Leaders and key players from the private sector gathered for the 2018 Global Reporting Index (GRI) Sustainability Summit held last October 8 at the Conrad Hotel, Manila. With the theme “Together Towards a Sustainable Philippines”, the summit was aimed at providing a forum for companies to discuss key issues and latest trends on sustainability in business.
11 October 2018 — The Makati Business Club met with some members of the Filipina CEO Circle (FCC) to discuss gender diversity in the workplace, especially in top management, and how to elevate women’s roles in Philippine corporations. Sharing their own stories of triumphs and struggles, the FCC women imparted important lessons in balancing personal life and career, and in overcoming the obstacles that threatened the achievement of such. They highlighted the importance of belief in oneself and to take on every opportunity given to them without hesitation if they want the role and finding the right support system to help them too.
25 September 2018 – The Makati Business Club, in partnership with the Australian Embassy and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), organized a roundtable discussion around the theme “Driving Productivity and Enhancing Innovation: Growth and Collaborative Opportunities in Australian Agriculture,” which perfectly encapsulates the upside potential of collaboration between the Philippine and Australian agribusiness sectors.
7 September 2018 – The Makati Business Club, together with the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) and the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE), hosted a roundtable discussion with Annika Freyer, the CEO of Male Champions of Change (MCC) Australia. MCC is an Australian organization that works with influential leaders to redefine the role of men in the advocacy of gender equality. The event presented the MCC agenda and its global initiatives to get male business leaders to promote women economic empowerment not only at the national policy level but, more importantly, within their organizations.
The ASEAN region is home to a large number of businesses, SMEs and corporations alike, that exemplify the true definition of responsible and sustainable business. Many of these cases have been featured in journals, articles and best-practice studies, but witnessing how companies implement inclusive business models and gaining inside learnings first-hand is a unique opportunity that few get to experience. That is why the ASEAN CSR Fellowship Programme, offered by the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN), is a valuable program in a way that it provides CSR officers and sustainability practitioners in the region direct access to the movers and shakers in the field of inclusive business, responsible corporate practices, and sustainable business.