True leadership isn’t declared in a boardroom, it is seen through the footprint an organization leaves behind. When an enterprise chooses to grow with purpose, transparency becomes its default setting, and community well-being turns into a core metric of success.
High standards, deep empathy, and steady accountability naturally set the benchmark for industry excellence.
Actively practicing these principles in business, the SM Group achieved global recognition at the 23rd International Business Awards (2026), taking home 12 Stevie Awards for its excellence in corporate transparency, sustainable community initiatives, and customer-focused mall experiences.
Selected by a panel of over 300 business professionals, the honors celebrate the Philippine conglomerate’s commitment to responsible business practices and impactful community engagement.
Setting the Standard for Transparency
SM Investments Corporation, the parent firm of the SM Group, collected four separate awards during the event. The company secured Gold Stevies in both the Conglomerates (Large) and Best Annual Report (Publicly Held Corporations) categories for its 2025 Integrated Report.
Additionally, its 2025 Sustainability Report took home a Bronze for Best Sustainability Report, while the SM Sustainability School earned a Bronze under Sustainability Initiative of the Year in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Clear reporting gives investors and other stakeholders a better view of how we make decisions, manage the business, and plan for the long term,” said Frederic C. DyBuncio, President and Chief Executive Officer of SM Investments.
The other awards show how that same sense of responsibility is carried through by our businesses in the communities they serve.”
Designing Malls Around Everyday Experience
The remaining eight honors went to SM Supermalls, reflecting initiatives designed to serve patrons in immediate, practical ways.
People experience a mall through the things they do there, not through what we say about it,” said SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan.
A place to read, an event that brings local art to more people, or a program that makes the mall easier to use can make a practical difference to a community.”
Among the top winners, the Philippine International Pyromusical Competition claimed Gold for Brand Experience of the Year (Consumer), while the “Find Your SM” campaign earned Silver in the same category.
Driving Sustainability, Art, and Inclusion
The company’s broad social efforts were acknowledged across multiple categories. The SM Green Movement earned Silver for Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility. SM Cares also earned two Silver awards: one for Achievement in Environment for its Coastal Cleanup initiative, and another for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion for its “A Mall for All” program.
Meanwhile, the SM Cares Book Nook, which creates dedicated spaces in malls for visitors to read and share books, received Bronze for Most Innovative Creative Project.
The “Empowering Communities” campaign earned additional recognition under Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Finally, SM Mindanao Art earned Bronze for Community Engagement Event after giving Mindanaoan artists and their creative work a wider public platform.
More than 300 business professionals participated in two months of judging to select the honorees, with final scores calculated by average. Now in their 23rd year, the International Business Awards celebrate organizations, executives, entrepreneurs, and teams on a global scale.
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