Impact Leader of the Year 2024, The Business Times Singapore ,

TIME100 Climate Leaders in Business 2023, TIME,

SDG Pioneer 2018 for Green Infrastructure & a Low-Carbon Economy, UN Global Compact

A sustainability practitioner for three decades, Esther has been instrumental in building up the sustainability leadership of CDL, which has been ranked top among real estate companies on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.   

She published Singapore’s first sustainability report in 2008 and led CDL to become the first Singapore company to issue a green bond in 2017. Conferred the 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and a Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact, she was also named among 25 Trailblazing Women against Climate Change by Reuters (2023) and on the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leaders in Business (2023) list.

Esther serves on the boards or advisory platforms of numerous international organisations, including the World Green Building Council as Corporate Advisory Board Chairperson, the UN PRI Real Estate Advisory Committee, the UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network Executive Council, and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as a Taskforce Member.

She also sits on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Supervisory Board, chairs the IFRS Corporate Reporting Best Practice Group APAC, and contributes to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) through the Randall Lewis Center Advisory Board for Sustainability in Real Estate and the ULI Asia Pacific Net Zero Council.

In addition, she also serves on the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) Board of Directors and chairs its ESG Committee, while also holding positions on the GRESB Foundation Board, MITSolve Climate Advisory, and the World Economic Forum Nature-Positive Cities Global Commission (2022–24).

She also sits on Nanyang Technological University’s Industry Advisory Council for the Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) as Sustainability & ESG Reporting Sub-committee Advisor.

In 2017, Esther founded the Women4Green and Youth4Climate networks to empower women and youths to champion climate action and sustainable development.