Michèle Mischler, Associate Director, Tel.: +41 79 571 82 25, Email: [email protected]
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Announces Social
Entrepreneurs of 2015
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The Schwab Foundation announces the Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2015
Thirty-three outstanding social entrepreneurs working in health, education, employment, gender,
finance and environmental sustainability join the Schwab Foundation network
Learn more about the Schwab Foundation at www.schwabfound.org
Geneva, 30 March 2015 – Thirty-three social entrepreneurs have been recognized by the Schwab
Foundation as awardees of 2015 Social Entrepreneur of the Year. The winners were selected by
Schwab Foundation board members, including Muhammad Yunus, in recognition of their innovative
approaches and potential for global impact. The 2015 awardees are:
Marc Koska of The SafePoint Trust (UK); Jen Hyatt of Big White Wall (UK); Sylvain Couthier of ATF
Gaia (France); Elaine Montegriffo, Ian Carson and Simone Carson of SecondBite (Australia); Kim
Jung-Hyeon of Delight (S. Korea); Kamal Quadir of bKash (Bangladesh); Mushtaq Chhapra of The
Citizens Foundation (Pakistan); Mark Arnoldy and Duncan Maru of Possible Health (Nepal); Helianti
Hilman of JAVARA (Indonesia); Hanumappa Sudarshan of Karuna Trust (India); Amina Slaoui of
Groupe AMH (Morocco); Maysoun Odeh Gangat of NISAA Radio Broadcasting Company (Palestine);
Pierre Issa of Arc en Ciel (Lebanon); Rosanne Haggerty and Becky Kanis Margiotta of Community
Solutions (USA); John Mighton of JUMP Math (Canada); Kristin Groos Richmond and Kirsten
Saenz Tobey of Revolution Foods (USA); Michael B. Jenkins of Forest Trends (USA); Catalina
Escobar Restrepo of Juan Felipe Gomez Escobar Foundation (Colombia); Carlos Orellana Aguilar
and Javier Okhuysen Urrutia of salaUno (Mexico); Gonzalo Muñoz of Triciclos (Chile); Claudio
Sassaki and Eduardo Bontempo of Geekie (Brazil); Katherine Lucey of Solar Sister (USA); Christie
Phyllis Peacock of Sidai Africa (Kenya); John Sargent and Ernest Darkoh of BroadReach
Healthcare (South Africa); Sharanjeet Shan of Maths Centre (South Africa).
“Social entrepreneurs are visionaries but are also realists, and are ultimately concerned with the
practical implementation of scalable solutions,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. “The 33 outstanding social entrepreneurs we have
selected into the Schwab Foundation community this year are designing transformative models in
collaboration with government and business partners to generate truly inclusive growth. As such, social
entrepreneurs represent an integral and dynamic community of the World Economic Forum.”
“We are seeing greater appetite among other stakeholder groups of the Forum to learn from social
innovation models and collaborate with social entrepreneurs in innovative ways,” said David Aikman,
Managing Director of the World Economic Forum. “I am confident this trend will only continue to grow in
the future, and the World Economic Forum is proud to be at the forefront of catalysing partnerships
among these stakeholder groups for social and environmental change.”
The awardees will become part of the broader Schwab Foundation community of Social Entrepreneurs,
which includes more than 300 outstanding social entrepreneurs from 60 countries. Schwab Foundation
Social Entrepreneurs are fully integrated into the events and initiatives of the Forum. They contribute
actively to and benefit from peer-to-peer exchanges with other social entrepreneurs, as well as
interactions with top leaders in business, government, civil society and the media.
To nominate a social entrepreneur or to apply for the 2016 award, please visit
www.schwabfound.org
Notes to Editors
Visit our website at http://www.schwabfound.org
Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/schwabfound
Visit our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/schwabfound
Download the Schwab Foundation’s Social Investment Manual and Corporate Governance Manual
Nominate a social entrepreneur through our website
About the Schwab Foundation
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was co-founded by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World
Economic Forum, and his wife, Hilde. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has been identifying the world’s leading social
entrepreneurs and involves the community of 200 award winners in advancing the field of social innovation in collaboration with
corporate, government and academic stakeholders. Selected social entrepreneurs of the Schwab Foundation network participate in
World Economic Forum events, thus providing unique opportunities for them to connect with business, political and media leaders.
http://www.schwabfound.org. Follow the Schwab Foundation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/schwabfound
The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private
cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global,
regional and industry agendas.
Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is independent, impartial and
not tied to any interests. It cooperates closely with all leading international organizations (www.weforum.org).