ICGN Achievement Awards 2023
The International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) celebrated excellence in governance and stewardship on 20 June 2023, presenting this year’s ICGN Achievement Awards to winners from around the world.
Recognised internationally as prestigious accolades for corporate governance and stewardship professionals, ICGN’s Awards showcase the achievements of individuals and organisations globally, highlighting best practice.
Hundreds of ICGN Members and other delegates attended the presentation of the shortlisted nominees and these deserving winners, held as part of ICGN’s 2023 Annual Toronto Conference.
The ICGN Achievement Awards include four separate awards and the selected winners are:
- Rising Star Award – Nga Pham, Senior Research Fellow, Monash Business School, Monash University (Australia)
- Excellence in Corporate Governance Award – WomenCorporateDirectors – South Korea (South Korea)
- Excellence in Stewardship Award – Carol Storey, Climate Engagement Lead, Active Ownership Manager, Schroders Plc (UK) and Andrea Tweedie, Acting Head of Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council (UK)
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Rients Abma, Executive Director, Eumedion (Netherlands).
Rising Star Award
The purpose of the ICGN Rising Star Award is to recognise an individual or individuals in the early stages of their careers in the field of corporate governance and/or stewardship who have already made a valuable contribution, and who have demonstrated the potential to be future leaders.
2023 winner: Nga Pham, Senior Research Fellow, Monash Business School, Monash University, Australia
In the nomination, James Andrus, Vice President, Sustainability Global Markets, Franklin Templeton, said “Nga’s achievements are outstanding in research, engagement, policy advocacy and market capacity building, all contributing to the governance and stewardship eco-system. She also makes substantial direct contributions to ICGN by Co-Chairing the Financial Capital Committee. Nga co-authors the Real Carbon Price Index that represents the evolution of prices of carbon taxes and Emissions Trading Systems. It is a useful reference tool for governments for carbon pricing, investors for carbon investing and for companies when setting internal carbon prices. The Index is now distributed by Bloomberg. Nga’s contributions to improving corporate governance and investor stewardship across different markets and areas of corporate governance, especially in the governance of environmental and social matters are substantial. Her major markets of influence include
Australia, Japan and Vietnam. Nga published a book titled “State on Board! Navigating Corporate Governance in Emerging Market Business” (2020). The book is about corporate governance practices of listed companies in Vietnam in which the State is also a shareholder.”
Nga Pham said “Being nominated for the ICGN’s Rising Star Award alongside incredibly talented individuals is an extremely humbling experience for me. I want to express my gratitude to the members of the judging panels and the ICGN Awards Committee for acknowledging our passion and dedication. I am truly grateful to the ICGN for bridging the industry-academia gap and valuing how academic research insights can empower investors and governments in fostering corporate accountability and creating sustainable regulatory frameworks worldwide.”
The Judging Panel was impressed with Nga Pham’s work in Australia and Vietnam, noting her work on modern slavery (a global problem that the corporate world has had difficulty addressing) and its impact. The Panel felt she was working to close the gaps between developing and emerging markets with a multi-pronged approach involving many organisations, praising her work outside her formal position – including authoring a book, being a co-chair of an ICGN Committee and her research capabilities – and her efforts to make theory practically applicable.
Excellence in Corporate Governance Award
The purpose of the ICGN Excellence in Corporate Governance Award is to recognise individuals, organisations, and collaborative initiatives whose actions have contributed significantly to making effective corporate governance a reality in the markets in which they operate.
2023 winner: WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD), South Korea
In the nomination, Young-jae Ryu, Founder & CEO, Sustinvest said “WCD Korea has contributed significantly to improve the standard of corporate governance in South Korea. It has focused on improving board governance through policy reform and advocacy to change social perceptions while implementing various training programs and sharing best practices among members. As a result, South Korea was able to pass the ‘Glass Ceiling Act’ legislation, requiring at least one female board member for listed companies with assets of more than KRW 2 trillion, effective from August 2022. Also, it has launched the Woman Fund, devoted to investing in companies with strong fundamentals of gender diversity and equity. These have been significant steps towards achieving greater diversity and incorporating rich perspectives and experiences necessary for sustainable growth and performance.”
Boksil Lee, Chairperson of WomenCorporateDirectors said “It is a great honor and privilege for me to accept this award as the chair of WCD Korea chapter. I have no doubt that this award will open different doors of opportunity in Korea especially in terms of improving the corporate governance standards. Increasing awareness and changing social perceptions about the importance of improving corporate diversity is extremely valuable. We greatly appreciate the award to be recognized for the various efforts we made to advocate for improving corporate diversity in Korea.”
The Judging Panel recognised that the work of WomenCorporateDirectors to bring gender diversity to boards, supporting greater inclusion, has created a significant impact; the Panel felt this work is highly commendable and noted the progress made in the region. The South Korea chapter is part of a large global organization and has established several partners in the country to advance its work.
Excellence in Stewardship Award
The purpose of the ICGN Excellence in Stewardship Award is to recognise individuals, organisations, and collaborative initiatives whose actions have contributed significantly to making effective stewardship a reality in the markets in which they operate.
2023 winners: Carol Storey, Climate Engagement Lead, Active Ownership Manager, Schroders Plc (UK) and Andrea Tweedie, Acting Head of Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council (UK).
In the nomination for Carol, Hannah Shoesmith, Head of Engagement, Schroders Plc, said: “I’m delighted that Carol has been recognised for all her hard work and dedication in delivering a significant engagement strategy for our firm.”
Carol Storey said: “Being shortlisted for the Excellence in Stewardship Award is a great honour, and a testament to the hard work of our team in putting Schroders’ climate engagement strategy into action. At Schroders, we believe collaboration can drive positive change, and I am excited to share our experiences and insights with industry peers at this year’s ICGN conference.”
Andrea Tweedie said: “I am honoured to be nominated for the Excellence in Stewardship Award, and proud to be part of the important work we do in the Corporate Governance and Stewardship team at the FRC.”
Sir Jon Thompson, Chief Executive, Financial Reporting Council said “Andrea has been central to the success of the FRC’s world-leading Stewardship Code. Over two years she been instrumental in the technical development and implementation of the assessment process; developing policy, managing and training the team, and engaging directly with applicants at a senior level. The success of the Code has exceeded our expectations and Andrea fully merits this award.”
Claudia Chapman, Head of Stewardship, Financial Reporting Council said “I am delighted ICGN have shortlisted Andrea for this award. The UK Stewardship Code evaluation framework is a world first. Andrea consistently leads with commitment, enthusiasm and a strong ethos of continuous improvement.”
The Judging Panel was impressed by Carol Storey’s extensive climate engagement and work on ESG at Schroders. She has led this effort since its inception, carrying out work across the world that will help drive systemic changes, leading to a long-term impact.
The Panel noted the importance of Andrea Tweedie’s work on the FCA Stewardship Code, which is a significant framework, setting a high bar for stewardship. The Code was a collaborative effort and one in which her role was both important and recognised outside the of the United Kingdom.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The purpose of the ICGN Excellence in Stewardship Award is to recognise individuals, organisations, and collaborative initiatives whose actions have contributed significantly to making effective stewardship a reality in the markets in which they operate.
2023 winner: Rients Abma, Executive Director, Eumedion, Netherlands
In nomination for Rients, Lars Dijkstra, Chairman of the Board, Eumedion, said “I am very pleased that Rients has received the well-deserved ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award. ICGN sets the global benchmark on corporate governance best practice and this award is the ultimate acknowledgement of Rients’ tireless work to elevate corporate governance practice both in the Netherlands and internationally. It makes the 25th anniversary of Eumedion this year, of which Rients has been managing director since 2006, extra special.”
Rients Abma said “I feel very honoured and humbled to receive the ICGN Lifetime Achievement Award today. Not only because ICGN is the leading international organisation in the field of corporate governance and sustainability, but also because the nomination was made by individual members of ICGN. Over the past 20 years I have devoted myself with great enthusiasm and conviction to shaping better sustainable, corporate governance rules and practices in the Netherlands and Europe. But the job has not finished yet. The governance and sustainability challenges ahead are too important to put aside. I am sure that the ICGN Award will inspire me and my organisation, Eumedion, to continue the mission to make companies and institutional investors truly responsible corporate citizens who contribute to resolving major environmental and societal challenges.”
The ICGN Awards Committee is vested with the responsibility for the Awards Program. The members of the Committee are: Anne-Marie Jourdan, Chair; Christine Chow; Robert Lewenson, Lamia El Bouanani; Farha-Joyce Haboucha; Chris Pinney; and John Stout.
Judging Panels
The Judging Panels expressed appreciation for the Nominations that were received for the ICGN Achievement Awards. The Panels considered the quality of the Nominations that were submitted, the testimonials offered, the work highlighted on behalf of the Nominees, the impact of their work, and the criteria for the Awards.
