By James A. Loyola SM Investments Corporation (SM), one of the country’s top conglomerates, has been named by Forbes as one of the most well-regarded companies in the world based on trustworthiness and performance. In this year’s Forbes Global 2000-Best Regarded Companies list, SM was ranked at 172, climbing 63 spots from last year’s 235thplace, and is the only Philippine company in the list. Forbes partnered with Statista to cull the annual list of the world’s 2000 largest public companies down to the top 250 best-regarded companies ranked based on trustworthiness, social conduct, strength of products and services and how they fare as employers. The data were gathered from among 15,000 respondents from more than 50 countries. “We are honored to receive this recognition. We anchor all our businesses in good corporate governance and we remain committed in strengthening our ability to create meaningful impact to society and deliver greater shareholder value,” said SM President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic DyBuncio. SM joins companies in Asia which dominated nearly half of the list along with global brands and companies from major industries in the United States and Europe. SM has been among the best-regarded companies for two consecutive years. This year, Forbes also recognized SM in the inaugural list of Asia’s 200 Best Over a Billion 2019, which cited best-run companies in the Asia-Pacific Region. SM ranked No. 1 in the Philippines and No. 27 among 200 top-performing listed companies across Asia Pacific. The firm has also been ranked among the Forbes Global 2000 World’s Best Employers for 2018 and 2017.