SGV Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) Partner Katrina F. Francisco and Director Reynaldo C. Azarcon, Jr. earned the title of Certified Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) Professional after successfully passing the BERDE Professionals Qualifying Examination. BERDE is a tool to assess, measure, monitor, and certify the performance of projects above and beyond existing national and local building and environmental laws, regulations, and mandatory standards. Certified BERDE Professionals Rey and Katrina at the Building Green 2023 Conference Katrina and Rey completed the training for BERDE - Buildings Version 4.2.0. They also attended the Building Green 2023 Conference, which focused on "Pursuing Public-Private Cooperation in Net Zero through Green Building." The training and conference were held from 26 to 28 September 2023 at the Modala Beach Resort Hotel in Bohol. The conference covered Local Actions on Green Building, National Programs on Sustainability, Regional Perspective on Public and Private Cooperation to Advance Green Building, and the Latest Green Building Innovations, Strategies, and Solutions (IS2).  The BERDE Program was established by the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) as an appropriate response to the Philippine construction industry's need to proactively address the negative impacts of climate change.  Congratulations, Katrina and Rey!

SGV Consulting Leader Rossana A. Fajardo was one of the speakers at the 8th Mindanao Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Cluster Conference, with the theme “Accelerating SMART CITY in Mindanao: Built on connectivity and cybersecurity.” The conference was held from 18 to 19 October 2023 in Butuan City. Rossana at the 8th Mindanao ICT Cluster Conference Rossana’s talk shed light on the remarkable intersection between women and technology, showcasing the invaluable role that women play in today’s innovation and digital advancement-driven technology industry. She also shared recommendations for closing gender disparities in the field of technology.  She highlighted SGV and EY initiatives to support and empower women in technology, such as the Women in Technology (WiT) program and the EY STEM app. Rossana with Caraga ICT Cluster Inc. President and Butuan City Councilor Cherry May G. Busa The WiT program is a comprehensive and inclusive endeavor aimed at supporting girls and women to explore, excel, and lead in the world of technology. It includes educational programs to promote and develop girls' interest and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), incubation efforts to nurture women's leadership potential in technology, support for female tech entrepreneurs, and the innovative fostering of a diverse and empowered technical workforce. The EY STEM app is an interactive platform which aims to inspire young girls to pursue STEM professions by offering gamified content focused on science and technology. This educational tool has already been successfully deployed in New Delhi, Seattle and Atlanta, as well as in other locations in Oceania, India and the Philippines. SGV is currently in discussions with a school to roll out the EY STEM app in Mindanao. Rossana’s talk also aligned with the launch of Butuan City's SMART Gender and Development (GAD) Code, which sets the stage for a gender-responsive, inclusive, digitally resilient, and safe environment in the city.

SGV was the technical adviser and official tabulator in the 2023 European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Europa Awards held on 11 October 2023 at the Raffles and Fairmont Makati. 2023 Europa Awards Tabulators with the ECCP Europa Awards organizing team Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) Partner Benjamin N. Villacorte, CCaSS Directors Diana Rose A. Sadili and Ricardo S. Maulion Jr., Senior Associate Marsha P. Batusbatusan, and Associate Sofia Maria J. Evangelista served as tabulators and technical advisers for the event. They provided technical advice on the awards categories and scoring framework developed by ECCP and tabulated data from ECCP’s technical judges. The Europa Awards aim to recognize companies with exceptional performance in and contributions to promoting sustainability in line with global standards and the Philippine Development Plan.