An Post, Dublin Bus and Diageo among finalists at 2023 Business & Finance ESG Awards

Several well-known Irish brands including Diageo, Dublin Bus and An Post are among the finalists announced  for the 2023 Business & Finance ESG Awards. The winners will be revealed at a gala luncheon at noon on Thursday, April 20th, at The Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin. Attracting entries from companies nationwide, the ESG Awards recognise and celebrate individuals and groups who are actively striving to address issues related to environmental, social and governance topics.

Amid war in Ukraine, the race against climate change, and the increasing focus on sustainability across all sectors, businesses are better recognising the need to adopt ESG strategy and policy into their company’s DNA. As such, the Awards are intended to commend and encourage this trend by highlighting organisations and individuals who are exceeding in their efforts and setting the standards for ESG excellence nationwide.

Nominations were invited across 14 categories, with each category focusing on a specific area within the ESG space. Recent years have seen a renewed focus on ESG policy across many sectors, with the objective of promoting companies as safe and responsible places to work as well as to do business with.

The finalists for the 2023 ESG Awards are as follows:

• ESG Company Award (Enterprise) – An Post, EY Ireland, Diageo Ireland, KPMG, Aviva, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP

• ESG Company Award (SMEs) – Xerotech, UrbanVolt, Walkers (Ireland) LLP, Portwest, Cognition World, Tao Climate (Hempoffset), FOXFORD, Repak

• Biodiversity Initiative Award – Dublin Bus, Eversheds Sutherland, Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, Gas Networks Ireland, Veri Connect, Aviva

• Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Initiative – An Post, ISS UK & Ireland, Inclusio, Eversheds Sutherland, Version 1, I-RES, Finastra

• Social Responsibility Project Award – Wolfpack Digital, William Fry LLP, Gas Networks Ireland, SSE Airtricity, Permanent TSB

• Employee Experience Award – NFP Ireland, Downing LLP, Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency, Citi, Mintago

• Net Zero Carbon Award – EY Ireland, Matheson LLP, CoreZero, Fuels for Ireland, The Naked Collective, Finastra

• Energy Efficiency Initiative Award – Teta Consultancy Services Ireland Ltd, An Post, Dairygold, Janssen Ireland UC

• ESG Finance Award – Morningstar Sustainalytics, CleverCards, Bank of Ireland

• ESG Investment Award – Foresight Group, Amundi, Aviva

• Good Governance Award – Marie Keating Foundation, Oxfam, Barretstown

• ESG Team Award – Fyffes, An Post, Antaris Consulting, Version 1, NCBI Labs, Janssen Sciences Ireland UC

• Future ESG Leader Award – Karol Landziak (Janssen Sciences Ireland UC), Patrick Gavoty (Ergon Capital), Luke Deasy (Copper Coast Renewables)

• ESG Innovation Award – NCBI- Working For People With Sight Loss, Astatine, Normative, I-Res, Beachhut PR, DPD Ireland, Energia Connect360

The judging panel for the 2023 ESG Awards includes notable business leaders such as Kathy Ryan, Head of Responsible Investment, Irish Life, Tomas Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland, and Jackie King, Executive Director of International Business, Ibec. In addition to the 14 categories, the winner of the ESG Leader Award will also be announced. This is a special prize, presented to a sustainability champion in recognition of their commitment and contribution to their sector.

Speaking ahead of the awards ceremony, Ian Hyland, owner and publisher of Business & Finance, said 2023’s event is aimed at recognising the companies that are making a genuine difference: “Recent years have been unprecedented challenges, and countless companies have stepped up to those challenges to make a real difference – to their customers, their teams, to society and the planet. The Business & Finance ESG Awards exist to honour these companies and recognise best practice across their respective industries, so they might inspire an even stronger ambition to make a difference to those coming behind them.”

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