Penny Low
President & Founder, Global SOCIAL INNOVATors forum
Problem
When Penny saw the critical needs of individuals and communities in various spheres of society, she thought to herself, "How can I as a single person break new ground to help meet these needs in the most impactful way? How can I best tackle multiple social needs concurrently?" The urgent need to implement customized solutions drove her to create the Global Social Innovators forum (GSIF) to produce more and better social innovators and help them enhance their contributions to society. Case in point, Benny Se Teo who started Eighteen Chefs to help ex-convicts said that "GSIF has brought me to the next level through interacting with likeminded change-makers from all over the world." The desire to turn the GSIF dream into a reality, with more of such stories fires her imagination and stirs her soul. Innovation Penny founded the GSIF, an unprecedented initiative to develop social entrepreneurs through a proprietary 3 'E's transformational framework. She seeks to Educate, Empower and Enable social entrepreneurs to bring positive innovation to lives and societies. For example, participants were able to learn from prominent thought leaders such as Alvin Toffler, Rob Walton, Tony Buzan, John Hope Bryant, and Jet Li and organisations like McKinsey, Eldleman, Ideo and PWC. The GSIF is not run like a conventional forum. It is more like a big playground where participants are inspired through all kinds of games, structured exercises, and on-site studies. They are positively challenged to come out with breakthrough concepts and achieve best practice. In one of the programs which I personally witnessed, participants were invited to be coached by seasoned practitioners and challenged to present their real-life missions to a panel of judges. Subsequently, through a carnival-like atmosphere, they got feedback, including funding possibilities from different stakeholders. The GSIF has spun many other unique ideas and inspired people from every level to support a social cause. They range from re-telling of stories from everyday life, transforming of useless items to handy gadgets, and innovations that matter, to new ways of appreciating nature and self. Impact Penny is a leader who walks the talk. Interviewing and observing her has changed my mindset and performance. Prior to interviewing her, I observed her talking to a group of strangers with words such as 'Imagine the future,' and 'Transforming communities from hate to love.' When the informal meeting ended, I had a sense of how people are 'converted' to support the GSIF cause. Last year, she was able to bring the GSIF cause to malls in the suburbs. There were fun-filled displays, performances, and even a call for commitment through crafting of more than 1000 personalized placards. As a testament to the GSIF's impact on society, the DBS Bank, a leading bank and one of the sponsors since 2008 commented that it is an effective way for representatives from key sectors to "get together, build connections and exchange ideas." Through multiple platforms initiated by Penny, the bank has co-launched a social enterprise toolkit, banking package, and other programs as part of their CSR and business strategy going forward. As Penny continues to touch lives - one person at a time, one experience at a time, and one day at a time - I am confident she will spark the movement that she evangelizes about. The GSIF is gradually but surely building a network of thought and action social innovators. The dream has come alive and is burning a trail to build a more inclusive, sustainable and better world. Skills Growing up as a quiet and shy girl, Penny learned to observe the people around her. She has disciplined herself to ask pertinent questions, reflect, and reach deep within herself to connect the dots so as to create radical breakthroughs. She developed a curious and inquisitive nature and an adventurous spirit. The trappings of the past and current comforts are not able to hold her back from creating out-of-ordinary ideas, experiences and contributions. Penny is an innovative leader and an innovator's innovator. When she creates a new idea, she will talk to different people, a process she terms as 'socialising the idea.' Through the process, she will improve on the idea until such a point when it becomes accepted and there is a tipping point of buy-ins. She targets people from different levels of an organisational hierarchy, including youths. More importantly, she focuses on decision makers from the public, private, people and political sectors. She uses her persuasive abilities to recruit and help develop them to become a new generation of social innovators. With the right talents in the team, it attracts more people and stronger support and resources for the movement. By doing these things, Penny creates the multiplier effect that she believes in and frequently mentioned during the interview. She sees herself metaphorically as being a "fertile ground that facilitates and enhances social entrepreneurs in their visions to become big, bold and friendly to societies." |
Bio
Ms Penny Low is the founder of the Global Social Innovators Forum, a non-profit organisation promoting thought leadership and social entrepreneurship in Singapore and beyond. In 2001, Penny became the youngest elected female Member of Parliament. She is a Labour Union Advisor and a founder of the Social Enterprise Association (SEA). Her recent book, Practising Sustainability, won the Silver Nautilus Book Award. Penny is also a founding member of the New Asian Leaders, a founding Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum), a Yale World Fellow and Scholar and an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar. She has been listed in Singapore Tatler’s Top 300 for many years. |