It was indeed a victorious moment for Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) as it bagged the Best Basic Materials Company during the 27th FinanceAsia Awards.

NAC, a natural resources development company, is the first company in the Philippines with interests in mining to be ever conferred a Gold citation as the Philippines’ Best Basic Materials Company.

Receiving the award during the Gala in Hong Kong last June 28, 2023, NAC President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Martin Antonio Zamora expressed sincere gratitude to FinanceAsia for the prestigious recognition.

According to Zamora, “this award serves as a testament to the validity of our endeavors to enhance our operations and processes while setting a new benchmark within our industry.”

“It reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement and exemplifies our dedication to sustainability. As we stride forward, we remain steadfast in our pursuit of creating long-lasing and transformative impact in every community we engage with,” he added.

By integrating Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) into the core of their business, Zamora said, NAC has made remarkable strides towards achieving its dual objectives.

These objectives include landing NAC into the Top-25 postilion in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) in terms of market capitalization and establishing itself as the leading ESG investment in the country by 2025.

The aim of NAC is to contribute to sustainable national development by adopting its ESG roadmap in order to achieve the highest standards in the responsible utilization of the country's natural resources.

“Through our operations and along with our partners of over 1,000 employees across communities, we aim to help bring products that would move the world towards a progressive and sustainable future, always conscious of being stewards of the environment where we operate,” he added.

The awards are given to companies with exemplary corporate behavior and performance in different categories based on nominations by Asia’s active community of investors and financial analysts.

According to FinanceAsia, “the awards intend to celebrate “institutions that showed determination to deliver desirable outcomes through display of commercial and technical acumen.”

Aside from NAC, 19 Philippine companies across different industries were recognized during this year’s awarding.

Currently, NAC is the largest producer of Laterite ore in the Philippines with a growing interest and footprint in the renewable energy space. In 2021, it accounted for 39 percent of the country’s nickel mine production.

Its mining assets include five operating mines and three development nickel projects. It also has a 15.6-percent and 10-percent equity in the country’s only two high pressure acid leaching plants Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) and Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC), respectively.