Opening up to stakeholders

OPENNESS, in several of its forms, has increasingly taken centre stage on the corporate scene. The way it is manifested can range from the traditional solid bedrock of accountability, responsibility and transparency to higher ideals such as diversity and inclusiveness, which have gained currency in recent times. All these values were among the key ingredients of good corporate governance emphasised by the winners of the 2015 Singapore Corporate Awards, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

Multiple-award winners large and small dominated the field at the "Oscars" of the local corporate scene. This included conglomerate Keppel Corp, which together with its units took home trophies in four categories, the CapitaLand group and small-caps Megachem and Micro-Mechanics. The coveted best CEO award (in the large cap category) went to SingPost CEO Wolfgang Baier, who has deftly steered the company through a remarkable transformation.

Winners spoke about the importance of strong and effective engagement among board members, management and other stakeholders, as well as ensuring a healthy exchange of diverse views through rigorous debate for the benefit of the company.