achieve but also shares the right ethical values and approaches. Besides strong work ethics, a positive mindset and dynamic leadership, he is driven by competition and trusts that it breeds the best results. He is a man of integrity and humility who remains highly driven, focused and innovative in navigating the company towards further sustainable growth.
Asia’s Most Sustainable Company of the Year
A DSM employee inspecting the manufacturing process at its Nutrition Innovation Centre, based here in Singapore. Photo: Royal DSM Singapore
Royal DSM Singapore (DSM) specialises in nutrition, health and sustainable living. For the Dutch science-based company, sustainability is the common denominator that runs through all of its work. It achieves its goal to create brighter lives for all through scientific innovation and creating value for customers, shareholders and society at large.
The company’s commitment to sustainability has been exemplified through its dedication in aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It invests effort and resources into realising these goals, with focal points anchored on zero hunger, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.
In doing so, DSM’s touch points include ending global hunger by achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture; providing sustainable solutions to promote healthy lives for all; transforming energy consumption by improving biomass conversion of biofuel and biogas, along with sourcing electricity from fully renewable resources; creating sustainable products while paying equal attention to production and consumption patterns; and taking urgent action to combat climate change.
The company also initiates the advancement of other causes like forging ahead with nutritious, sustainably produced animal- and plant-based proteins that are affordable and manufactured within planetary boundaries.
As a purpose-driven organisation, DSM also improves, enables and advocates awareness on the impact private companies have on the environment and global economy. It also continues to collaborate with other like-minded partners to collectively achieve the SDGs, and has successfully attained numerous internationally recognised key sustainability benchmarks, including the EcoVadis Platinum CSR rating and an AAA MSCI rating. Needless to say, DSM’s commitment to sustainability has trickled down its entire value chain.
It is beyond a doubt that the purpose-led, performance-driven company has transformed itself into a corporation that truly brightens lives, developing science-based solutions that culminate in a world that is happier, healthier and safer.
Find out more about the ACES Awards here.
Originally published in The Business Times (November 19, 2021) https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/hub/aces-awards-2021/aces-awards-2021-recognises-its-entrepreneur-of-the-year-and-asias-most
