It bags journalism prizes and Most Transparent Company Award
By
Michelle Tay
Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Ng Hwee Min was named Financial Journalist of the Year for her work covering aspects of the local economy. Mr Chew Xiang from The Business Times was named Most Promising Journalist of the Year. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
A SENIOR correspondent at Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao was named Financial Journalist of the Year last night while her employer, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), had plenty to celebrate as well.
Ms Ng Hwee Min triumphed in the individual category for her work covering aspects of the local economy while the publishing group won the Most Transparent Company Award in the 'Non-Electronics Manufacturing' category.
It is the fifth year running that SPH has clinched the two prizes at the Investors' Choice Awards, which are handed out by the Securities Investors Association of Singapore (Sias).
Said Ms Ng: 'The past 12 months have been a busy and eventful year for me. (The stories I followed) sometimes broke late at night and even during weekends. But looking back, I am glad I persisted.'
The Business Times got in on the act as well with Mr Chew Xiang named Most Promising Journalist of the Year and senior correspondent Kalpana Rashiwala bagging one of two Special Awards.
Ms Ginney Lim, executive vice-president of legal and corporate communications at SPH, said winning a Most Transparent Company Award underlined the firm's commitment to 'maintaining a high standard of corporate governance'.
'We will continue to build on what we have established, and we will also explore the potential and viability of using various media platforms for our dissemination of information pertaining to the company's business operations and significant developments,' she added.
At least 50 firms with high standards in corporate governance were honoured at the awards.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran, who was the guest of honour, told the audience of business leaders at the award ceremony last night that investor awareness was a pillar of a robust financial system.
'It is crucial that corporations and individual investors work hand in hand with regulatory authorities to buttress the capacity of financial markets,' he said.
In his speech, Sias chief executive David Gerald had strong words for those he believed were partly responsible for the losses suffered by retail investors from purchasing structured products linked to failed bank Lehman Brothers.
He said: 'This saga further emphasises the need for retail investors to educate themselves on the products they buy prior to making their investments.
'Creators and distributors of these products must make clear the risks in clear and unambiguous language. The old and feeble should not be exposed to these complex products.'
The inaugural Board Diversity Award, which recognises firms that have a balance of backgrounds and competencies on their boards to provide diverse views, went to SingTel and SMRT.
Most Transparent Company Awards went to 18 firms, including two joint winners in the real estate investment trust (Reit) category: Ascendas (A-Reit) and CapitaMall Trust Management.
Mr Pua Seck Guan, chief executive of CapitaMall Trust Management, told The Straits Times before the event: 'This year, we raised the bar further for Singapore Reits by taking the lead to enhance our corporate governance report to track the format prescribed by the Council on Corporate Disclosure and Governance for Singapore-listed companies.'
A-Reit attributed its competitive edge to being 'one of the very few Reits in Singapore that links the performance fees of its managers to the growth in distribution per unit for unitholders'.
