68 / 123
PROCESS EXCELLENCE & GOVERNANCE
54
Axiata Group Berhad | Sustainability & National Contribution Report 2016
PROCESS EXCELLENCE
& GOVERNANCE
Strong Governance
The long-term sustainability of Axiata and
the execution of our business strategy in
the region requires that we maintain an
impeccable governance track record for
both operational and reputational reasons.
Our commitment to governance has seen
us go beyond compliance in many of
our operating countries to safeguard the
interests of all our stakeholders including
minority shareholders and business
partners. Our policy on governance
requires that the Group and OpCos meet
all local requirements, including tax,
licensing and cybersecurity requirements.
We are committed to the principles
of transparency and accountability
in our governance practices. In 2016,
our corporate governance record
was acknowledged by the Minority
Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG),
which presented us with several awards
including the Excellence Award for ESG
Practices for the fourth consecutive year.
Regulatory Compliance Framework
The telecommunications industry is heavily
regulated by local authorities in all our
operating markets. The Axiata Regulatory
Compliance Framework ensures OpCos
meet local regulatory requirements
and the Group provides direction as to
how these needs are to be met. The
Framework stipulates the principles by
which regulatory compliance is to be
approached by our OpCos.
Tax and Licencing
We are cognisant of the fact that we
operate in a heavily taxed environment and
we take every step to comply with all local
requirements, including those covering
licensing issues. In 2016, we complied with
all tax and licensing requirements in all our
markets with no instances of breaches or
violations reported.
Moving Forward
In our bid to become a New Generation
Digital Company, we are taking measures
to ensure that we are an end-to-end
digitised company. This is not only to take
advantage of the new capabilities offered
by new technology, but also to cater to
our customers who are living increasingly
digital lifestyles. Customers today expect
immediate responses from their service
providers in relation to their queries or
requests for new services, which in turn
requires new investments on our side. At
the same time, we have also put in a lot of
processes to tighten data security to ensure
that our customers’ personal information is
protected from unauthorised use.
The initiatives under this pillar which
address our supply chain, our customers,
our governance framework and our internal
processes thus play key roles in helping us
reduce our costs without sacrificing the
quality and level of compliance of our Group.