TBN Asia Virtual Conference – Survive to Thrive

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated economies around the world, with industries threatening to shut down and unemployment soaring. Reports suggests that millions in Asia will be driven into poverty, and that poverty levels in some regions could be set back as much as 30 years. More than ever, we need the hearts and hands of social enterprise innovators and create a dialogue towards the sustainability of social enterprises.

Panel Poster: The BIG Picture

Sunway University partnered with Transformational Business Network (TBN) to support their virtual conference which brought together thought leaders, pioneers, and practitioners of social business and impact investments.

Sunway Education Group’s Chief Executive officer and the Honorary Patron of the YSBC@SEG – Dr Elizabeth Lee was invited to speak in the panel session named ‘The Big Picture’ – a panel session where impact ecosystem players took a macro look at the effects of COVID-19 on social enterprises from the public, private and NGO sectors.

A snapshot of the panellists featuring YSBC@SEG's Honorary Patron, Dr Elizabeth Lee (top centre)

Dr Elizabeth Lee shared about the efforts by the Sunway Education Group in dealing with the pandemic and its economic effect and, how the organisation is utilising the resources of the larger dynamic Sunway Ecosystem for the benefit of social good. An example of which is the eCommerce Jumpstart Programme by Sunway iLabs that has benefitted over 1600 SME’s to make the digital transition during this time of physical disconnect.

She highlighted the importance of education and the need for social entrepreneurs to unlearn, relearn and reskill to adequately adapt to the ever-changing scenarios.

She also shared with the social business enthusiasts to recognize their own self-worth and generate true business value (besides the social impact) to be sustainable, especially during times of crisis.

She further emphasized the need to ensure that social enterprise education becomes more robust and mainstream with the right balance of social conscience, business acumen and emotional resilience.

As the moral and social philosopher, Eric Hoffer said “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”