ESG & Brands Forum 2025 Launch Fuels Malaysia’s Sustainable Brand Leadership
- nabalunews
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read

28 August 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The ESG & Brands Forum (EBF) 2025, organised by the Brand Creation and Marketing Wing in conjunction with the G100 Brand Leadership Summit, marked a significant milestone in Malaysia’s journey towards sustainable business practices with its formal soft launch at the AICB Centre of Excellence.
This centre, a Green Building Index-certified education hub dedicated to promoting environmental responsibility and innovative sustainability, served as the perfect venue for the occasion. The event featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between EBF and the AICB Centre of Excellence, formalising a partnership aimed at embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into the core of brand practices.
This prelude brought together representatives from the private sector, government agencies, and civil society to map out the pathway for the main forum. The upcoming EBF is scheduled for Thursday, 25 September 2025, at the same venue in Kuala Lumpur. The programme is designed to gather senior decision-makers, subject matter experts, and practitioners, including government and regulatory representatives, to analyse and promote effective strategies for responsible branding. Notably, the event will be officially opened by YB Dato’ Hajjah Hanifah Hajar Taib, Deputy Minister of Economy, whose attendance will underscore the government’s commitment to sustainable economic and branding initiatives.

The Memorandum of Understanding represents a shared pledge to strengthen strategic collaboration, facilitate knowledge transfer, and foster capacity building for sustainable brand development. EBF, alongside the AICB Centre of Excellence, will work to deliver thought leadership, skills development, and innovative programmes that enable brands in Malaysia and across the region to create value through robust ESG integration.
The AICB Centre of Excellence, with its Green Building Index certification, exemplifies EBF’s dedication to sustainability. It provides an ideal environment for ESG-focused dialogue and learning, encouraging organisations aligned with ESG principles to utilise this green venue for impactful programmes that propel the ESG agenda forward.
Dato’ Ong Eng Bin commented, “As we embrace sustainability as a fundamental business imperative, this Memorandum of Understanding reaffirms our collective commitment to embedding ESG principles into professional standards and practices for a resilient future. By anchoring this effort at the AICB Centre of Excellence, we are fostering an ecosystem that empowers organisations to innovate responsibly, build trust, and drive growth with lasting impact.”
The soft launch also featured insightful discussions from sector experts, opening with remarks from Dato’ Ong Eng Bin, a member of the AICB Council, and progressing through a keynote address delivered by Adjunct Practice Professor Cheah Kok Hoong, President of the ESG Association of Malaysia. The announcement of the speaker line-up for the main forum and a subsequent networking session, led by Shikha Kedia Bharadwaj, Organising Chairperson of EBF 2025, laid the groundwork for knowledge exchange and agenda setting for the upcoming event.
Adjunct Practice Professor Cheah Kok Hoong highlighted, “The energy and momentum witnessed at today’s soft launch demonstrate the power of collaborative action in shaping Malaysia’s brand leadership. It is vital that we continue to push the boundaries of environmental, social, and governance innovation to foster trust and create a lasting positive impact on our communities.”
As Malaysia’s branding sector and practitioners deepen their engagement with ESG principles, the September forum will expand upon these themes, offering sessions focused on implementation, strategy, and best practices. Attendees will benefit from keynote presentations, interactive panels, and showcases, including a dedicated segment highlighting Malaysian brands leading sectoral transformation through ESG.
Shikha Kedia Bharadwaj remarked, “The success of this soft launch affirms our belief that purposeful engagement and sectoral partnership can transform the branding landscape. Together, we are championing a culture of inclusivity, transparency, and sustainable growth for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
Looking ahead to the main EBF 2025 Forum on Thursday, 25 September, from 9:00 am to 5:40 pm at the AICB Centre of Excellence, the agenda will focus on integrating ESG into brand purpose, enhancing stakeholder trust through authentic communication, exploring frameworks for inclusive growth that balance profit with equity, and advancing methods of reporting and performance measurement.