Schwab Foundation honours social innovators

AMMAN — The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship on Tuesday announced 40 awardees for social innovation in 2019, honouring their leadership efforts in reaching a new ecosystem.

The list includes start-up founders and chief executive officers, multinational and regional business leaders, government leaders, and recognised experts who are working to address social and environmental issues with innovations in areas ranging from water purification to financial inclusion to combatting hate, according to a statement issued by the foundation.

The awardees included four pioneers from the Arab world, specifically from Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, the statement said.

For more than 20 years, the foundation has recognised social entrepreneurs as a new breed of leader and embedded them in the platforms of the World Economic Forum, the statement said, adding that it has introduced three new award categories along with the established category of Social Entrepreneur of the Year: Public Social Intrapreneur, Corporate Social Intrapreneur and Social Innovation Thought Leader.

“Social entrepreneurs are no longer working in isolation — the Schwab Foundation recognises the champions of social innovation in the social sector, but also in business, government and academia,” Hilde Schwab, co-founder and chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was quoted in the statement as saying.

“The 2019 Schwab Foundation awardees represent a new ecosystem of leaders who are driving change and shifting organisations and systems towards a more just, inclusive, sustainable future,” François Bonnici, Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, said. 

Chief Executive Officer at Altibbi, Jalil Allabadi from Jordan, was awarded Social Entrepreneur 2019. Allabadi created a digital health platform for the MENA region that gives awareness, information and advice and reaches more than 200 million users, according to the statement.

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Nafham Mostafa Farahat from Egypt was also awarded Social Entrepreneur 2019. Farahat co-founded an online educational video platform that uses the “power of the crowd” to simplify and explain curriculum lessons to students through short videos, the statement said.

Chairman and Managing Director at LibanPost Khalil Daoud from Lebanon was awarded Corporate Social Intrapreneur. Under Daoud’s leadership, LibanPost’s refugee initiative has impacted more than 280,000 refugees.

Executive Chairman at Wamda Capital Fadi Ghandour from Jordan and Lebanon, was awarded Social Innovation Thought Leader. Ghandour is shifting the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Middle East and North Africa through Wamda, a funder and start-up incubator, the statement said.

The Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2019 takes place on September 23-24 in New York, according to the statement, adding that this year’s meeting convenes more than 800 regional and global leaders from the government, businesses, civil society and academia and explores the themes transforming markets, accelerating climate action, financing sustainable development and mobilising action for inclusive societies.