Manila, Philippines — EastWest has received its first sustainability award, bagging the Silver distinction at the 2026 Inquirer ESG Edge Impact Awards in the ESG Social Category: Talent Management and Talent Learning and Development. Conferred on July 22, 2026 at the Sheraton Manila Hotel at Newport Resort, the recognition marks a milestone in the Bank’s sustainability journey, with a focus on the Bank's belief that meaningful sustainability begins not only with policy or performance, but with people.

^{Led by the People, Corporate Services, and Sustainability Team, EastWest takes the centerstage to receive the award on talent management and development that showcased how sustainability is driving learning and development, inspiring employees to do well at work and, building a culture of excellence at a time of transformation.}

EastWest's win is an affirmation from the regional body Asia ESG Positive Impact Consortium (A-EPIC), a partnership formed by major regional media networks: Star Media Group (Malaysia), KG Media (Indonesia), and the Inquirer Group of Companies. A-EPIC recognizes companies in southeast Asia who are leading the way in environmental, social, and transformational sustainability both in business and in society. With this award, EastWest now belongs to the roster of sustainability-acclaimed organizations among its regional peers. 

The ESG award highlights how the Bank is embedding sustainability into the way it develops, supports, and empowers its people — strengthening not only workforce capability, but also the culture and sense of purpose that ultimately shape customer experience and long-term institutional resilience. This program contributes the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

EastWest’s experience shows how sustainability can drive learning and development while building a sustainability mindset. The alignment between sustainability and capability-building is what gives the initiative its distinctive edge: it positioned employee development not as a support function alone, but as a social sustainability strategy rooted in empowerment.

The compelling proof of this is that attrition dropped from 25 percent to 16 percent over the last three years, employee satisfaction at a high of 78 percent in 2025, and a learning participation at 99.8 percent that makes career movement and progression come natural for any EastWest Banker.

Chief Executive Officer and executive champion of the sustainability program Jerry Ngo said, “Behind every number is a powerful story: more people chose to stay, chose to grow, chose to invest in a future at EastWest. This award recognizes how sustainability can support people growth and development at a time of our company’s greatest transformation. As the operating environment changes, we focus on building a culture in which employees are equipped with the competency, mindset, and behavior needed to do well at work, respond to change with confidence, and uphold standards of excellence across the organization using the sustainability lens.”

The award comes at a defining moment for the Bank, alongside the creation of the Sustainability Office of EastWest and the rollout of its DREAMS Sustainability Policy and Framework, which identifies Empowering EastWestbankers as one of its six strategic focus areas. In that context, the recognition is more than a commendation for a successful internal initiative. It is a public affirmation that EastWest is pursuing sustainability in a way that is true to its identity as a consumer bank — one whose business is built around the financial lives of ordinary Filipinos, including its own employees.

In that sense, the Bank’s first sustainability award is also a statement about the kind of sustainability it intends to champion: one centered not only on compliance, but on empowerment; not only on external commitments, but on the everyday experience of the people who make the business possible.