INTHEBLACK September/October 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
EUGENE WONG FCPA
CEO, SUSTAINABLE FINANCE INSTITUTE ASIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
How can finance leaders from 10 sovereign nations
come together to agree upon a common language
for sustainable economic activities?
For Eugene Wong FCPA, this task has been a highlight
of his finance career. As CEO of the independent and
neutral Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA), he is
helping to shape ideas on sustainable finance policy
and propel them into action across South-East Asia.
SFIA hosts the ASEAN Taxonomy Board (ATB),
which brings together capital market regulators,
central banks, finance ministries and insurance
regulators in South-East Asia. The ASEAN Taxonomy
for Sustainable Finance classifies sustainable economic
activities, guiding the flow of sustainable capital across
the region.
“It has been a successful effort. The ATB has been
able to get people from diverse countries to sit at
ALEX KABYSH CPA
SENIOR MANAGER, CLIMATE AND
SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING, ASB BANK
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
For Alex Kabysh CPA, non-financial disclosures
provide a window into operational efficiency, risk
management and long-term business resilience.
“Businesses today are more aware of how they can
operate sustainably. Resources are becoming limited,
and we need [to do] some deep thinking about
futureproofing business models,” he says.
Kabysh moved to New Zealand from Belarus almost
two decades ago and spent his early career working
in group finance and transformation roles.
“It started to feel repetitive, and I began to think
about where else I could apply my skills,” he recalls.
“I’ve always been passionate about the non-financial
aspects of business, like environmental, social and
ethical responsibilities, and I knew it was an area
where accountants could make a difference.”
Prior to his role at ASB Bank, Kabysh held an ESG
management role in the quick-service restaurant
industry, where he honed his skills in non-financial
a table and agree on a credible taxonomy,” Wong
says. “When we first started talking about a regional
taxonomy in 2020, no one believed it could happen.”
Wong began his career as an auditor before
moving to merchant banking and corporate
finance. After joining the Securities Commission
Malaysia in 2009, his early interest in sustainable
finance was reignited.
“I was given a role to coordinate the work among
the South-East Asian capital market regulators, and
we decided it was important for capital markets to
finance sustainability,” he says. “I’ve always believed
that money makes the world go around, but there’s
a good and a bad way of doing it. I wanted to
contribute to the stewardship of resources, so
I chose a career in finance.
“We need to be able to finance sustainability,
because there’s only one earth and we only have one
society,” adds Wong. “But we must be pragmatic,
lofty goals are not always achievable. We need to
be practical yet never lose sight of credible goals.”
disclosures. His current role is centred around the
preparation of ASB’s annual climate statements,
making sure compliance is met and due diligence
processes are followed, as well as calculating and
validating group emissions.
“There are also opportunities to work with
other teams on environmental and social policies,
initiatives or strategies,” he says.
Kabysh sees the alignment of international climate
reporting standards as one of the greatest challenges
and opportunities in non-financial disclosures.
“Understanding biodiversity and social impact
is the strategic goal for many organisations,”
he says. “We’ll need more, and better quality,
data to enable strategic decision-making.
Hopefully AI will help in terms of capturing
and processing it.”
While climate reporting generally follows the
same cycles as financial reporting, Kabysh says
no two days are alike.
“I’ve learned so much in just a few years,” he says.
“It’s an exciting time to be working in sustainability,
but I’d recommend sharpening your soft skills,
because it’s a team game.”
GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 33
