Several well-known Irish brands including An Post, SSE Airtricity, Gas Networks Ireland, Brown Thomas Arnotts and PTSB are among the finalists announced today for the 2024 Business & Finance ESG Awards. The winners will be revealed at a gala luncheon at 12.30 on 18 April 2024, at The Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin. Attracting entries from companies, from the island of Ireland and internationally, the ESG Awards recognise and celebrate individuals and groups who are actively striving to address issues related to environmental, social and governance topics.

Nominations were invited across 18 categories, with each category focusing on a specific area within the ESG space. 2024 entries saw a great variety of sectors being represented, with companies of every level engaging with the ESG journey showing how the ESG agenda has matured, with companies now displaying confidence to discuss projects that are coming to fruition. The ESG Awards are witnessing real time evolution of sustainability into evidence based results.

Tracey Carney, Managing Director, Business & Finance said, “We are thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2024 Business & Finance ESG Awards, showcasing the remarkable strides taken by companies towards sustainability. This year marks a pivotal shift from CEO led initiatives to team-led endeavours, reflecting a collective commitment to driving change. These finalists exemplify the real-time evolution of ESG practises, proving that sustainability isn’t just a goal, but a dynamic journey we embark on together.”

The finalists for the 2024 ESG Awards are as follows:

Biodiversity in Business Leadership Award: An Post, Coillte, EirGrid, Eversheds Sutherland LLP, Gas Networks Ireland, Watermark Coffee Technology & Wildacres

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Initiative: African Professional Network of Ireland, Brown Thomas Arnotts, Coillte, Expleo, PTSB, Speedpak Group & William Fry

Employee Well-Being Award: Brown Thomas Arnotts, Core, Expleo, Gas Networks Ireland, PTSB, Version 1 & William Fry

Energy Efficiency Initiative Award: AEMS ECOfleet, Astatine, Copper Coast Renewables, DAA, JCDecaux Ireland, Obelisk & TCS

ESG Consultancy Award: Common Good Marketplace, CoolPlanet, Maples Group, Pragmatica, Rimm Sustainability, Sustainability Works & Xenergie

ESG Investment Award: Amundi, Apheon, Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Foresight Group, Ketchum, MTIP, & Packaging Holdings

ESG Finance Award: Apheon, Infrastructure Development Company Limited, Strikepay & Uniphar

ESG Team Award: An Post, Coillte, Cpl, Digital Realty, Espria Ltd, Version 1 & Gas Networks Ireland

Future ESG Leader Award: Anupam Srivastava – Crown Monkey, Kate Kerrane – H&MV Engineering, Wendy Mlotshwa – Ninety One, Ronnie Delaney – Obelisk, Dishat Panyarachun – OR & Jennifer O’Sullivan – Volkswagen Group Ireland Limited

Green Logistics Excellence Award: Buymedia, DAA, DPD, & Drobey

Sustainable Procurement Award: &Open, An Post, Buymedia, CBRE GWS, & Drobey

Net Zero Carbon Award: Activ8 Solar Energies, CEZ, a.s., Musgrave Group, Sodexo Ireland, SSE Airtricity, Uniphar & Version 1

Governance Best Practice Award: Barretstown, Coillte, Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Downing LLP & Smarttech247

ESG Innovation Award: CameraMatics, Cognition World, Digital Realty, Gamma Location Lab, shareclub, The Nature Trust, & Xerotech Battery Systems

Social Impact Award (Enterprise): Coillte, Liberty Insurance, Vodafone, Open Doors Initiative, PTSB, SSE Airtricity & Sodexo Ireland

Social Impact Award (SME): African Professional Network of Ireland, FRS Business Services, Generation Ireland, Helium Arts, Speedpak Group, TCS & Xenergie

ESG Company Award (Enterprise): An Post, Arthur Cox LLP, DAA, Coillte, Cpl, DAA, Fyffes & refurbed

ESG Company Award (SME): Chartered Accountants Ireland,
CleverCards, CoolPlanet, Smarttech247, Speed Fibre Group, UrbanVolt, We are Riley & Repak

The judging panel for the 2024 ESG Awards includes notable business leaders such as, Professor Patrick Paul Walsh – Vice President of Education, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Margot Slattery, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Belonging and Social Impact, ISS Global and Journalist Jo Linehan – Editor of the Climate Supplement, The Sunday Times Ireland and Janice Daly, Partner and Sustainability Lead of Grant Thornton.

Grant Thornton Ireland are headline partner for the 2024 ESG Awards and Amanda Ward, Partner & Head of Consulting at Grant Thornton Ireland said, ‘Amanda Ward, Partner & Head of Consulting at Grant Thornton Ireland said, ‘We’re hugely impressed by the calibre of entries received and at the efforts taken by business leaders in the past year to drive sustainable and responsible policies across their organisations. The onus is on all of us in the business community, across all industries, to ensure sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. The responses across each category show that this responsibility is being taken seriously. And I’d like to commend our nominated leaders and organisations for this.’

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About Business & Finance ESG Awards

The Business & Finance ESG Awards recognise and reward organisations and individuals who are actively striving to address environmental, social and governance issues within their organisations. The Awards is one of several awards events run by Business & Finance Media Group. Business & Finance was launched in 1964 as Ireland’s first business magazine and continues to operate as a leading C-level media platform.

Judges Quotes

Jo Linehan – Editor of the Climate Supplement, The Sunday Times Ireland & Sustainability Journalist, said, “It has been a privilege to judge this year’s awards. Not only are companies and businesses in Ireland committing to ambitious climate targets, but the diversity and ingenuity in their approach are world-class and truly inspiring. Kudos to every entrant for their outstanding accomplishments and vision.”

Professor Patrick Paul Walsh – Vice President of Education, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network said, “Wonderful to see such innovative corporate leadership that clearly cares for people and the planet. It is so important that everyone in all sectors engages in these transformative actions. Congrats to everyone involved.”

Margot Slattery, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Belonging and Social Impact, ISS Global, said of this year’s entries, “The ESG Awards was established to recognise the dedication of companies and teams in in Irish and international business for their efforts in advancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. These awards have created a competitive and transparent forum for companies to compare and celebrate their ESG improvement and performance against their peers.

This year’s awards were of a very high standard and I can see much evidence of an acceleration for organisations to provide tangible evidence and to impact on their own business and to ensure its material to the outcomes.
Sustainability is the most important and urgent issue of our time. ESG provides criteria that companies can measure, benchmark, and report against this and now it feels like we are moving forward to fully encompass this in Irish business , I wish all the nominees and winners every success and I look forward to hearing the final outcomes”