Date: September 17, 2024
- Investors Choice Awards (“ICA”) Ceremony will be graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as Special Guest
- Corporate nominations assessed based on comprehensive framework and LSEG scores, followed by evaluation of judging committee
- New Investment Blog Award honours top websites providing insights on investing and financial news that can impact investment decisions
- Overall, 50 corporates and 12 individuals will be honoured with over 80 winners at ICA
- Nomination process recognises inclusivity while upholding stringent judging criteria
- SIAS’ continuing commitment to resolving investor disputes “in the Boardroom and not the courtroom” and empowerment is well-encapsulated in the book, “Boardroom Knockout”, to be launched officially as part of SIAS’ 25th Anniversary celebration
SINGAPORE, SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 – Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (“SIAS”), a strong advocate for corporate transparency and progressive industry practices aimed at protecting shareholder interests, will host its annual flagship ICA 2024 ceremony that honours corporates and individuals for their exemplary practices and contributions.
HONOURING EXEMPLARY CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS BEST PRACTICES
The ICA 2024 ceremony will be graced by Guest-of-Honour, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. SIAS’ ICA has been a cornerstone of its Corporate Governance Week, celebrating over a decade of recognising excellence in companies and individuals adopting good corporate governance and sustainability practices. The ceremony celebrated the exemplary contributions of both corporates and individuals, setting as a benchmark for excellence.
Together with NUS-CGS and its industry partners, corporate nominations are evaluated based on a comprehensive framework, followed by an assessment with the LSEG scorecard (refer to https://sias.org.sg/corporate-governance-week/awards/ for the areas of assessment of all awards). Subsequently, the judging committee, comprising of industry partners, tabulated scores based on both quantitative and qualitative inputs to determine the winners.
In recognition of websites and blogs that provide insights into investing and financial news that can impact investment decisions, the new Investment Blog Award categorised under the Financial Journalist Award, has been launched to honour outstanding content creators who educate and empower investors.
Mr David Gerald, Founder, President & CEO, SIAS, said, “In the rapidly evolving AI landscape where technological advances drive exponential change, governance not only present opportunities but also introduces complexities and uncertainties. While boards are harnessing their transformative potential, investors are rightly concerned about its implications.
“Good governance is critical to ensuring boards balance the competitive deployment of AI. When strategically aligned, sustainability and AI become powerful levers for value creation, fostering responsible innovation that benefits all stakeholders. Ultimately, companies not only need to do well in terms of financial performance, but they must also do it right by anchoring good corporate governance to drive meaningful impact.
“This year, SIAS marks our 25th anniversary and to commemorate this milestone, we are proud to launch the book, titled “Boardroom Knockout”, championing the approach of solving problems “in the Boardroom, not the Courtroom’’. We stay true to our founding mission of empowering investors through education and promoting good corporate governance and sustainability practices as we chart our course forward.”
This 280-page 25th Anniversary book was written by Aaron Low, Nutgraf, author and journalist covering politics, business and social affairs. Boardroom Knockout: How Singapore’s Investor Watchdog Fights for Minority Investors tells a story of unique successful shareholder activism and brings readers the inside story behind the scandals in the local bourse, while showing how activists went toe-to-toe with the biggest corporations.
Following the book launch, all dinner guests will have the opportunity to purchase a personalised signed copy of the book by Mr David Gerald. Proceeds from the book sales will support the advancement of SIAS’ cause. The book outlines the outstanding achievements of SIAS under the leadership of Mr David Gerald, Founder, President & CEO, SIAS, illustrating how his team continues to play an active role to educate and stand up for the rights of minority shareholders. Of note, SIAS played a critical role in enabling investors to get back their CLOB shares totalling billions of dollars after the shares were frozen by Malaysia during the Asian financial crisis.
To coincide with SIAS’ Corporate Governance Week, themed “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Corporate Governance and Sustainability on Key Stakeholders”, SIAS recently held a drawing competition with selected schools. The theme was “Green, Sustainable Finance, Nature, and Biodiversity,” encouraging students to explore these concepts through the lens of Singapore’s natural environment and the importance of sustainability in education and finance. The participating students are all under the age of 21. (refer to Annex C for the winning artwork description). SIAS will be presenting the winning drawing to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam as a Token of Appreciation.
50 CORPORATES HONOURED AS JOINT WINNERS FOR ICA’S 83 WINNERS
At ICA 2024, 50 corporates and 12 individuals will be honoured with awards from the seven awards categories including the Singapore Corporate Governance Award, Singapore Corporate Sustainability Award, Investors’ Choice Outstanding CEO Award, Shareholder Communications Excellence Award, Financial Journalist Award, Best Retail Broker Award and Most Transparent Company Award (refer to Annex B for full list of winners).
To promote the industry standard of excellence in practices upheld by listed companies, award categories are limited to winners only, underscoring ICA’s inclusivity and stringency of the judging criteria.
The newly introduced, Investment Blog Award under the Financial Journalist Award category will recognise website and blogs that offer valuable insights on investing, covering various investment options, strategies, and financial news that can impact investment decisions. This award honours exceptional content creators who educate and empower investors.
Furthermore, the incorporation of shareholders’ votes for the Outstanding CEO Award and Best Retail Broker Award highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement, while also fostering sense of ownership and participation among shareholders. For more information, please refer to SIAS’ ICA website at https://sias.org.sg/corporate-governance-week/awards/.
ICA 2024 will be attended by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as Special Guest as well as about 800 corporate leaders, regulators, media and investors. ICA 2024 is part of SIAS Corporate Governance Week 2024, held from September 16 – 19. The four-day week event provides an invaluable opportunity to gain insights from industry experts, thought leaders and global executives as they share the latest trends in Corporate Governance across the corporate and charity sectors.
The event is also supported and endorsed by many professional and trade bodies, as well as leading institutions and corporations, including:
Supporting Exchange
- Singapore Exchange (SGX)
Supporting Organisations
- Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS)
- Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
SGListCos
- Singapore Business Federation (SBF)
- Singapore FinTech Association (SFA)
Endorsers
- Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA)
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
- Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME)
- CFA Society Singapore
- CPA Australia
- Financial Markets Association of Singapore (FMAS)
- Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA)
- Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS)
- Securities Association of Singapore (SAS)
- The Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore (IIA)
The official media is The Business Times and the official IR consultancy is Citigate Dewe Rogerson.
About SIAS
SIAS actively promotes good corporate governance and transparency practices, investor rights, investor education and is the watchdog for investors in Singapore. SIAS rates companies on their governance practices together with industry partners and rewards companies excelling in good corporate governance practices.
SIAS, the largest organised investor group in Asia, is run by an elected Management Committee comprising professionals who are volunteers. It is now a registered Charity and an Institution of Public Character.
In addition to its focus on corporate governance, SIAS extensively provides a variety of investor education programmes to its members and the investing community at large through collaborative arrangements with financial institutions and listed companies interested in investor education as part of their corporate social responsibility agenda.
For more information about SIAS, please visit www.sias.org.sg.
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF:
Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (“SIAS”)
BY:
Citigate Dewe Rogerson Singapore Pte Ltd
158 Cecil Street #05-01 Singapore 069545
CONTACT:
Ms Dolores Phua / Ms Louise Lim
DURING OFFICE HOURS:
6589 2383 / 6589 2366
EMAIL:
dolores.phua@citigatedewerogerson.com
louise.lim@citigatedewerogerson.com
ANNEX A
The STEM scores include 5 areas of assessment:
- Strategy and Governance
- Target and Metrics
- Environment and Climate
- Materiality and Stakeholders
- Social and Organisation
The Refinitiv stock scores include 5 components-quantitative assessments:
- Earnings
- Fundamentals
- Relative Valuation
- Risk
- Price Momentum
ANNEX B
SIAS INVESTORS’ CHOICE AWARDS
WINNERS’ LIST 2024
SINGAPORE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AWARD
| Big Cap | Winner | Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited |
| Winner | Keppel Ltd. | |
| Winner | Sembcorp Industries Ltd | |
| Mid Cap | Winner | BRC Asia Limited |
| Winner | QAF Limited | |
| Winner | SBS Transit Ltd | |
| Small Cap | Winner | International Cement Group Ltd. |
| Winner | New Toyo International Holdings Ltd | |
| Winner | Valuetronics Holdings Limited | |
| REITs & Business Trusts | Winner | CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust |
| Winner | Keppel REIT | |
| Diversity | Winner | ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited |
| Winner | SATS Ltd. | |
| Winner | Singapore Telecommunications Limited | |
| Winner | The Trendlines Group Ltd. |
SINGAPORE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
| Big Cap | Winner | DBS Group Holdings Ltd |
| Winner | Keppel Ltd. | |
| Winner | StarHub Ltd. | |
| Mid Cap | Winner | Aztech Global Ltd. |
| Winner | SBS Transit Ltd | |
| Winner | VICOM Ltd | |
| Small Cap | Winner | Intraco Limited |
| Winner | New Toyo International Holdings Ltd | |
| Winner | SUTL Enterprise Limited | |
| REITs & Business Trusts | Winner | CapitaLand Ascott Trust |
| Winner | CapitaLand India Trust | |
| Winner | CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust |
INVESTORS’ CHOICE OUTSTANDING CEO AWARD
| Mr Kerry Mok | President & Chief Executive Officer | SATS Ltd.
|
| Mr Lim Ah Cheng | Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | Dyna-Mac Holdings Ltd
|
| Mr Lim Hock Chee | Chief Executive Officer | Sheng Siong Group Ltd
|
| Mr Wee Ee Cheong | Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | United Overseas Bank Limited |
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS EXCELLENCE AWARD
| Big Cap | Winner | City Developments Limited |
| Winner | ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited | |
| Winner | SATS Ltd. | |
| Mid Cap | Winner | SBS Transit Ltd |
| Winner | VICOM LTD | |
| Small Cap | Winner | Qian Hu Corporation Limited |
| Winner | The Trendlines Group Ltd. | |
| REITs & Business Trusts | Winner | CDL Hospitality Trusts |
| Winner | Parkway Life REIT |
FINANCIAL JOURNALIST AWARD
| Financial Journalist of The Year | Samantha Chiew | Associate Editor, The Edge Singapore |
| Financial Journalist of The Year | Tan Chee Yun | Business Correspondent, Lianhe Zaobao |
| Financial Story of The Year | Joyce Lim | Senior Correspondent, The Straits Times |
| Financial Story of The Year | The Edge Singapore Team | The Edge Singapore |
| Investor Education Journalist of The Year | Chor Khieng Yuit | Senior Business Correspondent, The Straits Times |
| Most Promising Journalist of the Year | Megan Cheah | Journalist, The Business Times |
| Most Promising Journalist of the Year | Chua Tian Tian | Finance Presenter, MoneyFM 89.3 |
| Investment Blog of the Year | Dr Wealth | BigFatPurse Pte Ltd |
| Special Award | Hu Yuan Wen | Associate Business Editor, Lianhe Zaobao |
| Special Award | Jake Ho | Senior Producer, Money Mind, CNA |
BEST RETAIL BROKER AWARD
| Winner | Moomoo Financial Singapore Pte. Ltd. |
| Winner | Phillip Securities Pte Ltd |
MOST TRANSPARENT COMPANY AWARD
| Communications | Winner | Singapore Telecommunications Limited |
| Winner | StarHub Ltd. | |
| Consumer Discretionary | Winner | Banyan Group |
| Winner | Japan Food Holdings Ltd | |
| Winner | Thakral Corporation Ltd | |
| Consumer Staples | Winner | Delfi Limited |
| Winner | Sheng Siong Group Ltd | |
| Winner | Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd | |
| Energy | Winner | Baker Technology Limited |
| Winner | China Aviation Oil (S) Corp Ltd | |
| Winner | Dyna-Mac Holdings Ltd | |
| Financials | Winner | DBS Group Holdings Ltd |
| Winner | Sing Investments & Finance Ltd | |
| Winner | Singapore Exchange Limited | |
| Healthcare | Winner | Haw Par Corporation Limited |
| Winner | Riverstone Holdings Limited | |
| Industrials | Winner | ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited |
| Winner | Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited | |
| Winner | SATS Ltd. | |
| Winner | SBS Transit Ltd | |
| Materials | Winner | China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd |
| Winner | New Toyo International Holdings Ltd | |
| Winner | PSC Corporation Ltd | |
| Real Estate | Winner | City Developments Limited |
| Winner | Frasers Property Limited | |
| Winner | Singapore Land Group Limited | |
| Technology | Winner | Aztech Global Ltd. |
| Winner | Silverlake Axis Ltd. | |
| Winner | Valuetronics Holdings Limited | |
| Utilities | Winner | Sembcorp Industries Ltd |
| Winner | Union Gas Holdings Limited |
ANNEX C
Artwork description:
The artwork represents a vibrant fusion of nature, sustainability and biodiversity. The portrayal of respected President and the First Lady highlights the role of the leadership in guiding the nation towards a sustainable future. The iconic Merlion, symbolic of the nation’s resilience and strength, surrounded by a diverse array of wildlife such as toucan, otter, monkey and pangolin native to Singapore represents the rich biodiversity of the region. Living in green areas enveloped by clean skies and a sustainable environment as illustrated by the solar panels stretching into the distance. The artwork portrays the merging of nature and a modern city, achieving a fine balance between ecological enrichment and urban life.
About Anish Arun:
Anish Arun is a 16-year-old student in NPS International School who has cultivated a passion for art over the past two years, steadily developing his creative skills. He currently serves as the Deputy Head of the NPSI Photography Team for the 2024-2025 yearbook, where he plays a key role in capturing memorable moments and guiding the visual narrative. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Anish is a dedicated athlete, actively participating on the NPSI badminton and athletics teams. He also represents the school in chess tournaments, demonstrating his versatility across multiple disciplines.
