SM Prime : Sustainability Efforts Net People of the Year Award for Sy
February 01, 2015 at 12:23 am EST
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January 27,2015
[L-R: Kevin Belmonte, People Asia President and associate publisher; Hans Sy, President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.; Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez, Publisher and CEO of PeopleAsia; and Joanne Rae Ramirez, Editor in Chief of People Asia]
For advocating sustainable green business practices in the company's operations, SM Prime Holdingsand SM Investment Corporation First Executive Vice President Hans Sy earned the nod as one of the 14 People of the Year awardees given annually by Stargate's PeopleAsia magazine.
Sy received the accolade from PeopleAsia publisher Babe Romualdez during ceremonies held at the New World Hotel in Makati City.
Being the first Filipino representative for the Private Sector Advisory Group of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, he was recognized for advocating the "importance of disaster resilience and in providing opportunities and assistance to disaster-stricken areas."
The award-giving body noted SM Group's past relief efforts in Tacloban City after Typhoon Yolanda and Bohol after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island province. Sy initiated the donation of 1,000 disaster-resilient houses to affected families in Tacloban City, Cebu City, Iloilo City, and Ormoc City. The project is set to be completed in July 2015.
"Quite frankly, 1,000 units are not enough with the damage I saw. But again, I'm not the type who will get discouraged," said Sy in an interview with PeopleAsia. "But again, I'm not the type who will be discouraged. I just went on with the project and I believe it has also influenced other companies to do the same."
People of the Year is an annual award given out by PeopleAsia magazine to individuals who have "left an indelible mark through their contributions in business, leadership, advocacies and entertainment, among others."
Sy was featured PeopleAsia's 15th anniversary issue, released December 2014.
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is a Philippines-based integrated property developer, which is engaged in the development of malls, residences, offices, hotels and convention centers. The Company has approximately 82 malls in and outside Metro Manila and eight shopping malls in China, totaling 10.5 million square meters of Gross Floor Area (GFA). In the Philippines, the Company has a total of 19,919 tenants and 1,952 tenants in China. The Mall segment develops, conducts, operates and maintains the business of modern commercial shopping centers and all businesses related thereto. Residential and commercial segments are involved in the development and transformation of residential, commercial, entertainment and tourism districts through sustained capital investments in buildings and infrastructure. The Hotels and Convention Centers segment is engaged in and carries on the business of hotel and convention centers and operates and maintains any and all services and facilities incident thereto.