Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chief finance, risk and sustainability officer June Cheryl Cabal-Revilla was recognized as the 2022 Sustainability Leader of Campaign’s Women Leading Change Awards Asia-Pacific.
Named among the outstanding women who lead, inspire and motivate greatness in their respective fields, Cabal-Revilla rose above nominees from Asia-Pacific countries and was heralded as the only winner from the Philippines.
As the first chief sustainability officer of the country’s leading infrastructure investment company, she has transformed the business beyond being purely profit-driven, futureproofing its operations and its advocacies for generations to come.
With her holistic forward-looking perspective and her thriving passion for purpose, she has cemented herself as a catalyst for change towards advancing sustainable development goals and driving strategic growth.
“Sustainability and the passion for inspiring positive change have always been the backbone of the work that we do, allowing us to do good while doing well,” said Cabal-Revilla. “I gratefully share this recognition with my MPIC Family, the entire MPIC Group and the wider MVP Group. This is a testament that our collective efforts are bearing fruit as we live out our commitment to creating better lives for our countrymen.”
Embracing sustainability
Cabal-Revilla wears three vital hats as CFO, CRO and CSO, giving her a distinct advantage of being at the center of all business matters and driving change within the company. She fully integrates finance and sustainability by operationalizing and quantifying impacts that people can understand.
Her view on sustainability as a holistic and end-to-end approach ensured that the business imperatives cover Economic plus Environment, Social and Governance, deeply embedding sustainability in MPIC’s businesses and value creation strategies.
With this reinforced strategy, the company ranked first among multi-sector holdings companies in the Philippines. It was recognized as an “ESG industry top rated” company by Sustainalytics after receiving an ESG risk rating score of 12.8 as of May 2021. This score places MPIC in the “low risk” category of experiencing material financial impacts from ESG factors.
MPIC also achieved the highest-level A rating in the Global Listed Infrastructure Organization/Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ESG Index for Infrastructure, being one of the 19 out of 160 to accomplish this feat.
In the same month, the company was recognized at the 11th Asian Excellence Awards. Revilla was named Asia’s Best CFO (Investor Relations), while the company won Best Investor Relations Company (Philippines), Best Environmental Responsibility and Asia’s Best CSR.
“Bolstering our sustainability agenda to benefit our people and our planet is instilled in Chaye’s core as a leader, a mother, and a Filipina,” said MPIC chairman, president and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan. “Our group’s sustainability efforts reached the heights they did because of her progressive vision and tireless commitment to making our world a better place.”
Leading the way
MPIC’s sustainability playbook serves as the company’s blueprint, with focus areas and pillars mapped to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The group’s sustainability agenda is furthered by the Board Governance and Sustainability Committee as well as the creation of the MPIC Group Sustainability Council, which aims to harmonize and bring together the Group’s sustainability initiatives aimed to create a collective positive impact for all stakeholders.
Early this year, with Cabal-Revilla as the Office of the Chairman’s sustainability lead, the council was expanded to involve the whole MVP Group of Companies. In May 2022, the company also released its board-approved business development and investments policy with investments blacklist and due diligence focus areas. This showcased how MPIC integrates sustainability not just in its operations but also in investments decisions.
The company has been recognized as a leader and pioneer in sustainability by several global organizations, confirming its participation in the United Nations Global Compact, the largest corporate sustainability initiative aimed to align strategies and operations with universal principles on good governance and ethical business practices.
MPIC is also the first in Southeast Asia to join the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures Forum, a global multi-disciplinary consultative network of institutional supporters that provides an important complementary role in the development of the TNFD Framework.
Global citizenship
Cabal-Revilla is the only Filipino founding member of the Accounting for Sustainability Asia-Pacific CFO Leadership Network, an organization established by The Prince of Wales that aims to make sustainable business, business as usual.
The organization works with the finance and accounting community to inspire finance leaders to adopt sustainable and resilient business models, transform financial decision-making to reflect the opportunities and risks posed by the climate crisis and ESG issues, and scale up action to transition to a sustainable economy.
With her participation in an exclusive private roundtable discussion with His Royal Highness, MPIC has become involved in shaping the convergence and adoption of common sustainability metrics and standards. Likewise, her being an elected member of the UNGC Philippines’ board of trustees allows the company to help advance the Ten Principles of the UNGC and the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Innovative force
Capitalizing on the opportunity to fortify MPIC’s digital resilience, she spearheaded its business transformation as part of its sustainability agenda, aimed to improve governance, productivity, and employee and customer experience. This enables the company to achieve its business objectives and facilitate the attainment of its business imperatives.
MPIC has become the first company in the country to adopt Rise with SAP, which modernized and standardized the group’s enterprise resource planning systems. This initiative is also recognized as the fastest deployment of SAP in the country, with a record-breaking implementation of just three months. It allowed the company to transition from usual risk management to overall resilience, covering financial, operational, organizational and climate resilience with specific KPIs for each.
Positive change
Looking to create a positive and sustainable impact in the lives of Filipinos, she led the launching of the MVP Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines, with six umbrellas focused on the environment, education, livelihood, health and sports, community development, and youth empowerment.
MPIC continues to form long-term partnerships with other private sector companies and government agencies to protect the country’s flourishing biodiversity.
Notable collaborations include the partnership for the protection of Laguna Lake, the largest lake in the Philippines and one of the significant sources of freshwater; with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to address biodiversity loss in the region; and with one of the country’s waste recyclers to implement an effective and cost-efficient solid waste management program that aims to help minimize waste pollution through the promotion of proper segregation at source and recycling that supports a circular economy.
MPIC also became the first private sector partner of the country’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources in promoting urban biodiversity.
With an unparalleled determination to integrate purpose into national progress for the upliftment of the lives of every Filipino, MPIC has developed a framework to continue to inspire change towards creating a better future for all.
The recognition emphasizes MPIC’s role as the largest catalyst for a sustainable Philippines by providing essential services and mobilizing advocacies that uplift the quality of life of all Filipinos.