HKICPA hosts Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards 2025 Presentation Ceremony Rising standards of CG and ESG help boost Hong Kong’s status as an IFC
The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) today hosted the Presentation Ceremony for the Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards 2025 (the Awards). This year, a record 39 listed companies and public sector organizations (PSOs) received awards (please see the Appendix for details), highlighting the ongoing enhancement of corporate governance (CG) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards among Hong Kong entities, which will bolster global investor confidence and reinforce the city’s position as an international financial centre.
As Guest of Honour, Dr. Kelvin Wong, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, said in his speech: " As a capital market regulator, I cannot over-emphasise the importance of governance and ESG principles to Hong Kong’s listing market quality. For any businesses, an effective governance framework entails a virtuous circle of business performance, reporting transparency and investor trust. Going forward, in order to sustain Hong Kong’s financial success, my vision is for all of us to continue to raise the standards of both corporate governance and ESG. This requires unwavering commitment to collaboration from regulators, issuers, intermediaries and financial professionals, which will ensure the city stays at the forefront of global developments.”
“I would like to congratulate all the winners today. You have demonstrated excellence in integrating governance and ESG principles into your corporate values, strategies and operations. Your shiny success will inspire many to follow while challenging others to step up their acts.,” Dr. Wong added.
Mr. Edward Au, HKICPA President and chair of the judging panel for the Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards 2025, said, “Good governance and ethical leadership, anchored in long-term sustainability, serve as a vital port in turbulent times for both investors and stakeholders. Celebrating the 25th anniversary, the Institute’s Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards honour companies and organizations that exemplify transparency, robust risk management, and a steadfast commitment to ESG practices, setting benchmarks and leading the way for Hong Kong’s business community.”
He continued: “In the future, the HKICPA will continue to champion good CG and ESG practices and reporting to safeguard Hong Kong’s leading status as an international financial centre.”
The Awards has been categorized into three sections this year: Elite Past Winners, Main Categories, and Newly-listed Companies. The new Elite Past Winners section includes companies (excluding PSOs) that have won awards at least five times in the past ten years. The main objectives are to encourage these Elite Past Winners to compete against their peers and strive to achieve even higher standards, and create more opportunities for different companies to emerge as potential awardees in the Main Categories, without being overshadowed by repeat winners. Additionally, this year features a new subsection for Newly-listed Companies, specifically those listed on the Main Board within the past three years (2022-2025). The aims are to emphasize the importance of recently-listed companies starting off on the right foot and giving due attention to CG and ESG standards post-listing, even while pursuing growth, and to identify companies that can serve as role models for others new to the Hong Kong market regarding their CG and ESG performance.
In the 39 awards this year, there are two new The Most Sustainable Organizations (MSO) Awards winners and nine first-time awardees, two of which are newly-listed companies.
A total of 14 listed companies and PSOs, also a record number, received MSO Awards, which are the highest accolade in the competition, in recognition of their excellence in both CG and ESG, and reflecting that they actively integrate CG and ESG considerations into their organizational culture and operations. CLP Holdings Limited and Standard Chartered PLC received the platinum awards in the Elite Past Winners Section and Main Categories Section, respectively.
In addition to the MSO Awards, separate categories to recognize listed companies and PSOs that excel specifically in CG or ESG have also been retained. In the CG Awards, there were a total of 11 winning listed companies and PSOs, including three first-time awardees – Samsonite Group S.A., The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited, and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. In the ESG Awards category, besides the newly-listed companies, there were a total of 14 winning listed companies and PSOs, including six first-time awardees – Power Assets Holdings Limited, China Gas Holdings Limited, KLN Logistics Group Limited and Champion REIT. ZJLD Group Inc. and REPT BATTERO Energy Co., Ltd., received ESG Special Mentions in the Medium Market Capitalization Category and Small Market Capitalization Category, respectively, under the Newly-Listed Companies Section.
The HKICPA was pleased to receive financial sponsorship for this year’s Awards from prominent CPA and other professional consultancy firms (see Note 1) and receive AI technical support (see Note 2). The HKICPA would like to express its appreciation for their support and that of the Awards’ media sponsors (see Note 3).
For the Awards this year, AI was used for the first time to assist in screening over 680 annual and a similar number of ESG reports from listed companies, facilitating a faster and more objective initial review. For the full judges report of the HKICPA Best Corporate Governance & ESG Awards 2025, please obtain the reports by scanning the QR code below:
Judges Report
Note 1: list of financial sponsors (in alphabetical order)
1. Ace Sustainability & Risk Advisors Ltd.
2. Alvarez & Marsal Asia Ltd.
3. AVISTA Group
4. CityLinkers Group
5. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
6. Ernst & Young
7. Forvis Mazars Risk Advisory Services Ltd.
8. Grant Thornton Hong Kong Ltd.
9. HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng Ltd.
10. KPMG
11. Moore CPA Ltd.
12. PwC
13. Riskory Consultancy Ltd.
14. RSM Hong Kong
Note 2: AI services sponsor
Wizpresso
Note 3: list of media sponsors (in alphabetical order)
1. ET Net
2. Hong Kong Economic Times
3. The Standard
Appendix: Best Corporate Governance & ESG Awards 2025 - Awardee List
The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants today hosted the Presentation Ceremony of the Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards 2025, in which there was a record number of winners.
As the Guest of Honour of the Awards Presentation Ceremony, Dr. Kelvin Wong, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, delivered a speech at the Ceremony.
During his speech at the Ceremony, Mr. Edward Au, HKICPA President and chair of the judging panel for the Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards 2025, said the Awards honour companies and organizations that exemplify transparency, robust risk management, and a steadfast commitment to ESG practices, setting benchmarks and leading the way for Hong Kong’s business community.
