Amid the growing urgency of the climate crisis, Andrew Buay, Vice President of Group Sustainability at Singtel & Optus, stands as a forward-thinking leader reshaping how businesses approach sustainability. With a distinguished career that spans decades and continents, Buay recalls his formative experiences in regions vulnerable to natural disasters, which broadened his view of corporate responsibility. “These challenges underscored the need for a more holistic sustainability agenda, one that goes beyond traditional CSR to address systemic risks and opportunities,” he shares. Under his leadership, Singtel has emerged as a pioneer in sustainability, becoming the “first company in Asia (outside Japan) to commit to science-based targets” and charting an ambitious net-zero path by 2045.

Sustainability and climate action are not passing trends; they are opportunities to transform how businesses operate, manage risks, and create new value.

Buay’s approach is grounded in what he describes as Singtel’s “4D Environment Strategy” – Defend, Decarbonize, Dematerialize, and Deliver Value. Balancing innovation with accountability, he champions initiatives like internal carbon pricing, ESG-linked incentives for top management, and climate risk disclosures aligned with the TCFD framework. Yet, his impact transcends strategy. Through his mentorship of over 180 emerging leaders, Buay nurtures a culture where sustainability is inseparable from purpose-driven leadership. This blend of rigor and inspiration positions Singtel as a guiding voice for organizations in Asia aspiring to create meaningful, net-zero, and nature-positive futures.

Can you share a bit about your background and journey thus far? What initially drew you to this field, and what are some of the highlights of your work so far?

Andrew Buay: I have been with the Singtel Group since 1990, holding diverse regional leadership roles across networks, IT, venture capital, strategy, sales, marketing, product, HR, and operations. My time at Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Optus Australia exposed me to the profound impact of natural disasters and societal challenges less prevalent in Singapore. This inspired me to advocate for a broader sustainability agenda beyond traditional CSR and philanthropy.

In 2013, I took on a newly created senior role to drive a holistic sustainability strategy addressing community impact, climate and environment, people and the future of work, and sustainable value creation.

Our efforts have yielded significant outcomes, including digital enablement and social innovation programs being recognized with regional stewardship and social impact awards. In 2017, we became the first company in Asia (outside Japan) to adopt science-based emission targets and subsequently net-zero emissions by 2050. While deemed aggressive at that time, we were able to make progress and in 2023 updated our mid-term emission targets to be more aggressive, including advancing our net-zero commitment to 2045. We have been honoured with Singapore’s President’s Award for the Environment for our pioneering climate initiatives. These achievements reflect a decade of sustained progress.

With Singtel Group advancing its Net Zero ambition to 2045, how do you balance the urgency of climate action with the complexities of reducing emissions across such a vast and multifaceted organization?

Andrew Buay: This requires a systematic, adaptive, and persistent approach. Recognizing there’s no single solution, we have implemented a diverse set of actions.

In 2014, we conducted an environmental life cycle assessment and a climate risk scenario analysis to guide our focus and priorities. We also began baselining our scopes of emissions and, in 2017, set mid- and long-term science-based targets. Fully understanding our Scope 3 emissions only matured in the last three years due to the complexity of our value chain. To embed accountability, we established ESG KPIs in 2020, which comprise 20% of top management’s long-term incentive. We also introduced mechanisms like internal carbon pricing and a green fund to support low-emission decisions in design and procurement.

As the Group transitions to more diverse business and operating models across regions, including systems integration and data centres, we’ve strengthened governance at both Group and operational levels. This includes enhancing board oversight and embedding sustainability training for our business and stakeholders like suppliers.

Guided by our “4D Environment Strategy”—Defend, Decarbonize, Dematerialize, and Deliver Value—we remain focused on integrating sustainability deeply within the business, and this has helped us make progress across all dimensions of our emissions reduction. However, the rapid expansion of our regional data centre business will pose new challenges in emissions growth for our operations and customers and is something we are now working through.

Helping leaders uncover their broader purpose naturally brings sustainability into their thinking, creating advocates who integrate purpose and impact into their leadership.

Singtel was an early adopter of the TCFD recommendations. What insights have you gained from implementing these climate risk disclosures, and how have they influenced Singtel’s sustainability strategy?

Andrew Buay: Singtel was an early adopter of the TCFD framework, drawn to its holistic structure despite the lack of details at the time. We piloted TCFD-based analysis and disclosures since 2020 and published our first standalone TCFD Report in 2022. This journey provided several key insights:

• Earlier initiatives, such as climate scenario analysis (in 2014) and science-based emissions targets (set in 2017), were essential foundations for TCFD implementation.
• Mapping business and financial linkages to climate risks was initially challenging, but familiarity with business drivers facilitated initial modelling to assess material financial impacts.
• Starting early allowed us to mature processes. Organizations should not wait until disclosures become mandatory, as establishing foundational data, systems, and processes takes time.
• Early adoption of external assurance and internal audit controls reviews strengthened management and board confidence in our disclosures.
• Integrating risk and finance teams into the effort early enhanced collaboration and alignment, preparing us for upcoming IFRS/ISSB reporting requirements.

The most significant benefit has been beyond disclosure. The TCFD framework has improved how we understand, manage, and integrate climate risks and opportunities, driving more informed decision-making and embedding resilience and sustainability deeper into our business operations.

As a talent coach to many emerging leaders, how do you inspire and equip them to embed sustainability into their leadership approach and decision-making processes?

Andrew Buay: When I began as an internal leadership coach alongside starting the sustainability function, I initially saw leadership development and sustainability as separate “pursuits of my purpose.” However, I quickly realized that helping leaders uncover their broader purpose and leadership goals naturally brought sustainability into their thinking. Many leaders, once inspired by a sense of purpose, became eager to support the corporate sustainability agenda.

This opened opportunities for me and my team to mentor leaders on integrating sustainability into their areas of influence. I always encourage them to leverage their existing business or functional expertise to drive sustainability outcomes while equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to align their actions with sustainability policies, standards, and strategy.

Over the years, many of our strongest sustainability advocates have emerged from the 180+ leaders I have coached since 2013, following my professional coaching accreditation. I describe this as the “Trojan horse” effect—embedding sustainability thinking into leadership by unlocking a deeper sense of purpose. This approach has not only inspired leaders to champion sustainability but also helped foster a culture where sustainability is integrated into decision-making and leadership across the organization.

The climate crisis is a call for urgent, holistic and intentional action. Disruptions remind us that sustainability is systemic, global, and demands collective progress.

Singtel Group has been a pioneer in sustainability in Asia. What advice would you give to other organizations in the region looking to take a similar leadership role in tackling climate change?

Andrew Buay: Sustainability and climate action should not be seen as passing trends or mere compliance obligations—they are opportunities to transform how businesses operate, manage risks, and create new value. For organizations in Asia aiming to lead in tackling climate change, here are some lessons from Singtel Group’s journey:

• Invest early in education and collaboration. Start by raising awareness and providing sustainability training across stakeholders, including employees, partners, and suppliers. This fosters accountability, accelerates integration, and builds a collaborative value chain.

• Focus on material impacts. Don’t try to address every issue at once, but understand the interdependencies of actions. Prioritize climate actions that are most financially material and where the organization can have the greatest influence. This ensures impactful progress without overwhelming resources, which is always a challenge.

• Collaborate within the ecosystem. Engage with industry peers, value chains, and national initiatives. Sustainability is a shared challenge, and collaboration amplifies impact. For example, we’ve worked within the global mobile industry, shared insights with our value chain (which includes our competitors), and supported Singapore’s national emissions registry to strengthen Scope 3 analysis for all companies.

Ultimately, sustainability leadership requires patience, persistence, and a focus on embedding it into the business strategy. By aligning action with corporate purpose, organizations can lead meaningfully and contribute to collective progress.

As we reflect on the progress and challenges of this past year, what is one moment, achievement, or insight that gives you the most hope for a sustainable, net-zero, and nature-positive future?

Andrew Buay: Some view challenges like the pandemic, political conflicts, cyber risks, and inflation as distractions from the sustainability agenda. I see them as supporting the agenda and its urgency. These disruptions, like the climate crisis, are systemic and global, transcending traditional boundaries of business influence and control. This growing awareness inspires hope that the climate crisis is increasingly understood as a call for urgent, holistic, and intentional action. Another encouraging sign is the rapid adoption of IFRS as a mandatory disclosure framework, underscoring the financial materiality of sustainability issues.

Read this story and more features in the January 2025 issue of Impact Leadership – a digital magazine for leaders inspiring sustainability, net zero and impact. Access all magazines here.