September 23, 2025
During the LEAP graduation ceremony at last year’s World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), two of APRIL Group’s leaders shared their thoughts on leadership. Held in Singapore last September, the event provided a platform sharing the knowledge, skills, and the insights necessary to lead sustainably.
One of the speakers was Lucita Jasmin, Director for Sustainability & External Affairs at APRIL Group. During a panel entitled ‘Long-term Thinking and Investing in Innovation in Corporate Sustainability Strategies’, Lucita provided her take on leadership from a female perspective.
“We recognize that women leaders have the skill to undertake collaborative decision making and look out for the collective good when addressing sustainability challenges,” she noted, before sharing her hopes for the future of women leaders in the sector: “I’m really looking forward to seeing more women in sustainability leadership positions, whether this be in large organizations, CSOs, or social enterprises.”
Another important speaker at the event was the Chairman of APRIL Group, Bey Soo Khiang, who shared his thoughts on leadership qualities during a keynote speech. Bey outlined two key attributes that he sees as being essential to successful leaders, regardless of gender.
“First, whether you are a man or a woman wanting to be in a leadership position,” explained Bey, “to be recognized as a great leader, you need to understand that you have to grow yourself so you have the intellectual capacity to understand the complexities of today’s world and adapt to the changing environment. Second, you need to grow those around you, so you can leverage their expertise and harness their potential to develop a high-performance team. This way you can deliver a much bigger impact.”
Bey also highlighted two additional qualities that are essential for sustainability leaders. The first was critical thinking. As he explained, this is because “the issues related to sustainable development can be technical and complex.” The second was empathy, because “what you want to do tends to have an impact on the people in the community around you.”
As part of its APRIL2030 sustainability vision, APRIL Group has set a target to ensure that women business leaders occupy at least 20 percent of the top positions by 2030. To achieve this objective, the company launched its Gender Action Plan in 2023, which focused on three key areas: First, recruitment and career development, which means increasing the number of women in the workforce and providing merit-based career advancement opportunities; second, enhancing facilities in the workplace to support women, including the addition of lactation rooms and improvements to daycare centers; and third, establishing anti-sexual harassment and gender equality policies to foster a safe and inclusive workplace.
To expedite and upscale this commitment, APRIL has also partnered with the Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE) to conduct a Gender Equality Assessment, which identifies areas for improvement and strategies to promote gender equality within the organization. In addition, APRIL is a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which reinforce the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, by promoting equal opportunities and facilitating participation by women in the workplace.
These actions are already bearing fruit. In 2018, one of APRIL’s employees received the WBCSD Leading Women Award, in recognition of her contributions to sustainable business practices and gender equality. Looking to the future, the voices of women leaders at APRIL are expected to be increasingly prominent in the ongoing sustainability conversation.
The LEAP Program is a one-year sustainability training initiative run by the WBCSD in collaboration with ESADE Business School and Yale University. Its objective is to empower women to attain senior leadership roles in their organizations, while ensuring sustainability is ingrained in their leadership approach and company strategy.
APRIL Group is a key supporter of the LEAP program, and integrates a range of leadership approaches prescribed by the program into their company strategies. This includes educational modules devised by ESADE Business School, Yale School of Management, and the National University of Singapore, which focus on innovation, change management, and sustainable development.
Another key aspect of LEAP participation for APRIL is the opportunities it provides for personal development. Participants in the program can access expert mentorship and coaching designed to upgrade their leadership skills and drive sustainable transformation within their organizations.
By participating in the LEAP program, APRIL is investing in the development of its women leaders, aligning with its broader goals of gender equality and sustainable development. For prominent women leaders within the organization, such as Lucita Jasmin, APRIL’s commitment to diversity is unlocking potential and empowering them to be the driving force of sustainable development.
