Ayala Corporation

2016

Top CSR Advocates in Asia

Ayala Corporation

Top CSR Advocates in Asia

2016

Ayala Corporation

“While Ayala Corporation has been strengthening its business the last 180 years, the welfare of both society and the environment remain high priorities, on equal footing with profit”

For the Ayala Corporation based in Makati City, Philippines, sustainability is at the heart of its business strategies. One of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines, the company’s business stretches from real estate, financial services, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing services to transport infrastructure and education. It has a social commitment arm called the Ayala Foundation that has programmes focusing on education, youth leadership, sustainable livelihood and arts and culture.

The Ayala Foundation envisions communities where people are productive, creative and self-reliant. One of the projects under its education module is a centre where high-quality education is provided to bright but poor students. There are also youth empowering programmes under the youth leadership module that includes forums as well as youth-driven community projects.

Ayala Corporation remains committed to helping to strengthen the social and physical infrastructure of the Philippines. The company also consistently ensures their products and services are sustainable and “become mechanisms for inclusive growth.” This commitment is further shown by their investments in socially relevant industries such as education and healthcare.

While the company is committed to make business better, it is also committed to improving lives. Part of this commitment includes taking care of their employees, which the company believes is a potent force that brings about the achievements of the company’s objectives. Engaging 27,000 employees and acting upon their commitment to employee feedback, company dialogues have shown that Ayala Corporation achieved a score of 86 percent in their sustainable engagement score – this was found to be at par with the score of global high-performance companies. Looking after the well-being of employees is high on the agenda at the Group level and forms part of their agenda in making lives better.

For a corporation that nets over 30 billion pesos, they are keen on ensuring that, more than philanthropy or corporate social responsibility, they create shared value. They keep in mind to have innovative solutions to societal problems that are put into scalable business models. They further ensure that their businesses are anchored to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Monitoring their efforts closely, they remain diligent in reporting, and their publications have garnered various awards. Now they move on to pioneering the next level of reporting in the Philippines by targeting to release their results for 2015 and 2016 in their first integrated report by 2017.

While the company has been strengthening its business in the last 180 plus years, the welfare of both society and the environment remain high priorities, on equal footing with profit. The company recently launched its own nationwide reforestation project called “Kasibulan”, a local term that means growth and culture. The aim of the project is to contribute to the mitigation of climate change, to provide opportunities for green jobs and ecopreneurship and most of all, to bring about a change in the mindset of its employees towards sustainable living. The programme is designed such that all employees of the group are given the opportunity to take part by volunteering. It is a long term project designed to benefit future generations.

Ayala Corporation remains committed to see potentials as they make business better and improve lives.