Gokongwei named to GRI board

MANILA, Philippines — Lance Gokongwei, president and CEO of JG Summit Holdings Inc., one of the largest and most diversified Philippine conglomerates, has been named as one of the four new members to the board of the Amsterdam-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the provider of the world’s leading sustainability reporting standards, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Representing the business enterprise sector in the GRI board, Gokongwei is joined by Eelco van der Enden, a partner at PwC from The Netherlands and Jessica Fries, executive chair of A4S – Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability from the UK, both representing the mediating institution; and Jyrki Raina, a global industrial relations expert from Finland representing labor organizations.

The new GRI board of directors, who will serve a term of three years, will oversee the organizations’ work to increase and strengthen sustainability disclosures by companies around the world, helping them communicate how they contribute towards sustainable development.

Eric Hespenheide, chairman of the GRI board, said: “GRI provides international leadership through our mission to develop global standards for disclosure of economic, environmental and social performance. I am excited to welcome four new directors to the board. Collectively and individually they will add a lot of knowledge and experience to GRI and their appointments continue to demonstrate our independent and multi-stakeholder approach.

GRI chief executive Tim Mohin added: “The appointments of Lance, Eelco, Jessica and Jyrki bring fresh perspectives and expertise and I look forward to working with them to advance sustainability reporting.”

With the addition of the four new directors, GRI’s 15-member board will include 13 nationalities from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Asia and Australia. GRI’s governance also has representation from five constituency groups – business enterprise, labor organizations, mediating institutions, investment, and civil society.

Gokongwei leads JG Summit, a conglomerate in the real estate, food, transport, financial services and petrochemicals sectors, with operations in the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia and Australasia. He is chairman of Robinsons Retail Holdings and vice chairman of Manila Electric Co. As trustee and secretary of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation he drives the sustainability direction and efforts of the Gokongwei Group.

The new members will join 11 continuing members of the GRI board of directors.