12 July 2021, Hong Kong: These are the results of our eleventh annual poll to find Southeast Asia’s top companies. Instead of ranking two-dozen odd companies, we have once again uniquely narrowed investor choices down to top 3 in each of the five main award categories:
- Most Organised Investor Relations;
- Best Senior Management IR Support;
- Strongest Adherence to Corporate Governance;
- Most Consistent Dividend Policy; &
- Best Strategic CSR.
Separately, we have cited one winner for each of the following categories in every country we cover namely:
- Most Improved Investor Relations;
- Best CFO; &
- Best Annual Report.
As the first and only poll focused on Southeast Asia, the corporate-institutional investor poll is the leading perceptions-based poll in performance in financial management, adherence to corporate governance, integrated reporting/ corporate social responsibility and investor relations.
A key distinguishing feature of this investor poll unlike any other poll is that we not only name investor favourites but adventurously put our potential income on the line by publishing names of companies that are not so well appreciated, by this same group of investors by asking them about companies perceived to have Unclear Senior Management Strategy & Investor Relations. A minimum total of 30 votes (local and/or regional) are required in order for us to proceed with the publication of these names.
In this year’s poll, we successfully collected votes from more than 502 investors and analysts across the region as well as US & Europe. The participants included fund managers with investment interests in Southeast Asia, large institutional investors, insurance companies, pension funds, funds of hedge funds, private banks, equity and fixed income brokers as well as buy and sell-side analysts.
Voting by public-listed corporates or individuals with vague, unverifiable contact details were excluded from the final vote count. Over 3,000 qualified participants were sent questionnaires starting late-February 2021 and all responses were received and collated by early-June 2021. (during the onset and nadir of the Covid-19 fallout)
The results are published country by country:
In Indonesia, five leading companies with the best perception among investors include mining giants Antam and Bukit Asam, cement producer Semen Baturaja, pharmaceutical company Indofarma and engineering services company Indika Energy. The ‘Best CFO in Indonesia’ award goes to Mr. Sahat Sihombing, CFO at Indofarma while ‘Most Improved Investor Relations’ goes to Semen Baturaja and the ‘Best Annual Report in Indonesia’ is firmly secured by Indika Energy.
In Malaysia, the five leading companies include PPE producers Supermax and Top Glove, OEM technology solutions provider UWC, one-stop household good provider MR DIY, and conglomerate Sime Darby. The ‘Best CFO in Malaysia’ award for the first time is awarded to Ms Lim Chen Hwee CFO at MR. DIY while Supermax has won ‘Most Improved Investor Relations’. The ‘Best Annual Report in Malaysia’ meanwhile goes to Top Glove.
In Philippines, the five best-managed companies include leading provider of clean and renewable power in the Philippines, First Generation Corp., Philippine conglomerate with diversified interests across multiple industries SM Investments Corp, diversified conglomerate LT Group, container terminal operator ICTSI, EMS and power semiconductor assembly specialist Integrated Micro-electronics. The ‘Best CFO in the Philippines’ award goes to Mr. Marcelo C Fernando, Treasurer at SMIC. Integrated Micro-electronics has won ‘Most Improved Investor Relations’ while First Gen Corp has housed the ‘Best Annual Report in the Philippines’ award.
In Singapore, five companies most preferred by investors include leading engineering services company SembCorp, food processing and investment holding company Wilmar International, China-based shipbuilding, offshore marine equipment construction and ship design giant Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, Thailand headquartered and one of Southeast Asia’s largest beverage companies, Thai Bev and leading real estate investment trust company Keppel DC REIT. The ‘Best CFO in Singapore’ award goes to Mr. Sithichai Chaikriangkrai, CFO at Thai Bev. Wilmar International has won ‘Most Improved Investor Relations’ while the ‘Best Annual Report in Singapore’ has been secured by SembCorp.
In Thailand, five companies most sought after among investors include fast growing regional beverage giant Carabao, world’s largest fully integrated natural rubber company Sri Trang Agro Industry, oil and gas giant PTT, petrochemical giant IRPC and leading oil refiner Thai Oil. The ‘Best CFO in Thailand goes to Mr. Pongsan Klongwattanakit, CFO at Carabao. Sri Trang Agro-Industry has won ‘Most Improved Investor Relations’ while PTT has won the ‘Best Annual Report in Thailand’.
Thai Oil meanwhile has been nominated as the company with the Strongest Commitment to Sustainable Energy in Southeast Asia.
In all, 25 Southeast Asian publicly-listed companies were ranked this year in the midst of Covid-19 and this list represents the crème-de-la crème of best practices whether it be on corporate governance, investor relations, disclosure, transparency, financial management, integrated reporting, CSR and/or dividend policy.
Congratulations to all the winners.
| In light of the ongoing lingering effects of Covid-19, most hotel venues are unable to host regional events. We have therefore prepared 3 options to ensure the secure delivery of the awards plaques, along with the unlimited licensing use of the awards logo ©, company name © and awards category © . |
To download a PDF copy of the announcement below, please click here.
TO PURCHASE THE PLAQUE ALONG WITH UNLIMITED LICENSING USE OF THE AWARDS LOGO, COMPANY NAME AND AWARDS CATEGORY, please download this form or email musa@whatinvestorswant.com
INDONESIA
MOST ORGANISED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Aneka Tambang | 121 |
| Bukit Asam | 118 |
| Indika Energy | 117 |
BEST SENIOR MANAGEMENT IR SUPPORT: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Aneka Tambang | 121 |
| Indofarma | 120 |
| Semen Baturaja | 117 |
STRONGEST ADHERENCE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Indofarma | 121 |
| Semen Baturaja | 116 |
| Indika Energy | 114 |
MOST CONSISTENT DIVIDEND POLICY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Indofarma | 121 |
| Bukit Asam | 114 |
| Aneka Tambang | 113 |
BEST STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Bukit Asam | 121 |
| Aneka Tambang | 117 |
| Indika Energy | 116 |
MOST IMPROVED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Semen Baturaja (Votes: 91)
BEST CFO IN INDONESIA; Mr. Sahat Sihombing, CFO, Indofarma (Votes: 83)
BEST ANNUAL REPORT IN INDONESIA: Indika Energy (Votes: 88)
UNCLEAR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & INVESTOR RELATIONS: Bottom 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Matahari Department Store | 41 |
| Gudang Garam | 40 |
| Ramayana Lestari | 40 |
MALAYSIA
MOST ORGANISED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Supermax Corp. | 122 |
| UWC | 121 |
| MR DIY | 119 |
BEST SENIOR MANAGEMENT IR SUPPORT: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Top Glove | 122 |
| MR DIY | 122 |
| Sime Darby | 120 |
STRONGEST ADHERENCE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Top Glove | 122 |
| Supermax Corp. | 121 |
| UWC | 119 |
MOST CONSISTENT DIVIDEND POLICY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| UWC | 122 |
| Top Glove | 118 |
| Sime Darby | 103 |
BEST STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| UWC | 122 |
| Supermax | 115 |
| Sime Darby | 101 |
MOST IMPROVED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Supermax Corp. (Votes: 82)
BEST CFO IN MALAYSIA; Ms. Lim Chen Hwee, CFO, MR. DIY (Votes: 89)
BEST ANNUAL REPORT IN MALAYSIA: Top Glove (Votes: 73)
UNCLEAR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & INVESTOR RELATIONS: Bottom 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| UEM Sunrise | 53 |
| Serba Dinamik | 48 |
| YTL Hospitality REIT | 46 |
PHILIPPINES
MOST ORGANISED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| First Gen Corp | 127 |
| SM Investments Corp | 119 |
| LT Group | 117 |
BEST SENIOR MANAGEMENT IR SUPPORT: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| SM Investments Corp | 124 |
| ICTSI | 122 |
| Integrated Micro-electronics | 119 |
STRONGEST ADHERENCE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| SM Investments Corp | 122 |
| First Gen Corp | 121 |
| LT Group | 119 |
MOST CONSISTENT DIVIDEND POLICY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| ICTSI | 123 |
| First Gen Corp | 119 |
| LT Group | 115 |
BEST STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| LT Group | 126 |
| ICTSI | 118 |
| Integrated Micro-electronics | 112 |
MOST IMPROVED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Integrated Micro-electronics (Votes: 94)
BEST CFO IN THE PHILIPPINES; Mr. Marcelo C Fernando, Treasurer, SMIC (Votes: 89)
BEST ANNUAL REPORT IN THE PHILIPPINES: First Gen Corp (Votes: 82)
UNCLEAR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & INVESTOR RELATIONS: Bottom 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| DMCI Holdings | 38 |
| Semirara Mining | 33 |
| ABS-CBN Corp | 32 |
SINGAPORE
MOST ORGANISED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| SembCorp | 122 |
| Wilmar International | 117 |
| Yangzijiang Ship Building | 112 |
BEST SENIOR MANAGEMENT IR SUPPORT: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Thai Bev | 118 |
| Wilmar International | 115 |
| Keppel DC REIT | 112 |
STRONGEST ADHERENCE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Thai Bev | 119 |
| SembCorp | 118 |
| Keppel DC REIT | 114 |
MOST CONSISTENT DIVIDEND POLICY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| SembCorp | 122 |
| Yangzijiang Ship Building | 121 |
| Keppel DC REIT | 119 |
BEST STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Wilmar International | 120 |
| Thai Bev | 113 |
| Yangzijiang Ship Building | 112 |
MOST IMPROVED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Wilmar International (Votes: 112)
BEST CFO IN SINGAPORE; Mr. Sithichai Chaikriangkrai, CFO, Thai Bev (Votes: 92)
BEST ANNUAL REPORT IN SINGAPORE: SembCorp (Votes: 87)
UNCLEAR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & INVESTOR RELATIONS: Bottom 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| City Development | 41 |
| SingTel | 40 |
| ComfortDelGro | 40 |
THAILAND
MOST ORGANISED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Sri Trang Agro-Industry | 122 |
| PTT | 118 |
| Thai Oil | 114 |
BEST SENIOR MANAGEMENT INVESTOR RELATIONS SUPPORT: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| Carabao Group | 122 |
| IRPC | 121 |
| Sri Trang Agro-Industry | 112 |
STRONGEST ADHERENCE TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| PTT | 122 |
| Carabao Group | 115 |
| Thai Oil | 112 |
MOST CONSISTENT DIVIDEND POLICY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| PTT | 122 |
| IRPC | 119 |
| Carabao Group | 118 |
BEST STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Top 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| IRPC | 122 |
| Sri Trang Agro-Industry | 115 |
| Thai Oil | 112 |
MOST IMPROVED INVESTOR RELATIONS: Sri Trang Agro-Industry (Votes: 86)
BEST CFO IN THAILAND: Mr. Pongsan Klongwattanakit, CFO, Carabao (Votes: 83)
BEST ANNUAL REPORT IN THAILAND: PTT (Votes: 81)
UNCLEAR SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & INVESTOR RELATIONS: Bottom 3
| COMPANY | VOTES (#) |
| EGAT | 43 |
| AIS | 42 |
| Bangkok Expressway | 40 |
METHODOLOGY: Each of the numbers stated in this poll are based on the number of people that voted in given category so for example, 129 individual investors and analysts may have voted for PTT when it came to Best Senior Management IR Support while 75 individuals (investors and analysts) may have similarly voted for Carabao for its Improved Investor Relations, etc, The full detailed results and analysis of the poll will be published in the August/September 2021 issue of Alpha Southeast Asia. For further information, please email musa@whatinvestorswant.com in Hong Kong.