Donald Chan named Executive of the Year in Non-Profit or Government Organizations category at SBR Management Excellence Awards

He is hailed for playing an instrumental role in promoting environmental transparency and sustainability across the Asia-Pacific region.

Donald Chan, Managing Director, Asia Pacific of CDP, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to managing the worldwide disclosure system for environmental matters, has been awarded the prestigious title of Executive of the Year - Non-Profit or Government Organizations at the SBR Management Excellence Awards.

The annual award recognises excellent executives, innovators, and teams, as well as HR and company initiatives that promote the well-being of employees.

Donald brings to CDP over 20 years of diverse work experience, including seven years as a co-founder of two successful companies. His career journey led him from his role at Temasek, where he established internal capabilities for setting up and operationalising new ventures and businesses, to his position as Chief Operating Officer of Clifford Capital, a prominent project and structured finance company. His commitment extends beyond the private sector. He has taken leadership roles with the governments of Australia and Singapore to develop and execute strategies that align with national objectives and economic outcomes.

One of the standout accomplishments during Donald's tenure as Managing Director of Asia Pacific was the successful launch of CDP's Singapore office on 18 March 2022. At the keynote address, Minister of State, Low Yen Ling, mentioned that “CDP’s setting up of an office in Singapore shows there is heightened focus on sustainability reporting and target-setting globally in Asia. It also complements our efforts to develop Singapore as a leading carbon services hub in the region and further our transition towards a greener economy.

Concurrently, a Memorandum of Understanding was established between CDP and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), reinforcing Singapore's commitment to environmental transparency by promoting sustainability disclosures and facilitating access to high-quality Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data. This was further reinforced this July with CDP and Enterprise Singapore’s launch of a new disclosure programme for Singapore enterprises.

In another remarkable achievement, Donald played a pivotal role in the Memorandum of Understanding between CDP and the Cross-Agency Steering Group in Hong Kong on 20 December 2022. Furthermore, on 21 September 2022, he solidified CDP's commitment to driving climate action by establishing a knowledge partnership between CDP and Kadin's Net Zero Hub in Indonesia. These partnerships will contribute to enhance environmental data availability for stakeholders as well as the development of knowledge and resources necessary for combating climate change and advancing sustainability within the Asia-Pacific region.

The impact of Donald's leadership at CDP is undeniable, as corporate respondents have more than doubled from 3,800 in 2021 to nearly 8,000 in 2023. This remarkable accomplishment represents one-third of CDP's global total respondents, underscoring the pivotal role that the Asia-Pacific region plays in the global sustainability discourse.

Jeffrey Wong, Audit Committee Chairman of GSS Energy, a corporate respondent to CDP, commended Donald's transformative leadership, stating, "Before Donald joined in October 2021, CDP was not well known amongst companies in Singapore and across APAC. During his leadership, it has grown to become the gold standard in environmental reporting for corporates. CDP has been invaluable in helping us and other companies better understand what to report and prepare ourselves for mandatory ESG disclosure in the coming years. Donald and his team are valued partners for GSS and also the larger eco-system of private and public stakeholders which are driving climate action towards net zero."

Established in 2000, CDP has made significant strides in collaborating with over 680 financial institutions. CDP is renowned for pioneering innovative approaches that harness the influence of capital markets and corporate procurement to encourage companies to transparently disclose their environmental impacts whilst also driving initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve water resources, and conserve forests.

The SBR Management Excellence Awards is presented by Singapore Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's employee engagements and management initiatives, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].