DGB Financial Group Takes Home Grand Prize in ESG Business at Top Business Awards

Chairman Kim Tae-oh of DGB Financial Group speaks at the 2022 Top Business Awards ceremony during which DGB Financial Group was presented with the grand prize in ESG business category.

DGB Financial Group won the grand prize in ESG business category at the 2022 Top Business Awards ceremony, hosted by the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration (KASBA), the financial group said on Oct. 18.

KASBA, established in 1956, is the nation’s representative body in the business administration community.

KASBA presents Top Business Awards to companies selected in recognition for great contributions to the development of the national economy and business administration every year.

DGB Financial Group became the nation’s first corporate body to commit to sustainable management in 2006. The financial group has so far been putting into practice “shared business” based on the financial business’ intrinsic roles.

DGB Financial Group has set ESG management as its major agenda priority by inaugurating a board of director-level ESG committee to ramp up its ESG management regime.

The financial group has been implementing ESG financing-oriented activities according to each of environment, social and governance categories.

DGB Financial Group has been credited with contributing to improving the Korean financial community’s ESG management level and spreading ESG management in Korea and abroad.

DGB became the nation’s first financial group to ramp up its inside control regime by introducing the anti-corruption management system ISO37001.

DGB also became the financial industry’s first entity to establish a transparent corporate governance structure by inaugurating a CEO development and succession program.

The financial group declared decarbonization financing and calculated financial greenhouse gas emission amounts, and set carbon neutrality goals. It also came up with strategies to achieve net zero emissions.

Chairman Kim Tae-oh of DGB Financial Group said in an interview, “If companies consider human beings, ESG management will amount to activities designed to improve fundamentals, and ESG management activities do not bring immediate outside growth, but it brings an effect of solidifying survival and growth in the context of ESG pursuing shared growth with stakeholders.”

Of late, DGB Financial Group is focusing on spreading ESG management in the regional society beyond in-house ESG management, Chairman Kim said.

“Last year, DGB held a ceremony to declare ESG management and sponsored the region’s first international conference on ESG to present ESG agenda,” he said.

So far this year, the financial group has been conducting more practical activities to spread ESG management, according to Chairman Kim.

DGB has offered educational programs and consulting services on ESG to regional SMEs and mid-size enterprises in cooperation with regional institutions.

The financial group has been creating a virtuous cycle of facilitating gifted manpower settle in inside the region by operating a digital manpower development program to foster excellent manpower and hire them, he said.

DGB President Im Sung-hoon gives a commemorative speech at a ceremony to celebrate the 55th anniversary. (Photos: DGB)

DGB Celebrates 55th Anniversary

DGB held a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary at DGB headquarters on Oct. 7.

The anniversary ceremony involved events such as the presenting of DGB Fine Tree Award and DGB Righteous Man’s Award, a ceremony to deliver the “Board of Red Cross Honor Companies” to celebrate the donation of billions in cumulative contribution amounts to Korea Red Cross.