Edgar O. Chua, country chairman of Shell companies in the Philippines, was given the highest and most prestigious honor at the 2014 Asia Pacific SABRE (Superior Achievement in Branding Reputation and Engagement) Awards held recently in Beijing, China.

Chua was named CEO of the Year for his outstanding and effective use of communications to advance the reputation of the energy and gas technology company in the Philippines, as well as for his strategic use of communications and public relations as a management function.

The CEO of the Year award is under the category of Diamond SABRE Awards for Excellence in Public Relations in the C-Suite. Chua was the sole shortlist and eventual winner of the award.

The award is also a timely recognition for the chief executive being the leader of Shell Philippines on its centennial anniversary in the country this year.

In the Gold Awards covering communications and marketing Practice Areas, Shell was also listed as finalists for its “I Commit” Integrity Campaign under the Employee Communications category, and the “Gas Up, Get free Coca-Cola” consumer promotional campaign under the Integrated Marketing category. The finalists were selected from a record total of 1,400 entries across the region, judged as impressive in both quality and quantity by seasoned public relations veterans gathered from all sides of the business and from all major markets in the Asia Pacific.

The SABRE Awards is the world’s largest competition in the public relations industry, celebrating PR campaigns that demonstrate the highest levels of creativity, integrity, and effectiveness in brand building and corporate branding. It is now on its 25th year globally, and sixth in the Asia Pacific region.