CSR Asia Summit 2011: September 27-28 in Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- As companies in Asia pay more attention to areas involving environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues; government bodies and regional exchanges are also taking the lead in advocating sustainability.  In late 2012, Bursa Malaysia will champion the launch of an ESG Index.  Similarly, Hong Kong and Singapore stock exchanges have taken on their own initiatives to ensure that both government and corporations step up in their social responsibility to build a more sustainable future.

Against this backdrop, key leaders from various industries will gather at this year's CSR Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on 27 and 28 September, the annual flagship event of CSR Asia, to discuss CSR developments across four themes: Asian CSR strategies; environmental issues; community investment; and, sustainable supply chains and food security.

Leading the Summit will be keynote speakers, Darrel Webber (Secretary General, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), Paul Hoff (Director of Business Development, Asia, FTSE Group) and Richard Welford (Chairman, CSR Asia).  Other opinion leaders, in attendance, come from local and global corporations as well as NGOs. (Please refer to appendix for full list of Summit speakers).

Empowering companies to exchange best practices

Dr Richard Welford, Co-Founder and Chairman of CSR Asia said, "With the robust economic growth of Asian countries such as China and India, the spotlight is cast on the region to take the lead on CSR efforts.  The CSR Asia Summit will identify opportunities in Asia, especially for growth markets, and enable companies to model their businesses to embrace CSR at a global level."

"The Summit is designed to empower companies to meet industry experts to exchange CSR ideas, innovative solutions and experiences.  Our goal is to ensure the Summit is an effective platform from which thought leaders can benefit and develop long-term CSR solutions or initiatives, which would help them meet the growing expectations of their stakeholders," says Dr Welford.  

Mandatory standards for palm oil sector is another important issue that will be addressed at the Summit.  There is increasing scrutiny of the Palm Oil sector in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where new mandatory standards will be introduced in 2012.  Delegates will be able to understand the implications of these standards and the importance and implication from industry leaders such as New Britain Palm Oil, Sime Darby, Kulim and Musim Mas.

"Asian Sustainability Rating™" (ASR™)

An annual highlight of the CSR Asia Summit is the announcement of the results from the 2011 "Asian Sustainability Rating™" (ASR™).  Since its launch in 2009, the ASR™ has built a strong track record in becoming an ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) benchmarking tool for use by Asian companies, investors and other stakeholders.  It is an essential reference that has helped to add value and enable companies to integrate a sustainability dimension to their business models through the years.

Other highlights

Other than networking opportunities and speaking sessions, delegates will get to view exhibits of CSR projects and initiatives and access the Summit's unique "CSR Bazaar" session on the second day, where a selection of eight presentations and case studies will be presented concurrently.  On the final day, delegates will be brought together in roundtables at "The World Cafe", a special feature of CSR Asia Summit and a highly commended session since its inception in 2009.  A table host will facilitate group discussion on the key outcomes of the Summit so delegates can enjoy a valuable session where they are able to consolidate and discuss their learning from the Summit.

For more details about CSR Asia and the Summit, please visit www.csrasia.com/summit2011.

About CSR Asia

CSR Asia is the leading provider of information, training, research and advisory services on sustainable business practices in Asia. Operating as a dynamic social enterprise committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSR Asia occupies the unique middle ground between civil society organisations and fully commercial consultancies.  This enables us to provide independent and cutting edge services and expert insight into the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues facing companies in Asia. Through our offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Edinburgh, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo, CSR Asia builds capacity and promotes awareness of CSR in order to advance sustainable development across the region. www.csr-asia.com

APPENDIX

List of speakers and participating companies at CSR Asia Summit 2011

Keynote speakers:

• Darrel Webber, Secretary General, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
• Paul Hoff, Director of Business Development, Asia, FTSE Group
• Richard Welford, Chairman, CSR Asia

Confirmed speakers:

• Aditi Haldar, Director, GRI Focal Point India
• Alan Aicken, Vice President of Global Supplier CSR management, Huawei
• Anand Nandakumar, Associate Partner, Monitor Group
• Andrew J. Sebastian, Head of Communications, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
• Andy Schroeter, Director, Sunlabob Renewable Energy, Ltd
• Anthony Clymo, Vice President, Environment, Health, Safety and Security Asia Pacific, BASF
• Anuradha Bhavnani, Regional Director, Shell Foundation
• Ashvin Dayal, Managing Director, The Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Office
• Betsy Vincent, Vice President, General Carbon Advisory Services
• Brian Ho, Director, CSR Asia China
• Brian John Lariche, EXCO Secretary, Humana Child Aid Society
• Callum Douglas, Corporate Responsibility, China and Asia Pacific, PwC
• Carla May Beriña - Kim, Head of Sustainable Development, Manila Water Company/ Executive Director, Manila Water Foundation
• Charito Medina, National Coordinator, MASIPAG, Pesticide Action Network-Asia Pacific
• Christopher Ong, Vice President Business Development, First Choice and GoGreen, DHL Asia Pacific
• Darunee Edwards, President, Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand
• Deanne Ong, Business Development Director, ORIGIN Exterminators Pte Ltd
• Dermot O'Gorman, CEO,WWF Australia
• Detlef Krost, Executive Director, Technical & Production, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad
• Erin Lyon, Executive Director, CSR Asia
• Gernot Laganda, Regional Technical Advisor, Climate Change Adaptation, UNDP
• Graeme Ham, Director of Human Resources, Accor Hotels - New Zealand and Fiji
• Guillaume Lorcy, Marketing Manager, PT Sari Husada, Baby Nutrition Division, Danone Group
• Hans Olsen, UNICEF Representative, Malaysia / UNICEF Special Representative, Brunei
• Iriani Zulkifli, Corporate Responsibility Specialist, Corporate Affairs, Talisman Malaysia Limited
• Jean-Michel Dumont, Chairman, Ruder Finn Asia
• Jochen Weikert, Advisor, Private Sector Cooperation, GIZ Berlin
• Juan Chen, APJ Regional Manager, Global Social Innovation, Hewlett-Packard
• Keiichi Ushijima, Manager, CSR Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Kuan-Chun Lee, Senior Scientist, Procter & Gamble Company
• Leena Wokeck, Director, CSR Asia Center at the Asian Institute of Technology Thailand
• Lian Tiong Gan, Head, Sustainability Department, PT Musim Mas
• Lynette Ryan, CSR Director, PepsiCo Asia Pacific
• Manfred Heil, CEO, WeSustain GmbH
• Manfred Kern, Head of Project: Agriculture 2025, Bayer CropScience
• Manoj Chakravarti, Chief Operations Officer, Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
• Mantosh Malhotra, Regional Head, Malaysia, Philippines & Singapore, Qualcomm
• Matthias Gelber, Co-founder, Maleki GmbH
• Michelle Allen, Public Affairs and Communication Manager, Coca-Cola South Pacific
• Michelle Brown, Director, CSR Asia Europe
• Michael P. Totten, Senior Advisor, Conservation International Singapore
• Monica Marshall, Head of Global Private Partnerships, World Food Programme
• Naoki Adachi, Executive Director, Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB)
• Nenny Soemawinata, Managing Director, Putera Sampoerna Foundation
• Ola Jo Tandre, Director CR, Telenor Group
• Paul Hoff, Director of Business Development, Asia, FTSE Group
• Puvan J Selvanathan, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Sime Darby Berhad
• Rajan Kotru, Watershed Management Specialist, ICIMOD
• Renuka Indrarajah, Corporate Relations & Legal Director, Guinness Anchor Berhad
• Richard Gunawan, Vice President, Business & Sustainability Development Asia, LRQA  
• Richard Welford, Chairman, CSR Asia
• Rikke Netterstrom, Executive Director, CSR Asia
• Ron Chung, Manager - Group Sustainability Support, CLP Holdings
• Sandy Walsh, Regional Manager, Education Programs and Corporate Responsibility, Asia Pacific, Cisco
• Simon Lord, Group Director of Sustainability, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd
• Stefan Phang, Regional Director / Sustainability, Diversey, Inc
• Tara Hammond, Area CSR & Sustainability Manager, Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd.
• Thomas Brandt, General Manager, Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC)
• Thomas Knorr, Managing Director, Leschaco (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
• Thomas Tang, Director – Corporate Sustainability, Asia, AECOM
• Veronica Colondam, Founder / CEO, YCAB Foundation
• Viraf Mehta, Former Chief Executive, Partners in Change
• Yann Brault, Sustainable Development Department Director from Danone Aqua/Danone Fund for Ecosystem Asia Pacific Coordinator, Danone

SOURCE CSR Asia