Everyone’s a Change-Maker:

 An Introduction to the Social Entrepreneurship Movement in Hong Kong

Ms Jessica Tam

Date:        November 16, 2018 (Friday)        

Time:       11:00am to 12:00 noon

Venue:     S212, THEi Chai Wan Campus 

Abstract

Social service provision has long been a duty of the government and its associated welfare organizations; the emergence of social enterprises in HK 20 years ago, however, has greatly changed the social welfare and business landscapes. Social enterprise (SE) which has been defined as a hybrid of ‘social mission’ and ‘commercial value’, has been playing an increasingly important role in solving social problems and driving social change. Apart from the conventional welfare organizations, we also observe an active engagement of the business and professional sector in this entrepreneurial social movement.

In this presentation, the speaker will trace the development of HK’s social enterprise sector over the past 10 years by comparing our SE landscape with other Asian counterparts. Real-life examples of social entrepreneurs and social innovation will be introduced to illustrate the roles of these new players in changing the social welfare landscape. Lastly, the speaker will also introduce upcoming trends in the local and global entrepreneurial social movements, such as the Social Impact Bond and the Sharing Economy.

Bio of Jessica Tam

Jessica Tam is the Head of the Social Enterprise Business Centre (SEBC) of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the first tripartite platform in HK promoting social entrepreneurship and innovation.

Jessica has been spearheading a wide range of innovative initiatives over the past ten years, including the set-up of the SEBC, the Good Goods SE Product Trading Platform, the ACT Social Awareness Network, the Good Point SE Lifestyle Hub, and the DBS Social Enterprise Advancement Grant and Impact Incubator, an Intermediary of the Government’s Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund.

Jessica graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has also completed executive programmes  at INSEAD Business School and Stanford University. Prior to her current position, Jessica served as a Research Officer in HKCSS and other tertiary institutes with a research focus on poverty, employment and regional development.

For enquiries, please contact Miss Gypsy Lam at gypsy-lam@vtc.edu.hk