Abstract :
This study aims to empirically examine the influence of board gender diversity, board independence, ESG-linked compensation, and ESG controversies on ESG performance. Additionally, it seeks to empirically investigate the moderating role of an ESG committee. The study focuses on all non-financial companies listed on the stock exchanges of the ASEAN-5 countries, which consists of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand for which data are available via the LSEG (Refinitiv) Eikon database, covering 700 data of the period from 2019 to 2025. Employing multiple regression analysis and also moderated regression analysis, the study provides empirical evidence of the positive influence of board independence, ESG-linked compensation, and ESG controversies on ESG performance. Regarding the moderating role of an ESG committee, the findings indicate that such a committee strengthens the positive impact of board gender diversity on ESG performance. Furthermore, the committee is shown to mitigate the negative impact of ESG controversies on ESG performance.
Keywords :
board gender diversity, board independence, ESG Committee, ESG controversy, ESG performance, ESG-linked compensationReferences :
- Abdullah, A., Yamak, S., Korzhenitskaya, A., Rahimi, R., & McClellan, J. (2024). Sustainable development: The role of sustainability committees in achieving ESG targets. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(3), 2250–2268. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3596
- Almaqtari, F. A., Elsheikh, T., Hashim, H. A., & Youssef, M. A. E. A. (2024). Board attributes and environmental and sustainability performance: Moderating role of environmental teams in Asia and Europe. Sustainable Futures, 7(July 2023), 100149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.202100149
- Al-Shaer, H.& Zaman, M. (2016). Board gender diversity and sustainability reporting quality. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 12(3), 210-222. https://1016/j.jcae.2016.09.001
- Bebchuk, L. A., & Fried, J. M. (2003). Executive compensation as an agency problem. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17(3), 71-92. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3216823
- Beji, R., Yousfi, O., Loukil, N., & Omri, A. (2021). Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from France. Journal of Business Ethics, 173(1), 133–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04522-4
- Ben-Amar, W., Chang, M., & McIlkenny, P. (2017). Board gender diversity and corporate response to sustainability initiatives: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(2), 369-383.https://www.jstor.org/stable/44253321
- Bolourian, S., Alinaghian, L., & Angus, A. (2023). Exploring the role of board-level corporate social responsibility committees in corporate social responsibility performance: A configurational approach. Journal of Business Research, 169(September), 114280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114280
- Candio, P., & Kaucic, M. (2026). ESG Controversies and Corporate Performance: A Critical Appraisal of Rating Methodologies and Empirical Evidence. Business Strategy and the Environment, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.71441
- de Abreu Passos, G., & de Campos-Rasera, P. P. (2024). Do ESG Controversies Influence Firm Value? An Analysis with Longitudinal Data in Different Countries. Brazilian Business Review, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2022.1326.en
- Driss, H., Drobetz, W., El Ghoul, S., & Guedhami, O. (2024). The Sustainability committee and environmental disclosure: International evidence. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 221(April), 602–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2024.02.019
- Elamer, A. A., & Boulhaga, M. (2024). ESG controversies and corporate performance: The moderating effect of governance mechanisms and ESG practices. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(4), 3312–3327. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2749
- Huang, Y., Zhang, G., Chen, X., & Du, K. (2025). From awareness to action: The role of ESG committees in driving corporate ambidextrous green innovation. Energy Economics, 150(August), 108835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108835
- Jucá, M. N., Muren, P. D., Valentinčič, A., & Ichev, R. (2024). The impact of ESG controversies on the financial performance of firms: An analysis of industry and country clusters. Borsa Istanbul Review, 24(6), 1305–1315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2024.08.001
- Lohia, P., & Maji, S. G. (2026). When do ESG controversies erode firm value? The role of investor protection and geopolitical risks. Borsa Istanbul Review, 26(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2026.100847
- Menicucci, E., & Paolucci, G. (2024). Women on Board and ESG Performance: Insights from the Italian Utilities Sector. International Journal of Business and Management, 19(3), 73. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v19n3p73
- Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. (1978). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. New York: Harper & Row.
- Popov, K., & Makeeva, E. (2022). Relationship between Board Characteristics, ESG and Corporate Performance: A Systematic Review. Journal of Corporate Finance Research, 16(4), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.17323/j.jcfr.2073-0438.16.4.2022.119-134
- Sari, T. K., & Nadhira Fitriani. (2024). How do board characteristics influence the ESG disclosure in Indonesia? Jurnal Akuntansi & Auditing Indonesia, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.20885/jaai.vol27.iss2.art9
- Shaban, M. M. A., Al-Warith, Y. A. W., & Raza, R. (2025). Macroeconomic Stability and Its Determinants in Emerging Markets. European Journal of Management, Economics and Business, 3(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.59324/ejmeb.2026.3(1).02
- Sundarasen, S., Kumar, R., Tanaraj, K., Ali Alsmady, A., & Rajagopalan, U. (2024). From board diversity to disclosure: A comprehensive review on board dynamics and ESG reporting. Research in Globalization, 9(July), 100259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2024.100259
- Wu, Q., Shahbaz, M., & Bigerna, S. (2024). Does board gender diversity benefit for corporate ESG performance: Evidence from Germany. Journal of Environmental Management, 372(September), 123304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123304
- Yang, C., Wang, J., Huang, H., & Liu, Y. (2025). ESG performance and executive compensation levels: an empirical study. Data Science and Management, 8(4), 403–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsm.2025.06.002
- Zhu, C., Liu, X., Chen, D., & Yue, Y. (2024). Executive compensation and corporate sustainability: Evidence from ESG ratings. Heliyon, 10(12), e32943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32943

