“On behalf of ADEC Innovations team of talented and committed Filipino and global professionals, I am humbled and grateful to receive this award,” stated company CEO Mr. James Donovan who redirected praise to his company’s dedicated employees while receiving the Jones Lang Lasalle Expatriate Executive of the Year Award during the 2016 Asia CEO Awards held Tuesday night, October 18, at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.
The Asia CEO Awards represents an alliance of local and international business organisations promoting the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region, recognising their business achievers on the world stage. It is one of the largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, and is considered a must-attend occasion for business leaders active in Southeast Asia.
ADEC Innovations’ significant contributions to global corporate sustainability initiatives were recognised by the esteemed board of judges of Asia CEO Awards. It includes the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) program (an initiative by the world’s largest global apparel and footwear brands to ensure sustainable and environment-friendly supply chains), as well as Mr. Donovan’s tireless efforts to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
ADEC Innovations also happens to be the scoring partner of CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), the largest voluntary registry of companies’ information, where global companies submit their carbon footprint data online. ADEC Innovations’ Filipino workforce helps CDP process the carbon emissions data of the global supply chains of over 2,000 companies, most of which belonging to the Fortune 500.
ADEC Innovations is an impact investing company founded in 1996 that designs, develops and delivers a diverse data management and technology portfolio of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) solutions.
Mr. Donovan emerged as the top choice among seven other finalists from top global companies operating in the Philippines, which included Mark Lwin of AIG Philippines Insurance; Pushkar Misra of Hinduja Global Solutions; Eric Kaufman of IBEX Global; Darcy Lalonde of syncHRony Global; Siva Subramaniam of Transcom Worldwide Philippines, Inc.; Coleridge Shelley of VA Tech Wabag Philippines, Inc.; and Jared Morrison of VXI Global Holdings B.V. Philippines.
As a thought leader who promotes sustainable growth through ESG solutions, Mr. Donovan has been an active supporter of the United Nations and was recognised with the 2014 Visionary Award by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. He was assigned to be the team lead for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook 6 Data Fabric Task Force, which aims to design and develop the Big Data processes and framework that can be expanded to cover all of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Concurrently, he chairs the Global CEO Alliance, a community of business leaders committed to creating global change and impact. He also founded the ADEC Innovations Foundation, his organisation’s non-profit social impact arm, to support this goal.
Mr. Donovan concluded his acceptance speech by declaring: “We need to start looking into developing more intellectual property, more solutions home-grown from the Philippines to take to the global market. And I am confident that we can achieve this because I’ve always believed in Filipino talent. I’ve been a believer for the last 20 years.”
Leadership in Sustainability
Moreover, Mr. Donovan presented the ADEC Innovations Green Company of the Year award to Imperial Homes, the real estate development company behind the first solar-powered housing project in the Philippines. An advocate of environment-friendly developments, Imperial Homes launched its 1,000 mass housing units in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Imperial Homes bested other Green Company of the Year finalists like Alalay sa Kaunlaran Inc. (ASKI), an advocate of micro and small-to-medium enterprises, and Sony Global Business Services, a provider of commercial real estate services.
For three years now, ADEC Innovations has continued to honor corporate and non-corporate organisations for exemplifying strong leadership and commitment in sustainability and environmental protection. It named San Carlos Solar Energy (SaCaSol) and E-motors Incorporated as Green Companies of the Year in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
