The ACES Awards recognises some of Asia's finest for the eighth year running

For the second year in a row, the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards was held virtually, due to the global Covid-19 health crisis. The event, happening today (Nov 19), recognises successful companies and individuals in Asia across two main domains - leadership and sustainability - and lauds the achievements of businesses for their contributions towards making their communities and the world a better place to live and work in.

It also extends a platform for these innovative companies and their leaders to build rapport with one another and exchange new ideas on best practices in order to drive sustainable growth across Asia.

To be a part of this elite group, business leaders or corporations need to share a common conviction and goal - to advance a business landscape in Asia that is resilient, sustainable and united. This includes integrating plans of action for forward-thinking leadership, holistic human resource management and socially responsible business ethics.

The ACES Awards are presented by MORS Group, a corporate think tank managed by a group of leaders from diverse backgrounds including serial entrepreneurs with key connections across the globe, academics, venture capitalists, corporate leaders, eminent industrialists and technology adventurists, whose mission is to assist companies.

MORS Group aims to share a platform to exhibit leadership and sustainability excellence, learn from market experts globally, engage stakeholders and employees in valuable ways, and embrace a culture of progressive learning through a series of programmes organised across Asia.

It leverages years of industry experience to conceptualise valuable business programmes that help play a role in promoting Asia's sustainable growth. ACES was conceived through MORS Groups' vision of assembling like-minded business leaders and organisations to propel Asia as a dynamic and socially responsible business powerhouse.

Overcoming unprecedented challenges

The recent editions of the ACES Awards hold an exceptionally distinct connotation, given the seemingly insurmountable challenges and aftermath brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the heightened call for mass vaccinations to be expedited as soon as possible, the spread of the virus has left national economies and businesses counting the costs, as governments struggle with recurring lockdown measures to tackle the spread of the virus.

In the thick of unprecedented adversity, businesses were thrust into uncharted territories as they raced to pivot to new operating processes and reorient their strategies to achieve elusive short-term survival and long-term resilience. While not all changes culminate in positive business performance and growth, the outcome - particularly from businesses that have successfully risen above the challenges - as well as the wisdom gained, may now serve as a blueprint for others to follow suit.

Therefore, this year's ACES Awards recognised both small and large corporations that have not only emerged triumphant over the implications of Covid-19 but also prevailed in going above and beyond to make a pronounced difference through their work.

Among them is Philippines' leading telecommunications provider Globe Telecom, which won Asia's Best Workplace of the Year award, for its outstanding and nurturing corporate culture.

American multinational digital infrastructure company Equinix secured Asia's Green Company of the Year award, in acknowledgement of its environmental excellence in green energy use and advocacy.

For the individual leadership categories, winners include Ms Vivian Que-Azcona, president of Mercury Drug Corporation, who was recognised as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and Mr Shen Peng, founder and CEO of Waterdrop, Inc., who was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Selecting the best of the best

The ACES Awards prides itself on transparency, stellar business practices and impartial judging processes. It is backed by an expert panel of eminent business people across Asia, who are armed with a rigorous checklist of procedures and standard operating protocols.

The secretariat first shortlists the nominees based on publicly available information, recommendations, research reports and past accolades, before executing a stringent evaluation process based on the final submission and documentation provided by the nominees themselves.

All the distinguished winners were featured in the exclusive Beacons book, which is published in conjunction with the event. Besides featuring the success stories and profiles of award recipients, the book also showcases the insightful and outstanding ways good leaders cultivate their organisations, turning their companies into wholesome ecosystems of care that their employees are proud to be part of.

Praising the winners, MORS Group CEO Shanggari Balakrishnan says: "As we embark on a road to recovery into a future where we coexist with the virus, these corporations and honourable business leaders have been relentless in keeping the flame of optimism burning bright while they remain confident and tenacious in forging ahead. The only way forward is to strive to get stronger and become more resilient."