Accepting the highest recognition for excellence in corporate governance are (from left) Pedro Maniego Jr., Institute of Corporate Directors chairperson; Roel A. Refran, Philippine Stock Exchange executive vice president and chief operating officer; Amando Tetangco Jr., SM Investments Corporation chairperson; Emilio Aquino, Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson; Ida Ceniza-Tiongson and Ma. Victoria Españo, ICD vice chairperson and ICD treasurer, respectively.  PhotoGRAPH COURTESY OF SM Investments
BUSINESS

SM firms run away with 4 Golden Arrows

Aside from SM Investments, also cited were BDO Unibank Inc., China Banking Corporation and SM Prime Holdings Inc.

TDT

SM Investments Corp. bagged Golden Arrow awards by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the highest recognition given during the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS) 2024 Golden Arrow Awards.

Only five companies received the 5 Golden Arrow Award, four of which were SM companies.

Aside from SM Investments, also cited were BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO), China Banking Corporation (China Bank), and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SM Prime).

“This recognition reflects the commitment and hard work of our entire organization,” SM Investments chairperson Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said. “From the board, management, our leaders, and teammates — everyone consistently works to ensure we continue to adopt and uphold the highest standards in good corporate governance.”

SM Investments practices the highest standards of good corporate governance in all its dealings with investors, business partners, creditors, customers, employees and all other stakeholders.

Long-term growth as goal

SM Investments believes that good corporate governance will provide long-term growth and sustainability for the company.

“We recognize the rising global attention on corporate governance and sustainability as part of companies’ business strategies. Beyond compliance, SM’s operations are anchored on fairness, integrity, accountability, transparency and stakeholder engagement,” SM Investments executive vice president and chief risk and compliance officer Elizabeth Anne “Lizanne” Uychaco said.

According to the ICD, the ACGS measures the performance of the companies in the areas of facilitating the rights and the equitable treatment of shareholders, how they relate to their different stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability through timely disclosure of material information, and how the board guides the company strategically, monitors the management, and ensures the board’s accountability to the company and the shareholders.

The assessment is based on publicly available disclosures on the companies’ websites.