Sustainability Report 2017

Sustainability Report 2017 2 Dr. Chaiyawat Wibulswasdi Chairman Message from Chairman Over the past 3-4 years, the Thai capital market landscape has changed dramatically in line with the economic developments, social factors, environmental conditions, as well as technological advancement and competition with no boundaries. These have inevitably affected the business and Thai capital market operations, and prompted SET to respond with the strategy to enhance its competitive capabilities to become the regional exchange leader. SET has continued to retain the Thai capital market’s stability and attractiveness, promoting investor confidence. In 2017, the SET Index rose by 13.7% from the previous year while the market capitalization increased by 15.6%. To enhance its competitiveness in the digital era, SET developed significant business innovation, including the “LIVE Platform” for startup fundraising, the “FundConnext” platform for mutual fund trading and the “FinNet” payment system. The SET Board of Governors has given the priority to cultivate an innovation culture to ensure SET personnel’s capabilities in keeping with technological change. In 2017, SET initiated the “SET Innovation Awards” project which encouraged staff to think out of the box and create innovations that would benefit the competitive advantage and sustainable growth of SET and the Thai capital market. On corporate governance (CG), the Board of Governors placed considerable emphasis on transparent and efficient operations. In 2017, SET reviewed the CG best practices and launched the “2017 Corporate Governance Policy and Code of Conduct” to promote good governance in line with SET’s current dynamic operations. In addition to the transparency and efficiency of SET’s operations, Thai listed companies have also contributed to the attractiveness of the Thai capital market among global investors. Thai listed firms selected as members of global sustainability indices have outnumbered companies from other ASEAN capital markets. Such indices include Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and FTSE4Good Emerging Indexes. Besides, SET was the only Asian stock exchange that was ranked in the top 10 of global stock exchanges with outstanding listed company sustainability disclosure. The SET Board of Governors will continue to carry out its oversight role with integrity, transparency and efficient risk management, which covers the environmental, social and governance aspects, as well as driving SET and the capital market in line with the strategy of “Towards Sustainable Growth with Innovation”. On behalf of the SET Board of Governors, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone in supporting SET’s role as a key mechanism to build synergy, collaboration and networking with all sectors, enabling the capital market, society and country to grow in an inclusive and sustainable manner. (102-14), (102-32)