ASB's ESG work recognised at INFINZ awards

ASB's leadership in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space has been recognised at the 2023 Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand (INFINZ) awards. ASB was named winner of the Corporate ESG Award.

Judges said ASB showed genuine commitment to encouraging and nurturing diversity, mental health and working conditions for its people and suppliers and to championing sustainability.

"It was a pleasure hearing directly from ASB staff and customers how this is impacting them and their businesses in positive and meaningful ways and [we] felt it went well beyond being just a box-ticking exercise."

ASB executive general manager for Corporate Banking Nigel Annett says the award reflects the hard work from teams across the business, and it was humbling to have ASB's work recognised.

"Our ESG policy and framework is at the heart of a lot of the work we do. We have a responsibility to manage environmental and social risks and to proactively identify opportunities supporting the wellbeing of New Zealanders now and in the future. We're incredibly proud to have won this award for our work in the ESG space."

ASB's climate support includes helping corporate customers develop their ESG strategies via Sustainability Transition Loans and executing Sustainability Linked Loans with customers such as Craigmore, Yealands and most recently Trevelyan's, alongside delivering its 2022 Climate Report. 

Significant work has gone into ASB's impactful partnership with Youthline, alongside initiatives supporting the Rainbow Community, embedding Te Ao Māori across the organisation, and a commitment to education via the gifting of MAGS farm to the Mount Albert Grammar School Foundation.

"It's been a very busy year for our team and we have a lot more great work in the pipeline which we're really excited about. We're looking forward to continuing this sustainability journey with our people and our customers, and we are committed to helping shape a more sustainable future for all New Zealanders."