Singapore, 6 December 2017 – Eco-Business, Asia Pacific’s leading media organisation dedicated to reporting on sustainable development, has today unveiled a new membership programme for its growing community.
The EB Circle is a new dedicated network in which readers who sign up for just S$60 a year will gain priority invites to its events, access to an inner circle of professionals committed to sustainability on the Slack platform, media training opportunities and more.
Since Eco-Business was founded in 2009, it has been committed to providing a platform for the region to discuss sustainability issues, and to shed light on matters that are under-reported in the mainstream media.
Whether it is holding companies to account, making sense of government policy, or showcasing inspiring examples of how businesses and individuals are solving the challenges of our time, Eco-Business’s model is one of purposeful journalism that receives support from governments and businesses across the world.
But even as Eco-Business continues to grow, the media industry confronts various challenges from the rise of fake news to declining advertising budgets. The EB Circle is a response to this and a call to its readers to support its mission and help keep its content free for all.
Managing editor Jessica Cheam said of the new initiative: “These are exciting times for Eco-Business and our community. With the launch of The EB Circle, we hope to be able to invest more into investigative journalism and also help our readers do better work, make meaningful connections and feel like they are part of a large family who’s helping to shape a better world.”
Features of the new membership initiative include:
- Priority access to all EB events in the region
- Exclusive invitation to join The EB Circle on Slack
- Media training from EB staff and network of experts in its 2018 series of events
- Invitations to networking opportunities with business and government leaders across Asia
International expertise
The Singapore-headquartered social enterprise also today unveiled its international advisory board members who will provide strategic counsel for the organisation’s next phase of growth.
They are:
- Georg Kell, founder and former Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and chairman of Arabesque
- Assaad Razzouk, chairman and CEO of Sindicatum Renewable Energy
- Jessica Robinson, founder of Moxie Future and former Head of Asia for the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI)
Added Cheam: “We are deeply honoured to have such distinguished sustainability leaders offer their vision and support to Eco-Business and look forward in engaging with them to advance the sustainable development agenda through the initiatives of Eco-Business and its network of business and government partners.”
Kell, a sustainability pioneer who helped to establish the UNGC as the foremost platform for driving responsible and sustainable corporate practices, commented: “I am proud to support Eco-Business, which I have long considered a leading voice on the issues that shape our future. As markets need to accelerate transformations away from industrial era practices towards a cleaner, healthier and smarter future, the role of Eco-Business is of growing importance.”
Kell is also chairman of Arabesque, an asset management firm that integrates ESG data with quantitative investment strategies. He has had a career of more than 25 years at the UN, and also oversaw the conception and launch of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), together with the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative.
Lebanese-British clean energy entrepreneur, investor and commentator Assaad Razzouk said: “It has never been more important to put facts first, especially when it comes to climate change and clean energy, sectors and issues which will impact what happens to humankind. Eco-Business is a beacon of light in relation to these issues in the Asia-Pacific region. I am delighted to make a contribution to that end.”
Razzouk leads Sindicatum, a clean energy company headquartered in Singapore financing, building and operating 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects in India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
He is also a Board member of the London-based Climate Markets & Investment Association (CMIA), a contributor to various publications including the Huffington Post, and is a high-profile thought leader on climate change, clean energy and the UN climate talks with a large following on social media.
Jessica Robinson, founder of Moxie Future, the world’s first platform empowering women as responsible investors, added: “I am truly excited to be joining the advisory board of Eco-Business. Sustainability is a critical issue for today, not just tomorrow - and the work of Eco-Business is important to ensure that professionals, businesses and consumers understand the complexity of the issues, but also what we can all do to address the massive challenges we are facing. It provides a unique platform and I am very proud to be part of the next chapter in its journey.”
Robinson also works as strategic advisor to institutional investors, think tanks and governments on green finance, sustainability and responsible investment.
She was formerly chief executive and board director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA); led the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; played an active leadership role in the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) and the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change (GIC), and was a member of Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council’s Green Finance Working Group.
Serving up new content & WhatsApp hotline
Eco-Business is excited to announce that it has launched a new content offering - The Eco-Business podcast. This features a series of conversations with public sector leaders, industry captains, financiers, academic experts and civil society change-makerson sustainability.
The inaugural podcast series is titled ‘Let’s Write the Future’ and presented in partnership with Swiss power and automation giant ABB. It is published on SoundCloud and iTunes.
As a commitment to reporting on sustainable development, Eco-Business has also launched a new WhatsApp number so its readers can more easily and directly share their perspectives, experiences, also send the editorial team any tip-offs or story ideas.
Readers can add Eco-Business on WhatsApp as a contact using this number: +6583622856.
Later this month, Eco-Business will be publishing a new investigative special report looking at the footprint of e-commerce in Asia. This is part of its series of special reports looking at specific issues with huge impact on the region, which The EB Circle will help to fund.
-Ends-
For more information, please contact: news@eco-business.com
Publish your content with EB Publishing
It's about who you reach. Get your news, events, jobs and thought leadership seen by those who matter to you.
