In a year defined by rising environmental pressures and rapid shifts in global markets, the ACES Awards 2025 recognised a leader whose work continues to shape the future of responsible business across Asia.
Dr. Jayanthi Desan was conferred the ESG Pioneer Award, acknowledging her long-standing commitment to elevating ESG governance and guiding organisations toward resilient, future-ready strategies. In accepting her award, Dr. Jayanthi said that the greatest hurdle facing boardrooms today is the lack of clarity around the complexity of ESG factors.
“Climate, nature, and social inequalities are not extra-financial issues — they are core drivers of demand, cost of capital, supply chain security, and talent retention,” she said. “ESG must be part of business model resilience.”
She encouraged boards to build fluency in ESG, to understand its strategic implications, and to move beyond a compliance mindset.
“By knowing where to start and how to move forward, boards can harness ESG as a strategic force,” she added. “ESG must be framed as a competitive agenda.”
Dr. Jayanthi also highlighted the rise of climate technologies and real-time ESG data ecosystems — innovations she believes will redefine profitability and reshape industry competition.
“Integrated energy systems, circular production models and low-carbon technologies are already showing improved margins,” she said. “And capital access will increasingly hinge on the verifiability of ESG performance.”
She said that transparency — from product-level climate labels to automated MRV systems — will influence not only reporting frameworks but also the competitive playing field across sectors.
When asked for one key message to corporate boards, she delivered a decisive call to action: “ESG needs to be reframed as strategy in order to compete in a changing world.”
MORS Group CEO Dr. Shanggari Balakrishnan paid tribute to Dr. Jayanthi’s impact on organisations across Asia: “Dr. Jayanthi embodies what it means to be an ESG Pioneer,” said Dr. Shanggari. “She brings clarity to complexity and transforms responsibility into competitive strength. Her influence is shaping the future of business in the region.”
