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Alaya Consulting is a specialist consultancy focusing on ESG reporting, pre-assurance and sustainability training.
Alaya Consulting is a specialist consultancy focusing on ESG reporting, pre-assurance and sustainability training.
Associate consultant
Ruby Fang joined Alaya Consulting as an associate consultant in hopes to promote corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Her main role includes day-to-day client communication, data management and preparation of reports. She graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with a major in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Social Sciences. Ruby has also completed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accreditation training.
Associate consultant
I joined Alaya Consulting with an interest in environmental protection and sustainable development, hoping to provide better solutions for different companies, promoting sustainable development and achieving carbon neutrality. I was mainly responsible for data collection, environmental disclosure, carbon audits and assisting in the preparation of reports. I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. I graduated with a master’s degree in environmental engineering and management from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science from Nanjing University. I am also a yoga enthusiast.
Associate consultant
Xiaotong is responsible for handling data collection, writing ESG reports, and day-to-day client communications. She also assists with ESG disclosures and client support. She obtained her Master of Chemical Engineering in Shenzhen University, with a longterm focus on environmental pollutant assessment.
She also graduated in Bachelor of Engineering Science from Chang’an University, majoring in water pollution management.
Intern
Alisa Lam is an intern working at Alaya consulting during her gap year. She plans on studying Politics, International Relations and Global Sustainable Development at Warwick University in 2022. She has a keen interest in understanding what makes the best sustainability report, promoting corporate social responsibility and learning how to tailor sustainable strategies for different companies. She understands that implementing environmental and social policies is crucial in building a successful and resilient enterprise in today’s world. She is responsible for writing and revising reports as well as doing research for Alaya.
Management Trainee
Gabriel joined Alaya Consulting as a management trainee, responsible for conducting ESG advisory and reporting along with assisting the business development and marketing team.
He graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree of science majored in Environmental Science. Gabriel understands that working towards improving environmental and social issues is fundamental to building a sustainable and successful business. He would like to make a positive impact by joining the ESG advisory industry.
Associate consultant
Better ESG management shapes a more resilient and sustainable future.
Responsible for handling social data collection and analysis; Assist in preparing the sustainability report and daily communications with clients; Advise clients on ESG- related issues to optimize ESG disclosure and improve ESG performance.
Graduated from Uppsala University in Sweden with a master's degree in business and economics. Master thesis themed in green finance.
Associate Consultant
Eason joined Alaya Consulting as an associate consultant, responsible for preparing ESG reports. He is passionate about sustainability and eager in helping enterprises to improve their ESG performance. He graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in science, major in Earth System Science and minor in Biology. Eason’s hobbies are playing table tennis and playing the guitar.
Consultant
Alva Yeung is keen in helping companies create sustainability strategies to help mitigate environment and social impact. Coming from an international relations background, she is familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, UN Global Compact and other international initiatives. She is also responsible for social data analysis, facilitating stakeholder communication, ESG report writing and day-to-day client communication. Alva has completed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accreditation training.
Alva obtained her Master of International Relations and Public Affairs in University of Hong Kong and Bachelor Degree in City University of Hong Kong, major in Asian and International Studies.
Business Development and Marketing Manager
Sunny joined Alaya in 2020 with a goal to bolster ESG and sustainability in Hong Kong.
He works with Alaya to develop and promote its initiatives such as HERA and ESG Newswire.
He also works with existing and new partners to collaborate and host events promoting ESG strategy and disclosure.
Sunny has great plans to design and develop Alaya’s own ESG rating system in the coming future.
Born in India, bred in Hong Kong, and a bachelor’s degree from NYU, Sunny comes from a rich and diverse range of experiences.
He majored in Finance and Marketing and minored in Social Entrepreneurship.
He co-founded his own social enterprise, Grounded Upcycling, in New York that upcycles spent coffee grounds into soap and face masks.
In his free time, Sunny likes to go hiking, read, or play Squash!
Founder
Tony is the founder of Alaya Consulting Limited. With more than 16 years of experience in advising C-suite executives, both in-house and from the client side, he is particularly experienced in the development of corporate sustainability strategies, training, communication and ESG reporting approaches.
Tony works with client companies to help them improve disclosure levels and ESG ratings. Recent clients include AAC Technologies, CIMC, Panda Green Energy, Chiho Environmental Group, Integrated Waste Management, Baguio, MicroPort, Tianjin Port and others. Recent projects include organising the Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards, contributing to the development of industry best practices.
Tony is a Chartered Company Secretary, a GRI Nominated Trainer, a carbon audit professional accredited by the Association of Energy Engineers, a Practitioner of Institute of Environmental Management Association and a certified sustainability assurance practitioner. He has also successfully completed the practitioner training of Integrated Reporting.
Prior to setting up Alaya, Tony assumed senior roles in various leading communications agencies and a Fortune top 10 financial services group. Before embarking on his career in communications, Tony spent a number of years in banking and financial journalism. He received a master’s degree in Corporate Governance from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Three Key ESG Trends to Watch in 2021
1. Growing board involvement in ESG management
Since July 2020, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has implemented a series of amendments to its ESG Reporting Guide and related Listing Rules. This reflects HKEX’s commitment to enhance the ESG regulatory framework in Hong Kong, so as to keep abreast with higher international standards. Under the new disclosure guide, it is now mandatory for listed companies to include a board statement that discloses the board’s consideration of ESG matters in the company’s sustainability report. In response to this, the board must step up its act in understanding ESG impacts of the company’s business strategies and activities, while cultivating greater competence for managing sustainability issues. In short, board involvement is expected to deepen in respect of all facets of corporate ESG management; from supervising the target setting progress, to monitoring ESG-related risks and opportunities, the board’s role is fundamental and indispensable in inspiring positive changes.
2. Increasing investor appetite on corporate sustainability
As the sentiment for responsible investing grows, corporate sustainability has become a major topic of interest for investors across the globe. At the same time, ESG indexes and ratings, such as the FTSE4Good ESG Index, Hang Seng Indexes Corporate Sustainability Index Series, and MSCI ESG Rating, are frequently used by investors as benchmarks for assessing corporate performance. As such, these increasingly ESG-conscious investors are anticipating continuous enhancement of sustainability practices, bringing the issue to the top of the corporate agenda. Moreover, asset owners are not only aware that sustainable investing improves financial returns, but many of them are also focused on non-financial outcomes, as they hope to know that their investments are indeed making a difference and are creating positive impacts for the society. With that said, more ESG activism is also expected from investors. To illustrate, proxy resolutions are often used as tools for active engagement in sustainability investing. In the coming year, corporates should prepare themselves for an increase in filing of social and environmental shareholder resolutions, focusing on topics such as climate change, human rights, human capital investment, diversity in the workplace, and more.
3. COVID-19 sparked greater awareness on social aspects
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 has revealed that the coronavirus pandemic has reversed decades of progress on poverty, healthcare, and education. Amidst the pandemic, it is often the poorest and the most vulnerable parts of population that have been affected the most, with limited access to medical resources and frequent loss of employment. This has magnified the existing social inequality, causing disruption in the progress towards meeting sustainable development goals. Nonetheless, stronger public awareness on corporate social issues has been observed, as stakeholders urged for more social initiatives from the business community during the pandemic. In view of this, the proportion of social bonds issued tripled in 2020, demonstrating the increasing focus on corporate social responsibilities. Meanwhile, creative approaches are also required to address systemic social problems including the widening wealth gap and social inequalities. Therefore, companies should prepare themselves for taking on wider-scoped social initiatives in order to achieve long-term sustainable development.