Manila Electric Company and Unilever Thailand Win Asian Human Capital Award 2013 with Designed-for-Asia People Practices

1. Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and Unilever Thailand have emerged winners in the fifth Asian Human Capital Award (AHCA) 2013. Chosen from a record 89 submissions from 58 organisations across a diverse range of sectors in Asia, the two companies were recognised for their outstanding people practices, which have driven business performance and success.
2. Presenting the Awards to the AHCA winners, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health Dr Amy Khor said, “Throughout these years, the Award has unearthed different people strategies and initiatives employed by local and regional organisations. I am indeed heartened that companies are doing more to nurture their people. I hope more will adopt and adapt these best practices, so as to be at the forefront of human capital development.”
   
   About the AHCA Winners
3. The winners were chosen by an expert panel of independent judges in a rigorous judging process held over six months from March 2013. Entries were assessed in four key areas: aligning people practice to overall business strategy; showcasing innovation in developing and contextualising the people practice to address local needs; quality in execution; and bringing positive impact on business outcome.
   
   Manila Electric Company (MERALCO)
4. Through its people-centred practices, MERALCO successfully achieved exceptional employee engagement scores and saw record-breaking performance on key metrics due to their investment in nurturing a culture of innovation and engagement.
5. “Our people are the true source of power. They have been the key in MERALCO’s unprecedented growth, and our partners in nation building. They embody our Corporate Values which reflect the best of the past and build what it takes to succeed in the future.” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of the Board, MERALCO.
   
   Unilever Thailand
6. Unilever’s re-design of a global people practice to localise it for their Thai employees contributed to a positive turnaround of the company with all-time high employee engagement scores and close to double-digit annual growth.
7. “On behalf of Unilever Thailand, I am very honoured to receive Asian Human Capital Award on people practice for our “Talent and Organisation Readiness” Project. This initiative has been hugely transformational and has had a positive impact in every aspect of how the Company operates,” said Bauke Rouwers, Chairman, Unilever Thailand.
   
   Special Commendation Prize Recipients – Reliance Retails and Siemens China
8. Two other Asian companies also received the Special Commendation Prize in recognition of their excellent performance and commitment to best practices in human capital management.
9. Reliance Retail’s people practice, WorkSmart, a business excellence and workforce enablement programme, increased employee satisfaction, reduced turnover and boosted overall store performance in a highly challenging retail environment in India.
10. Siemens China’s People Excellence Initiative was selected for driving measurable impact on business results through its integrated approach to attract and retain talent, leveraging both Western and Asian strengths.
11. The Award winners will be speaking at the Singapore Human Capital Summit 2013 to share their winning people strategies with delegates from across the region, to facilitate knowledge exchange and best practices.
12. Jointly sponsored by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower, INSEAD, CNBC Asia Pacific and Human Capital Leadership Institute, the Asian Human Capital Award honours innovative and impactful people practices adopted by Asia-based organisations. For more information on the Singapore Human Capital Summit 2013 and the Asian Human Capital Award, please visit www.singaporehcsummit.com.