This report, the fourth in our Asia Pacific Business Renewal Series, explores how businesses are now fortifying their ESG efforts and pivoting from strategy to action. As businesses integrate ESG action into business renewal, there is an imperative to mitigate risks and pre-empt regulatory and compliance complexities amid uneven recovery and progress across jurisdictional and sectoral landscapes in the region.
Key highlights include:
- the uneven jurisdictional and sectoral ESG landscape
- the ESG risks that are top of mind for businesses
- key forces propelling ESG action in the region
- how advancing ESG is now intertwined in business renewal strategies
About the Asia Pacific Business Renewal Series
Over a year into the global pandemic, businesses have had to pivot to survive and adjust to new ways of conducting business. Now, more than ever, Asia Pacific business leaders are making the necessary strategic changes to meet the needs of a vastly changed business landscape — and deciding where legal expertise may be needed most to limit and manage disruption and soften risks.
This series of four reports unpacks the hypercomplex nature of business in 2021. Understand the momentum and mindset of business leaders and decision-makers in the region as they navigate challenges relating to four main areas of business: Supply Chains, New M&A Landscape, Digital Transformation and Sustainability ESG.
Each report is based on a custom survey of 800 respondents, in partnership with Acuris. Reports feature key considerations and action points to helping businesses to understand the horizon ahead as they make strategic decisions, pursue growth and secure lasting success.
Author
Ilona Millar
Ilona Millar is a partner in the Environmental Markets team at Baker McKenzie's Sydney office. Ilona is an environmental and projects lawyer with a diverse range of experience in domestic and international climate change, carbon markets, environmental law and policy, and a strong background in all aspects of water management, planning and projects. She joined the Firm in 2008 from the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development, and International Institute for Environment and Development, in London. Ilona regularly writes, teaches and presents on environmental topics — she has lectured on environmental law, environmental markets and international climate change law at UNSW, Sydney University and University College London and for the past six years has co-coordinated the international climate change law course at ANU where she is a visiting fellow at the College of Law. Ilona's extensive pro bono work includes advising a number of developing country governments and non-government organizations on international climate change negotiations, and advising the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists on water and natural resource management law. She is listed among the best lawyers for Climate Change by Best Lawyers Australia 2016.
Author
Mini vandePol
Mini vandePol is the Head of Baker McKenzie's Asia Pacific Compliance & Investigations Group, after successfully completing three years as the Global Chair. Mini focuses on anti-bribery and corruption, trade sanctions, fraud and other senior executive misconduct investigations across Asia but most particularly in Hong Kong, China and India. Mini has more than 30 years' experience and is the trusted advisor to the boards and audit committees of the Firm's most significant global clients — assisting them to establish and enhance their risk management programs, assess risks in transactional opportunities and credibly investigate transgressions to support a strong commitment to a culture of compliance.
In her previous Global Chair role, she led a team of 900+ compliance and investigations practitioners in Asia Pacific, EMEA, Latin America and North America, which was ranked amongst the Top 10 global investigations firms by Global Investigations Review in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Mini herself has recently been awarded "Woman Lawyer of the Year" in The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards and "Best in White Collar Crime" Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards in 2019. She is also named as one of the "Top 100 Women in Investigations" by Global Investigations Review.
Mini is the Firm's representative assisting the World Economic Forum's Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and a member of the WEF's Global Future Council.