ESG developments and reporting trends 2021 - Fireside chat with Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited
Now more than ever sustainability and ESG topics are coming to the forefront across the globe from a diverse group of stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, communities, investors and regulators. Driven in part by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a focus on employee health & safety, supply chain resilience, and corporate culture, along with growing concerns on climate risk to reputation and the associated impact on corporate value creation.
Following the ESG webinar jointly presented by DFIN (Donnelley Financial Solutions), SGX RegCo and industry leaders in October 2020, DFIN’s John Truzzolino, Director of Corporate Governance Services continued the dialogue with Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer of City Developments Limited (CDL). Esther is an active advocate for green building and sustainability, she spearheaded the publication of the first sustainability report using GRI standards in Singapore in 2008. Today, CDL is ranked as a top real estate company on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World 2020 list.
Watch the full interview to learn more about CDL’s sustainability journey, and hear Esther’s suggestions to businesses on driving preparedness for climate change, improving investor communications and creating decision-useful disclosures in the post-pandemic era.
Date of recording: December 18, 2020
Duration: 17 minutes
About Esther An
Chief Sustainability Officer(CDL); UNGC SDG Pioneer2018; UNEP FI Prop Gp; WorldGBC CAB; GRI Board; APREA Board; ULI; UNDP PSAG
An active advocate for green building and sustainability for over two decades, Esther has been instrumental in establishing CDL’s leadership in sustainability. It is ranked top real estate company on the 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and is also the only CDP A-List company for climate strategy and water security in SE Asia. Key ESG initiatives she has spearheaded include publishing the first sustainability report using GRI standards in Singapore in 2008; issuing the first green bond by a Singaporean company in 2017 and pioneering an SDG Innovation Loan in Singapore in 2019. As a forerunner in embracing the UN SDGs, Esther was conferred 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and A Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact. Committed to building a large ecosystem to drive change, Esther serves on the board of the World Green Building Council Corporate Advisory Board, Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA), Singapore Green Building Council and Global Compact Network Singapore. She chairs the ULI Singapore Sustainability Product Council and APREA Sustainability Committee with a view to accelerate sustainability practices in the regional real estate sector. The founder of Women4Green and Youth4Climate initiatives, Esther believes in engaging and empowering women and youths as force for change towards a sustainable future for all.
