The inaugural ceremony of SDG Brand Champion Awards 2023 was held at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden on Friday.
Akij Bashir Group presented the awards in association with Aspire to Innovate (a2i). The award ceremony was organised by the Bangladesh Brand Forum in collaboration with Global Compact Network Bangladesh, read a press release.
This prestigious accolade, initiated by the Sustainability Brand Forum, awarded 24 initiatives – 11 winners and 13 honourable mentions. This award aimed to recognise and honour private organisations and brands that have contributed outstandingly to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.
The initiative garnered enthusiastic responses and appreciation from various industries as it became the first-of-its-kind accolade in sustainability practices.
With over 450 people in attendance, the award ceremony showcased the innovative and effective initiatives of businesses, non-governmental and development organisations, trade bodies, and brands that have actively promoted and implemented SDGs in the country.
The awards were presented in nine distinct categories, representing the comprehensive scope of all 17 SDGs and their implications in Bangladesh.
The nomination registration for the awards took place from April 11 to May 7. A total of 147 nominations were submitted for the award. The winners were selected through a rigorous multiple-step jury process which included an initial screening of nominations, followed by in-depth reviews by seven exclusive grand jury panels of experts from May 19 to 22.
The jury sessions comprised 31 respected category experts across industries to bring out the best initiatives to recognise and keep the process transparent, accountable, and bias-free, the release added.
The jury session included significant experts like Md Abul Kalam Azad, former principal coordinator (SDGs), Prime Minister’s Office; Prof Syed Ferhat Anwar, president, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF) and immediate past director, IBA - University of Dhaka; Prof Imran Rahman, vice-chancellor, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB); Asif Iqbal, group chief executive officer, Hamid Group; Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone Ltd; Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO, Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Sabbir Nasir, executive director, ACI Logistics Ltd (Shwapno); Azadul Haque, CEO, Max Group (Power); Syed Tanvir Husain, chief human resources officer, Grameenphone Ltd; Parvez Mohammad Asheque, chief of party, USAID Advancing Universal Health Coverage (AUHC); and Ananya Raihan, CEO, Infolady Social Enterprise Ltd.
Nazia Andaleeb Preema, director and creative editor of Bangladesh Brand Forum, expressed her vision for fostering a culture of sustainability in Bangladesh, stating, "In this modern world, sustainability is rooted in the philosophy and core objectives of any economy. Therefore, we need to push our industries and businesses to pursue sustainability at the core. I believe this accolade will initiate the process of reaching that purpose."
