Eco-Business has won top accolade for its podcast series at this year’s Asian Digital Media Awards, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
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The media company was awarded “Best Use of Audio” in the small and medium media category at the Asian Digital Media Awards 2026, one of the largest regional news media industry events on digital trends, revenue and technology.
The award recognises excellence in audio journalism that expands storytelling, deepens public understanding and engages listeners through sound. The On the frontlines series, launched in early 2025 after Donald Trump’s election as United States president, was recognised for achieving this.
The eight-episode series explores the challenges chief sustainability officers in Asia face in advancing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda at a time when the discipline is under mounting pressure to prove its value.
The return of Trump to the White House has coincided with a shift in the policy and business environment surrounding ESG in the United States, accelerated legal and political challenges to climate action, and sent shockwaves through boardrooms worldwide. In Asia, where ESG adoption has traditionally been driven by market access, investor pressure and reputational risk rather than ideology, the shift has raised urgent questions over whether companies will retreat from sustainability commitments.
Eco-Business partnerships head Bry Damasco and Philippines chief correspondent Hannah Fernandez receive the award at the ceremony held in Manila Hotel in the Philippines on 28 April. The media publication bagged the top prize in the podcast category at the Asian Digital Media Awards 2026. Image: Eco-Business
Asia is also the epicentre of global growth and emissions, and decisions by its corporates will shape climate outcomes, labour standards and biodiversity loss for decades. Yet the voices of those implementing sustainability strategies inside companies — often under intense pressure and scrutiny — have been largely missing from public debate.
Eco-Business associate editor Robin Hicks said the podcast series was created to have candid, practitioner-led conversations about what sustainability leadership looks like on the ground during periods of backlash.
“The On the frontlines series showed that behind corporate sustainability commitments are leaders grappling with real constraints — and that telling those stories honestly is much-needed in an era of ESG scepticism and scrutiny,” said Hicks. “We wanted to move beyond the polished corporate narratives and capture the reality of what it means to lead sustainability when the ground is shifting beneath your feet.”
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Podcasting has become one of the most powerful ways to bring the nuanced, human stories of sustainability to life — beyond the headlines and into the conversations that truly move people.
Jessica Cheam, founder and chief executive officer, Eco-Business
Jessica Cheam, Eco-Business’ founder and chief executive officer, said she was honoured that the Eco-Business Podcast has been recognised, calling it a “meaningful milestone.”
“Podcasting has become one of the most powerful ways to bring the nuanced, human stories of sustainability to life — beyond the headlines and into the conversations that truly move people. This award belongs to our entire podcast team and the newsmakers we feature, and we look forward to continuing to produce high-quality journalism on sustainable development,” Cheam said.
This year’s WAN-IFRA Asian Digital Media Awards Asia had 150 submissions. Singapore-based SPH Media won two awards, including the top prize for “Best Use in Audio” for the large media category. Indonesia’s Tempo Media Group won “Best Reader Revenue Strategy” for large companies, which recognises smart subscription and membership strategies that support journalism through long-term loyalty.
In 2024, Eco-Business won “Best Newsletter” for its revamped newsletter series. It also clinched the three Asian Digital Media Awards the year before that, two in the podcast category and one for its brand studio’s campaign. It won the top prize for “Best Podcast” for a series on alternative protein and the Asian consumer’s shift to a more sustainable, plant-based diet and runner-up prize for a bilingual podcast recorded in Bahasa Melayu and English that featured a group of Orang Asli filmmakers.
