Published 6 March 2026 –
When we give, we gain. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #GiveToGain, embodies the spirit of generosity and collaboration, encouraging intentional actions that multiply impact and foster a more supportive, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
In much the same way that a strong ESG proposition and strategy creates long-term value for businesses, acts of generosity across people, organisations, and communities can expand opportunities and strengthen support for women.
This year, we spoke to five trailblazing women leaders across Asia to learn what #GiveToGain means in their roles, and how they are advancing ESG efforts along the way.
Ginggay Hontiveros, President, Aboitiz Foundation and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer, Aboitiz Equity Ventures
Philippines
“For me, advancing sustainability is about connecting three things: business performance, environmental responsibility, and human development. If companies in the Philippines can grow while improving people’s lives and protecting natural resources, then sustainability becomes not a program, but a way of doing business.”
Ginggay Hontiveros, Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer at Aboitiz Equity Ventures and President of the Aboitiz Foundation, embeds sustainability into core decision-making, setting clear sustainability targets, managing ESG risks, and integrating responsible practices into everyday operations. Through the foundation, she also partners with communities across the Philippines to advance education, workforce upskilling, and climate action.
This International Women’s Day, Ginggay highlights the power of empathetic leadership, flexible policies, and supportive teams in enabling women to lead authentically. By fostering environments where women can thrive, individual success translates into more inclusive impact across organisations and communities.
Ginggay also underscores the importance of investing in long-term ESG capability. Doing so strengthens decision-making, helps organisations identify risks and opportunities earlier, futureproofs the business, and builds trust with investors, employees, and communities. This way, ESG evolves from a compliance exercise into a strategic discipline that creates lasting value.
For Ginggay, sustainability is about consistent progress rather than perfection. She believes credibility and trust comes from setting realistic expectations and delivering them. As Group Chief Executive Officer Sabin Aboitiz notes, real change is achieved not through policies or reports alone, but by listening to stakeholders and allowing their voices to help shape solutions that endure.
Beatrice Kay, Senior Data Analyst, ESGpedia
Singapore
As Senior Data Analyst at ESGpedia, Beatrice Kay leads the development of ESG data systems and AI-driven solutions that enable organisations to measure and manage their sustainability performance effectively. Her work spans building end-to-end data pipelines, designing ESG data architecture, and creating customised dashboards that translate complex ESG data into clear, actionable insights.
With greater visibility into their ESG impact, organisations can disclose Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions with confidence and make more informed, data-driven decarbonisation decisions.
“Advancing sustainability in my organisation means ensuring that the data behind every metric is accurate, traceable, and scalable, because meaningful climate action starts with credible data.”
Beatrice emphasises that credible climate action depends on clearly documented and traceable emissions data, methodologies, and emission factors. This transparency replaces assumptions with evidence, enabling organisations to identify real hotspots, prioritise meaningful reductions, strengthen accountability, and reduce greenwashing risks.
Similarly, in her work, Beatrice sees giving as taking ownership of impact and enabling others to multiply it. Beatrice develops ESG data systems and AI tools with a strong focus on accuracy, transparency, and long-term scalability, while intentionally mentoring younger team members, recognising that both reliable data and empowered people are essential to driving lasting sustainability outcomes.
“Giving is about building with intention, creating tools that truly drive better environmental outcomes and lasting progress.”
May Wong, Head of Group Sustainability Office, Taylor’s Education Group
Malaysia
May Wong heads the Group Sustainability Office at Taylor’s Education Group across multiple entities, embedding ESG into governance, strategy, and risk to ensure it informs core decision-making. She strengthens policies, works closely with leadership and the board, and builds robust dashboards and reporting systems to make sustainability data credible and actionable.
Beyond operations, she advances community and entrepreneurship programmes that connect education to real societal outcomes. May sees sustainability as a powerful lever not only to improve institutional performance, but to shape future leaders who carry responsible practices forward.
Encouraging a #GiveToGain mindset, May shares, “I’ve seen generosity unlock progress when leaders choose transparency over control. In our line of work, the biggest accelerators often come when someone openly shares imperfect data, lessons learned, or even internal challenges, instead of waiting for everything to be polished.”
May highlights the importance of access to board conversations, regulatory insights, or technical expertise, noting that openness can dramatically strengthen capability and build more resilient, collaborative ecosystems.
May stresses that progress accelerates when material priorities, defined roles, and leadership are clear. With trust and shared data, decisions happen faster, risks surface sooner, and implementation becomes smoother. She believes in stepping into opportunities before feeling fully ready, knowing that growth comes from taking action, learning openly, and letting impact follow.
Sandra Yap, Head of Business Development and Marketing, Se-cure Waste Management
Singapore
For Sandra Yap, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Se-cure Waste Management, sustainability is as much about alignment as it is about action.
Sandra ensures the organisation’s sustainability efforts, from innovative recycling technologies to ESG reporting and community awareness, are effectively communicated and aligned with broader environmental goals. By bridging internal strategy with external stakeholders, she amplifies Se-cure Waste Management’s impact in advancing sustainable electronic waste management and circular resource use in Singapore and beyond.
‘Give to Gain’ comes to life in Sandra’s collaborative approach. She believes sustainability impact multiplies when organisations work together, and that intentional giving creates trust, attracts reciprocal support, and strengthens collective resilience. Trust, she emphasises, is essential for turning ESG commitments into meaningful action.
Through her work, Sandra continues to demonstrate that sustainable progress thrives on shared purpose, mutual contribution, and collaboration – principles that resonate strongly this International Women’s Day. As she puts it, “Success comes from trust, clarity, and consistent follow-through. When we empower each other, stay aligned, and act proactively, we will achieve more together!”
Joanne Teh, Assistant Director, Innovation, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
Singapore
Joanne Teh, Assistant Director of Innovation at IMDA, works closely with enterprise leaders to de-risk innovation and accelerate transformation. She helps organisations clarify priorities, design and test pilots, and build internal alignment to scale new solutions effectively.
Joanne believes sustainability gains traction when it is translated into practical action and business outcomes. By defying clear metrics, testing quickly, and embedding new capabilities, progress becomes measurable, scalable, and sustainable for teams.
“Shifting from individual effort to collective impact starts with empathy and the willingness to listen.”
By understanding different contexts, constraints, and experiences, communities can build shared clarity and trust, creating more opportunities and support for women to grow.
From her experience, Joanne highlights that technology is rarely the main barrier: adoption is. The real ‘last mile’ challenge often lies in mindset, from incentives and risk tolerance to data readiness and decision ownership. Joanne shares that achieving meaningful outcomes requires organisations to resource, plan, and enable change as deliberately as they design the solution.
Living the #GiveToGain mindset
As the AI revolution continues to reshape today’s business landscape, it is important to remain aware that new technologies like generative AI can also unintentionally reinforce gender bias. Large language models (LLMs) have been shown to portray women in domestic or subservient roles, potentially widening gender gaps in the workplace.
Across the technology, ESG sectors, and beyond, these insights should serve as a reminder to challenge inequalities when we see them, intentionally give our time and support, and help create environments where women can thrive.
At ESGpedia, we prioritise inclusive hiring across the company, with many of our senior STEM engineering roles being held by women. Notably, our entire Product and Data functions, from the Head of Product to the teams driving our proprietary AI technology, are made up of women, reflecting our belief that when women are given the space to lead and innovate, impact is multiplied and everyone stands to gain.
