UN body names Ayala CEO champion of sustainability

A sustainable development advocacy coalition under the United Nations has named Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chair and chief executive officer of storied Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp., champion of sustainability in the corporate world.

Zobel—who now leads the seventh generation of his family in running the 183-year-old Ayala conglomerate—was handpicked by the UN Global Compact as one of the 10 “United Nations SDG Pioneers” for 2017.

He is the first from the Philippines to receive this distinction.

Each year, the UN Global Compact celebrates a group of “SDG Pioneers,” defined as leaders doing an exceptional job of taking action to advance the UN-backed 17 sustainable development goals or SDGs.

Hundreds of nominations were received from diverse regions of the world, from which 10 finalists were selected, exemplifying how business can be a force for good in addressing the challenges faced by global society.

Zobel and other SDG Pioneers will be recognized during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2017 this Sept. 21 in New York.

“Each of the 2017 SDG Pioneers is exhibiting how companies and pioneering individuals can be a force for positive change in addressing the issues we all face today,” said Lise Kingo, UN Global Compact CEO and executive director.