SM Supermalls Wins Big at HR Asia Awards 2025, Marking 40 Years of Transformative Leadership

Pasay City, Philippines – August 29, 2025 — As SM Supermalls celebrates its 40th anniversary, it clinches four major honors at the prestigious HR Asia Awards 2025, reaffirming its legacy of people-first leadership and transformative workplace culture.

For the third consecutive year, SM Supermalls was named one of HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work For, alongside three standout category wins: the Sustainable Workplace Award, the Most Caring Company Award, and the Tech Empowerment Award.

“These awards are more than milestones—they reflect our enduring culture at SM, where people are at the heart of everything we do,” said SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan. “We are proud of our teams whose passion and dedication make SM not only one of the best companies to work for, but a place where we create meaningful impact for our employees, communities, and the country.”

Award Highlights

Best Companies to Work For in Asia (3rd consecutive year)

SM’s workplace culture is anchored on the key messaging pillars of the SM LIFE framework—Purpose, Passion, and Performance. Initiatives such as Leadership Town Halls, Candid Coffee with Leaders, Feedback Fridays, and the Culture Caravan foster authenticity, inclusion, and growth across all levels.

Most Caring Company Award (2nd consecutive year)

SM’s 360 Wellness Programs include unlimited online mental health counseling, wellness learning series, and Celebrate YOU events such as PRIDE Month and Women Empowerment. Championing safe and brave spaces for all, programs such as Ethics Beat and Safe Spaces promote transparency, accountability, and DEIB across the organization. Employee engagement programs have a 100% employee reach. 

Sustainable Workplace Award

Sustainability is embedded in SM’s DNA. From the Trash to Cash recycling program and Coastal Clean-Up drives to its bold commitment to Net Zero by 2040, SM empowers employees to lead environmental and community efforts through its partnership with SM Cares. Employee volunteerism rises strongly with a 100% increase compared to the previous year.

Tech Empowerment Award

Innovation drives SM’s HR transformation. Tools like the SMILE HCM platform, SAM AI chatbot, DigiU eLearning, and the SM Life app deliver seamless employee experiences. With 90% utilization for the SM Life app and 80% for DigiU learning, digital adoption is high and impactful.

A Legacy of Leadership

Cheryll Ruth L. Agsaoay, Senior Vice President for Human Resources, shared:

“These recognitions affirm our belief that when we design positive employee experiences—caring for people’s wellbeing, embracing innovation, and championing sustainability—we create a workplace that inspires purpose and growth. We see our culture efforts as continuous work-in-progress because at SM, we never stop learning and aiming to be better every day.”

As SM Supermalls enters a new era beyond its 40th year, these accolades underscore a powerful truth: its greatest asset has always been its people—and its future will be shaped by the culture it continuously nurtures

Schneider Electric Reveals 99% of Filipino Companies have Established Sustainability Goals, Recommends Digitalization for Profitability and to Cut Carbon Emissions

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and digital automation, unveils findings from its annual Sustainability Survey, which was conducted with the global research firm, Millieu Insight.

Results show that 60% of APAC’s business leaders feel that their company and country view sustainability as a ‘high priority’. In terms of the industry’s perception on digital transformation, 94% of business leaders agree that electrification is key to their corporate sustainability strategy. In the Philippines, 99% of our local business leaders have established goals to achieve Net Zero in their operations.

The survey engaged 4,500 C-level to Middle-level business leaders across nine countries in Southeast and East Asia, including the Philippines. The objective is to gauge sentiments and actions on sustainability within APAC and the local business community.

“We are seeing a growing trajectory towards greater sustainability integration into our local industries’ operations. As a leader in sustainable energy management solutions, Schneider Electric is reaffirming its commitment to support the business industry and the government in their pursuit towards their shift to green energy,” said Ireen Catane, Country President of Schneider Electric Philippines.

Intention vs. Action: The Green Action Gap

The Green Action Gap, a Schneider Electric identified metric used to estimate the rift between the organizations' declared commitment towards their sustainability goals and the tangible actions to implement sustainable development by companies. It reveals that while 99% of the surveyed leaders have established sustainability plans, only 58% have set their plans in action. The reasons captured include: poor incentives, regulations uncertainty, bureaucratic challenges, market data references insufficiencies and lack of business priority. While challenges persist, this gap serves as a rallying call for urgent efforts to bridge intentions with actions.

Across the region, the top reasons reported for pursuing corporate sustainability were innovation and competitiveness (39%) and an increase in business opportunities (37%) with countries in Southeast Asia most likely to agree that sustainability contributes to business growth. Risk management, reputation and opportunity for cost saving round out the top five motivating factors companies consider when making decisions around sustainability strategy.

Most business leaders across the region (82% on average) believe that providing more incentives is more effective than enforcing penalties to encourage private sector compliance with government sustainability goals.

“We are encouraged by the growing awareness and commitment among Asia's companies to establish sustainability goals. However, the survey's findings on the intention-action gap reveal that there is still work to be done. As we navigate the urgent need for sustainability, it becomes more crucial for businesses and the public sector to collaborate and leverage innovative solutions to create a more sustainable future,” Catane emphasized.

Electricity 4.0: Path to Net Zero

To be on track for a net zero world in 2050, businesses need to reduce emissions by 50% this decade. At the recently concluded Philenergy Expo 2024, Schneider Electric introduced its global vision, Electricity 4.0, which shows how digitalization is the key to mitigate climate and energy crises.

From the survey report, results show that 97% of Philippine companies agree/strongly agree that digitalization is a key sustainability driver. The same number also consider energy efficiency as a core aspect of their sustainability plan.

“Electricity is the cleanest and most visible form of energy. By building a smart electric world where everything is interconnected, people will have the ability to optimize safety, reliability, performance, and lifespan. All while working towards achieving our global carbon neutrality goal by 2050,” says Catane.

Schneider Electric offers a range of cutting-edge integrated solutions tailored to help businesses in the Philippines digitize, decarbonize, and strategize.

The company’s proprietary EcoStruxure solution, combines hardware and software to connect an enterprise, from the shop floor to the top. This enables users to track and make iterations on their operations real-time allowing for optimized operations and reduced energy consumption.

“With digitization, energy shifts from being the biggest driver of carbon emissions to the biggest opportunity for carbon reduction. We have the tools that we need to drive change. All we need to do is to work together to make that happen,” Catane added.