How can businesses make a positive impact without compromising their bottom line? Social entrepreneurs Jaime Ayala and Dora Nattinee Sae Ho discuss
For social entrepreneurs Jaime Ayala and Dora Nattinee Sae Ho, building ventures isn’t just about making money. To them, the most impactful entrepreneurs reach out to the community by offering practical and sustainable solutions to real-world problems.
Ayala, who once helmed Ayala Land, one of the Philippines’ largest corporations, is now a systems-change social entrepreneur. His work sees him addressing social and development issues. Through his leadership roles, Ayala manages to make renewable energy and life-changing innovations accessible to rural communities. He founded Hybrid Social Solutions, through which he is transforming communities in rural Philippines with access to energy. The company has gained 1 million solar users so far and is on track to reaching its goal of impacting 25 million users by 2032.
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Sae Ho honed her skills as an entrepreneur and leader through stints at several impact-minded startups, including Learn, Thailand’s largest ed-tech company. Now, as the founder and CEO of Thrive Venture Builder, she has built Thailand’s first social impact venture builder that also trains and consults other companies on incorporating more ethical and sustainable business practices. The company focuses on areas such as poverty reduction, climate change, equitable education and sustainable communities.
The pair got together to exchange insights on what it takes to start an impact-driven business and how for-profit companies can make a smooth transition to becoming more responsible at the Tatler Gen.T Summit 2023.
On finding purpose in life
“[When I was younger], I went to business school and was helping our clients make more money. It was about maximising profits. If it was good for my career, my credentials and my resume, I valued that. But I started making a shift when I started to understand my purpose in life,” said Ayala.
“Mark Twain is known to have said that the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you realise or discover what you are made for. I went through a process of self-discovery and it circled back to my heart. My heart wants to help the poor and marginalised in the Philippines. [But I want to do it] through business because that’s the only way it is sustainable.”
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