T

hree Indonesian companies received awards for their outstanding performances in corporate leadership, sustainability programs and corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts at the first ever Asia Corporate Excellence Awards (ACES) in Singapore on Wednesday.

Telecommunications companies XL Axiata and Telkomsel, as well as Unilever Indonesia, each won awards in the event'€™s sustainability category. XL Axiata received an award for Top Community Care Companies in Asia, while Telkomsel received an award for the Top Companies to Work for in Asia. Unilever Indonesia won an award for Top CSR Advocates in Asia.

In response to being named a Top Company to Work for in Asia, Telkomsel director of planning and transformation, Edward Ying, said that part of the company'€™s success could be linked to the company'€™s mind-set of developing its employees so they were prepared for systematic changes.

'€œWe have a great people development program and, from what I know, employees have been responding enthusiastically. The development program is a long-term and systematic one, where we focus on giving scholarships or sending employees to international management schools. People like working for a company if they see the chance to develop themselves,'€ Ying told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday on the sidelines of the awards ceremony.

The systematic changes that Ying referred to include Telkomsel'€™s current efforts to establish 4G connection in Indonesia by the end of the year, which he said required workers with harnessed skills and continual training to develop.

Meanwhile commenting on his company'€™s award, XL Axiata chief financial officer Mohamed Adlan elaborated that the company had been focusing on education and community development in rural areas as their social program, with the aim of strengthening telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas.

He elaborated that their consideration for the award was more for the company'€™s community outreach programs and its sustainability.

'€œOur campaign involves providing telecommunications solutions in rural areas, such as mobile banking and surveillance to help local businesses, as well as providing the technical know-how,'€ Adlan told the Post.

The three companies were up against various companies from the Asia-Pacific region that have demonstrated perceived excellence in sustainability and leadership practices, among which were United Overseas Bank (UOB) Ltd., Great Eastern Life Assurance and Starhub Limited.

Other awards in the sustainability category were given for Green Company of the Year, which was won by Thailand'€™s TetraPak Ltd., and the Most Socially Responsible Company in Asia, which was won by Philippines power supply company Manila Electric for their efforts to distribute electricity across underprivileged areas in the Philippines.

Individual businesspeople, including managing directors, company founders and chief executive officers (CEO), were also honored at the awards through Top Outstanding Leaders of Asia, Top SMEs in Asia, as well as Entrepreneur of the Year.

Super Bean International founder Kang Puay Seng won the Entrepreneur of the Year award, while clothing company British India founder Pat Liew won the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

Earlier, the CEO of the award'€™s primary organizer, MORS Group, Shanggari Balakrishnan, explained that the criteria for the leadership category included not just sales turnover achieved but also how leaders drove their companies to contribute back.