JACOB SARKODEE

Australia

Chief Impact Officer, IJM

Jacob Sarkodee is the chief impact officer at International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia. IJM is a global organization dedicated to abolishing the slave trade everywhere. In his role, Jacob is responsible for leveraging and optimizing the full impact of IJM’s justice strengthening programs that safeguard people in poverty from violence. His areas of concentration include forced labor, human trafficking, online sexual exploitation of children, and violence against women and children. He has played a vital role in advancing the organization’s activities across the Asia Pacific and South Asia. His family’s history, particularly the legacies of his grandfather and great-grandfather from Ghana, encouraged him to pursue this work and seek justice for those living in poverty.

CATHERINE HARRY

Cambodia

Founder, A Dose of Cath

Catherine Harry is the founder of A Dose of Cath, a video blog focused on feminism and sex education. Her video blog covers various issues, including gender-based violence, contraception, and cultural critiques through a feminist lens. Catherine has published almost 200 videos on Facebook since 2017, averaging 50,000 views per video with some surpassing one million views. Her Facebook videos alone have reached 10.4 million people in a country where 12.4 million people use Facebook, and she has 177,000 TikTok followers. In addition to her video blog, Catherine works as a communications specialist at MSI Cambodia, an organization that delivers compassionate, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care in 37 countries worldwide. She is committed to using her voice to advance the nascent but growing feminist movement in Cambodia.

ERNEST KRISTOFFER GIBSON

Fiji

Risk Communication and Community Engagement Specialist, World Health Organization

Ernest Kristoffer Gibson is a risk communication and community engagement specialist at the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Office. He has worked with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and the United Nations Office for the Pacific to establish community engagement systems that allow young people, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups to drive a bottom-up approach to development. In 2020, Ernest led a community engagement campaign for the United Nations in 10 Pacific Island nations. The campaign reached thousands of young people from some of the most remote islands and villages, and provided services, listened to their experiences with development projects, and connected them with appropriate channels, such as small grants programs, to address the issues they raised. Ernest believes that sustained systems change can only be achieved through the deliberate involvement of all levels of society.

LUISA TUILAU

Fiji

Co-Founder, Youngsolwara Pacific

Luisa Tuilau is the co-founder of Youngsolwara Pacific, a regional movement made up of young Pacific activists who take action on issues affecting the people and islands of Oceania, including Indigenous self-determination and the legacy of nuclear testing. In addition to being a poet who brings her work to life through her art, Luisa is also the monitoring, evaluation, and research coordinator for femLINKpacific, Fiji’s only feminist community media platform. Through radio, publications, policy, partnerships, and digital platforms, the group elevates the voices of over 600 different rural women leaders and girls. Luisa’s vision is for young people to become more aware of the Pacific’s forgotten stories and to share stories of their ancestors’ resilience.

ASHLEIGH LOA

Hawaiʻi

Executive Director, Faith Action for Community Equity

Ashleigh Loa is the executive director at Faith Action for Community Equity, a grassroots, interfaith nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life in Hawaiʻi. Through shared values and collective power, the group addresses the root causes of social injustice. Ashleigh is particularly passionate about affordable housing, fairness and inclusion, and civic engagement. She has organized grassroots initiatives to empower community leaders to take collective action to address disparities in their neighborhoods over her three years with the organization, aiding people in submitting testimony, publishing op-eds, and efforts in support of affordable housing. Ashleigh is from Hawaiʻi and is passionate about seeing her home islands and their people thrive.

JACE KAHOLOKULA SAPLAN

Hawaiʻi

Founder, Nā Wai Chamber Choir

Jace Kaholokula Saplan is the founder and artistic director of Nā Wai Chamber Choir, an ensemble dedicated to Hawaiian music preservation, propagation, and innovation. The organization mentors Native Hawaiian musicians, educators, and composers. Since its inception, the choir has offered workshops and community concerts throughout the Hawaiian islands and created resources for music educators across the country who want to teach Hawaiian music in an informed way. Jace also serves as an assistant professor, director of choral activities, and director of the Hawaiian Music Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. As a Kanaka Maoli leader, educator, and artist, they are committed to empowering communities through decolonial practices to maintain their agency and engage with each other in meaningful ways across their cultural differences, and to ensure the survival of Native stories. Jace is passionate about the power of communal vocal music.

AYU KARTIKA DEWI

Indonesia

Special Staff, The Office of the President of Indonesia

Ayu Kartika Dewi serves as special staff to the President of Indonesia, where she focuses on national peacebuilding initiatives. Ayu is also the managing director of the Indika Foundation, an organization that advances peacebuilding through grantmaking and educational training. During her time with the Indika Foundation, she has raised and managed a $10 million fund and acquired funding from USAID and United Nations Development Programme, for which she received the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations’ Intercultural Innovation Award. She has founded several social movements, including SabangMerauke, which promotes diversity through experiential learning programs for young people. Ayu is an improv comedian, scuba diver, and meditation practitioner, and her leadership vision and life mission are intertwined: to help people develop compassionately, mindfully, and wisely.

DAVID IRIANTO

Indonesia

Managing Director, Greatmind Indonesia

David Irianto is the managing director and creative curator of Greatmind Indonesia, one of Indonesia’s top mental health media platforms. He co-founded the organization in 2018 and since its launch, the platform has expanded to a community of over 300,000 users, with more than 164,000 TikTok followers and 7.5 million YouTube views. During the pandemic’s peak, Greatmind collaborated with Google Indonesia to provide information on mental health issues and worked with the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture to produce digital content about bullying. David also works with Idelaju, a narration-building consultancy. Passionate about mental health, David is particularly interested in the patterns of eco-anxiety and how climate change will affect mental health and wellbeing over time.

YOHANES SUGIHTONONUGROHO

Indonesia

Co-Founder and CEO, Crowde

Yohanes Sugihtononugroho is the co-founder and CEO of Crowde, an organization that assists small- and medium-sized farmers in obtaining capital and expanding their businesses. Crowde also provides farmers with information and market access at fair prices through their platform. The organization has grown its coverage area to five major Indonesian islands in the last three years, involving over 20,000 small farmers and agri-SMEs, channeling more than$20 million to farmers, creating jobs in the agricultural sector, and increasing farmers’ income by 150 percent. Yohanes was inspired to do this work by his time as a chili and mushroom farmer, where he experienced firsthand the ways that Indonesia’s agricultural systems were hurting farmers. His goal is to create an agricultural ecosystem that is more farmer-friendly.

AIKO SHIMIZU

Japan

Head of Japan Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy, Twitter Japan

Aiko Shimizu is the Head of Japan Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy for Twitter. In this position, she is responsible for strengthening safety and promoting healthy public conversations on the Twitter platform. She recently spearheaded an initiative to promote the inclusion of Japan’s Indigenous communities in conversations and cultural celebrations on Twitter. Previously, she was the New York General Manager at Share Now (formerly car2go), a car share joint venture between BMW and Daimler AG. Aiko also led International External Affairs at Daimler, where she was responsible for developing the global strategy for the world’s first all-electric truck. Aiko has dedicated her career to building technology and innovation policies and regulatory frameworks in the fields of climate, renewable energy, transportation, and social media. She is interested in striking a balance between regulation and innovation in order to maximize the beneficial effects of technology on society while ensuring safety. Aiko’s mission is to make the world a more positive and inclusive place.

RUTH M. CROSS

Kiribati

Founder, Tungaru Climate Alliance

Kiribati Order of Merit

Ruth M. Cross is the founder of the Tungaru Climate Alliance. She has created community programs and projects to address challenges in Tarawa relating to sanitation, the environment, health care, education, and business. The President of Kiribati recently awarded Ruth the Kiribati Order of Merit for her aid efforts and programs totaling more than $2 million to date. She is committed to creating positive change in Kiribati through meaningful collaborations and a “better together” approach, and she is particularly passionate about access to safe water and sanitation.

HYEKYEONG KIM

Republic of Korea

Asia Manager, Global Strategic Communications Council

Hyekyeong Kim is the Asia manager at Global Strategic Communications Council, a collaborative project hosted by the European Climate Foundation. In this role, she provides project management and strategic communication guidance on climate and energy for national bureaus and local initiatives, including Kpop4planet, a young cultural climate organization. Hyekyeong’s career began in journalism, and while reporting on the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, she saw firsthand the need for safe, clean energy and a transition away from fossil fuels. Witnessing the unjust decisions that excluded local communities led Hyekyeong to focus her work on addressing the climate crisis. She recently organized a peer group of reporters and writers interested in learning more about climate-related reporting, which resulted in Korea’s first novel conceptualizing the climate crisis. Hyekyeong is the Seoul Correspondent for Reporters Without Borders and continues to mentor emerging journalists.

JOHAN JAEHYONG HEO

Republic of Korea

CEO and Chairperson, Root Impact

Johan Jaehyong Heo is the CEO and chairperson of Root Impact, a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that assists impact-driven organizations in growing their businesses, and helps young people pursue high-impact careers by providing relevant career opportunities and experiences. Root Impact has established two co-working spaces that serve over 100 organizations and has converted an industrial area into a social innovation district. Johan also formed the Impact Alliance, which convenes and connects the voices of social enterprises, nonprofits, and impact investors to create change. He has played a leading role in building the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in South Korea, from incubation programs to regulatory changes. Johan believes that everyone has the potential to drive change.

IR. KUHAN PATHY

Malaysia

Co-Founder, Masala Wheels

Ir. Kuhan Pathy is the co-founder of Masala Wheels, a social enterprise founded to empower marginalized communities through long-term economic empowerment and digital transformation. Masala Wheels began as a food truck and later evolved into a multi-revenue social enterprise, transforming the lives of marginalized groups, such as young people formerly involved in gangsterism and substance abuse, through food and beverage entrepreneurship. Kuhan also co-founded the Malaysian Chamber of Social Entrepreneur Development, an advocacy group that encourages public and private institutions to embrace social entrepreneurship models to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Building off his own experience as a social entrepreneur, Kuhan has helped corporations create in-house social innovation incubators and is working closely with the Malaysian government and other organizations to build a more enabling social entrepreneurship ecosystem.

DORJJANTSAN (JACK) GANBAATAR

Mongolia

Health Program Coordinator, The LGBT Center Mongolia

Dorjjantsan (Jack) Ganbaatar is the health program manager at the LGBT Center, Mongolia’s first and only LGBTQ+ rights organization. Jack creates and administers projects to close gaps in LGBTQ+ health rights through research and analysis, revising and establishing inclusive curricula for medical education institutions, and implementing initiatives in the health care industry. Jack has trained academics and practitioners on LGBTQ+ rights and health issues, including the medical staff of the National Mental Health Institute, the Psychology and Social Work Departments of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, and the National University of Mongolia. Having contributed to significant strides in national non-discrimination law and policy, they are an activist who believes that everyone should enjoy their human rights free from fear and discrimination.

TSOLMONTUYA ALTANKHUNDAGA

Mongolia

Deputy Program Manager, Asia Foundation Mongolia

Tsolmontuya Altankhundaga is the Asia Foundation Mongolia’s project manager for the Women’s Economic Empowerment program. In this role, she establishes development models to holistically address issues surrounding women’s empowerment by building relationships with development partners, local grassroots and civil society, and Mongolia’s government. Tsolmontuya was invited to represent Mongolia at the United Nations Women Peace and Security Agenda summit in 2019. She was also given the Gender Innovation Award for her concept of empowering marginalized women entrepreneurs through feminist mentorship. She is currently contributing to Mongolia’s National Gender Action Plan, building new models for a Women’s Business Center for over 6,000 female entrepreneurs, and assisting civil society organizations in developing holistic and long-term strategies to address gender-based violence.

ADAM MCCONNOCHIE

Aotearoa New Zealand

Co-Founder and Director, Solid

Adam McConnochie is the co-founder and director of oral care business, Solid. Adam’s mission is to stop the 16 million toothpaste tubes that go to the landfill in Aotearoa every year and to demonstrate the role that businesses can play in driving climate action. Solid makes a range of toothpaste, tablets, powder, and more that are vegan, cruelty free, and free from palm oil. Everything is packed in glass bottles and jars that can be reused and returned. Solid is recognized in Aotearoa for its circular economy approach and is certified Carbon Positive. Previous to this role, Adam was a director and senior leader at Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono, New Zealand’s leading authority on the country’s connectivity with Asia. A historian by training, Adam led the business, entrepreneurship, and leadership programs at the Foundation. In this role, Adam worked with many of Southeast Asia and New Zealand’s best entrepreneurs and business leaders and built a network across the region. His leadership work ranged from exploring the history of discrimination against Chinese people in Aotearoa, a mentorship program based on the tuakana-teina (big brother-little brother) model, and leading delegations of young leaders to various countries in Asia. Adam considers his greatest strength as a connector, and loves to connect the dots between people and passion.

CAM SMITH

Aotearoa New Zealand

Founder and CEO, Take2

Cam Smith is the founder and CEO of Take2, a nonprofit organization with a mission to reduce recidivism by providing high-income careers and wrap-around support to those in and recently released from prison. Since starting the organization, Cam successfully recruited a prison in South Auckland to run a pilot of the program—the first time in New Zealand’s history that advanced technology skills were taught in prison. Take2 raised NZD $1.5 million to fund the pilot and contribute to ongoing operating costs, and the team recruited prominent business leaders within New Zealand to join their Board of Directors and Advisory Board. Cam has also secured partnerships with many of New Zealand’s top corporations to provide job prospects for Take2 graduates who are all formerly-incarcerated individuals. Cam is passionate about supporting economic empowerment for marginalized communities in New Zealand.

REINA VAAI

Aotearoa New Zealand

Lawyer, Royal Commission of Inquiry

Reina Vaai is a lawyer at the Royal Commission of Inquiry where she represents survivors of abuse and torture as children while in state care, a first-of-its-kind inquiry that aims to transform the way that New Zealand’s legal systems and agencies treat survivors and seek justice. She also founded and runs the nonprofit Champions for Change, where she brings positive role models from different careers to visit schools and connect with students from marginalized communities. Reina loves storytelling and finding ways to elevate unheard voices. She is a children’s book author and a freelance journalist, and recently worked on a documentary about women and climate change with the BBC. She believes that everyone is entitled to and deserves access to justice.

JACQUELINE P. CHE

Northern Mariana Islands

Founder, Full Belly Full Hearts

Jacqueline P. Che is the founder of Fully Belly Full Hearts, a nonprofit social enterprise focused on meals and grocery distribution for families, referral services, and job search assistance. What started as a small passion project to feed those impacted by economic downturn grew into large-scale projects co-sponsored by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Women’s Association and Workforce Investment Agency. Jacqueline also serves as the director of internal control and evaluation at CNMI Public School System and sits on the board of the CNMI Women’s Association, whose focus is to help low-income women achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency by providing job-skills training and placement services. Jacqueline is also a founding member of the CNMI College and Career Research Alliance, a group that advocates for positive change in the education system to support students early in their educational careers.

LANDISANG KOTARO

Palau

Chief of Staff, Office of the President of the Republic of Palau

Landisang Kotaro is the chief of staff at the Office of the President of the Republic of Palau. She is the youngest and first female to serve in this role. Prior to her work at the Office of the President, Landisang worked as a senior legal researcher and committee advisor at the House of Delegates of Palau. There, she worked closely with state governments to help them strengthen their organizational structures, grow civic engagement in policy debate, and ensure adequate representation of interests and concerns of constituents. She also served as a United Nations representative for Palau in matters relating to the ocean and law of the sea. She is passionate about steering Palau through the challenges of being a new democracy, and she is committed to being a part of continued change.

LYDIA LISA DIMOKARI

Papua New Guinea

Program Manager, Kodoka Track Foundation

Lydia Lisa Dimokari is the program manager at the Kodoka Track Foundation, an international aid nonprofit. In this role, she coordinates all programs related to education, health, leadership, equality, and livelihoods in Papua New Guinea. Before this experience, Lydia ran a youth organization called Mission Vibe to create space for young women in her community to come together for facilitated conversations about topics like reproductive health, healthy relationships, and goal-setting. She is a strong advocate for Papua New Guinea’s youth and brings their views to the forefront of crucial discussions. Her vision for Papua New Guinea is a society where children can walk freely in the streets without fear of being hurt and where families and communities live free of all types of violence.

GERSON ABESAMIS

Philippines

Executive Director, Habi Education Lab

Gerson Abesamis is the executive director at Habi Education Lab, a nonprofit design studio that collaborates with organizations and schools to build well-designed learning experiences and environments using inclusive, participatory, and human-centered approaches to design learning. Gerson provides design direction, curates special projects, facilitates public workshops, and supports the team of designers. In the last three years, the organization has executed 92 programs that have reached 70,000 educators. Gerson, a self-described “design nerd,” is particularly interested in design ethics and how designers might evaluate products, technologies, and services for usability and technological qualities as well as potential harm to people and the environment. Within his own organization, he aims to build and advocate for non-conventional organizational structures that promote more democratic practices.

JOEL MARK BAYSA-BARREDO

Philippines

Executive Director, Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in ASEAN/Southeast Asia (SHAPE-SEA)

Joel Mark Baysa-Barredo is the executive director at Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in ASEAN/Southeast Asia program (SHAPE-SEA), which focuses on creating and sustaining a culture of human rights and peace through applied research, education, and informed policy advocacy in Southeast Asia. Joel works closely with scholars, human rights defenders, peace workers, government agencies, and affected communities to realize social justice and equality, as well as to strengthen democratic institutions throughout the region. As a migrant Filipino leader, they are dedicated to instilling critical consciousness among all rights-holders, and shaping societies capable of fully claiming and enjoying their rights and freedoms.

ADRIAN WAN

Singapore

Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, Internet Society

Adrian Wan is the senior manager of policy and advocacy at Internet Society, a global nonprofit that promotes the development of the internet as global technical infrastructure, a resource to enrich people’s lives, and a force for good in society. Adrian is currently leading a global initiative to bring more communities online in 2022, and he works closely with governments, businesses, and civil society leaders to raise awareness about online disparities and find new ways to connect the unconnected. He is passionate about advocating for an internet that offers open, safe, secure, and private opportunities for generations to come.

REBEKAH LIN

Singapore

Co-founder, The Social Co.

Rebekah Lin is the co-founder of The Social Co., a youth-led grassroots organization focused on raising funds and awareness for organizations that serve the elderly. Rebekah also works on the sector planning team at the Organization for Integrated Care, a government agency in Singapore that supervises the delivery of aged care services. She also manages her family’s foundation, the Jia Foundation, and is the country director for Nexus, a collective that unites next-gen philanthropists, impact investors, and social entrepreneurs. Rebekah is a mental health advocate and is deeply committed to suicide prevention work. A former board member of the Singapore Mental Health Film Festival, Rebekah has worked to produce and share impact documentaries and films that bring awareness to these issues. Currently, she is working on the launch of the region’s first venture fund that will invest in tech solutions for aging societies.

ZANETA FURIOA KAFA

Solomon Islands

Senior Legal Officer, Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission

Zaneta Furioa Kafa is a senior legal officer at the Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission. Her core area of focus is the engagement of rural people and communities in the legal system. Through community consultations and sharing information, she works to educate the people of the Solomon Islands about their rights and empower them to have a sense of connection to and ownership of their laws. Zaneta is particularly proud of a legal consultation and awareness program she conducted with the Sikaiana community living on the island of Guadalcanal, a minority group often not included in the Commission’s community consultations. Her consultation was the first of its kind within the community. Zaneta is committed to bridging the gap between people and their laws and ensuring that all Solomon Islanders have equal access to knowledge about the laws of their country.

APHINYA SIRANART

Thailand

Head of Exploration, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Thailand

Aphinya Siranart is the head of exploration at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Thailand, where she leads the organization’s portfolios on sustainable business, impact investment, inclusive innovation, and digital government transformation. Passionate about impact investment, Aphinya was the main driving force behind the new regulatory shift by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from voluntary-based to mandatory corporate sustainability reporting with an impact assessment lens. She is preparing to launch and lead the development of the first free online platform in Thailand, supported by the SEC, for businesses and impact-oriented organizations to better measure and manage their impact more easily. Aphinya believes in the power of digital innovation to address today’s complex development challenges and to create a more equitable and inclusive society.

KORNVUTHI LAPPRATHANA

Thailand

Founder and CEO, TechUp

Kornvuthi Lapprathana is the founder and CEO of TechUp, the first social enterprise offering coding bootcamps to broaden access to tech careers and high-quality jobs in Thailand. In this role, Kornvuthi seeks out and trains motivated, high-potential individuals—regardless of educational background—to become software developers and connect them to tech jobs. He also leads Project Begin, a volunteer-based mentoring program for college students in Thailand. To date, Project Begin has matched over 150 students with mentors who help them build career development skills. Kornvuthi is passionate about increasing access to high-skilled formal employment opportunities and bringing about positive change in Thailand through new ideas.

LOIS HONG

Timor-Leste

Clinical Director, Maluk Timor

Lois Hong is the clinical director of Maluk Timor, where she focuses on delivering quality health care training by and for the Timorese. Lois develops and implements training programs that strengthen the national health care system. She teaches and mentors others to nurture competent, committed Timorese health care professionals who earn the trust of their local communities. Lois is proud of her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that took a physical, social, and mental toll on her organization’s staff alongside reduced international support. Widespread flash flooding in Dili in 2021 compounded the impacts of the pandemic and displaced thousands of people. Through these setbacks, she provided leadership and technical guidance to her team of over 90 who went on to deliver quality health care training across more than five districts. Lois is a qualified family physician, trained in Singapore. She is particularly interested in narrative medicine as a way to foster empathy and develop respect for patients’ lived experiences.

THUY TIEN TRAN NGUYEN

Vietnam

Founder and Director, Psycho-Education and Applied Research Center for the Deaf (PARD) Vietnam

Thuy Tien Tran Nguyen is the founder and director of the first deaf-led nonprofit organization in Vietnam, Psycho-Education and Applied Research Center for the Deaf (PARD) Vietnam. The nonprofit seeks to empower deaf people to become confident and independent, build capacity for deaf leaders, and raise awareness about the deaf community and sign language. Thuy built a network of 35 deaf clubs in Vietnam, launched a Sign Language News program to provide access to information for deaf people that now reaches one million people, and initiated the SignShow to showcase deaf role models to the public. She also successfully advocated for deaf teachers to take the lead on a sign language dictionary under a project led by the Ministry of Education and Training that was initially led by hearing officers. The saying, “nothing about the deaf without the deaf” encompasses the heart of Tien’s work, and she believes in an inclusive society where deaf people have full and direct participation in all decisions that impact their lives.

KYAW THU HTET

Myanmar

Founder and CEO, Myanmar Innovative Life Sciences (MILS)

Kyaw Thu Htet is the founder and CEO of Myanmar Innovative Life Sciences (MILS), an impact-driven company that creates positive impacts on food producers, including small holder farmers. He founded the company in 2012 and since then, Kyaw has led the organization to become the first FDA-approved sustainable animal health product manufacturer and the first private agri-food testing laboratory in Myanmar. He also established a partnership with the United States government’s Feed The Future Agriculture and Food Systems Development Activity (AFDA) to help food producers and farmers in Myanmar produce safer, better-quality products and eventually improve their market access. Kyaw believes that Myanmar’s food systems must connect to the Sustainable Development Goals in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change on food and people, and he hopes to lead the way in making Myanmar’s agri-food value chains more relevant in new sustainable food systems.

TRA-MY NGUYEN

Vietnam

Country Director, Kidspire Vietnam

Tra-My Nguyen is the country director at Kidspire Vietnam, an educational nonprofit that supports orphaned children and young people in their transition from their time in an orphanage to their young adult lives. Over the course of the decade Tra-My has done this work, she also helped launch the Maker Academy program in 2016 to engage Vietnamese orphans in hands-on learning activities in a variety of subjects, including STEM and robotics. To date, the award-winning Maker Academy has reached over 1,300 children. Tra-My is a passionate advocate for children and is committed to creating and holding space where young people can unleash their core values.

VINCENT SIU

Hong Kong

Founder and CEO, Press Start Academy

Vincent Siu is the founder and CEO of Press Start Academy, an education startup reimagining skill development through games, interactive stories, and adventures. Based in Hong Kong, Press Start Academy believes that the future requires a radical new approach to skills development that focuses on the whole person and not academic achievement and knowledge retention alone. Their learning experiences and curricula are infused with opportunities for soft-skill development. Vincent recently completed a term as president of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community’s Hong Kong hub. During his tenure in this position, he established a core leadership committee that re-engaged their volunteer-based community in collective social action and impact. Through his leadership roles, he aspires to shine a light on the excellence of the Hong Kong community.