9th Social Business Day

Social Business Day

• Events
• 14th February 2019
• YC

Social Business Day is an annual two-day conference organized by the Yunus Centre, and is hosted by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. The conference serves to highlight developments in the realm of social business and to provide social entrepreneurs with the opportunity to connect with established individuals in the field. It is one of the largest gatherings of the social business community, bringing together leading experts, academics, innovators, and aspiring business owners. The conference has previously been held in destinations including Dhaka, Bangladesh and Bangalore, India. This year, the conference will be hosted by the Yunus Center at the Asian Institute of Technology (YCA) and take place in Bangkok, Thailand. Other local supporters of Social Business Day include the Yunus Social Business Centre Kasetsart University (YSBCKU) and the Thailand Social Business Initiative (TSBI).

As the first conference taking place in Bangkok, Social Business Day 2019 will bring together more than 1,000 delegates from all over the world in the field of social business, along with icons of social innovation and entrepreneurship from 30 countries. Trailblazers in various fields and industries will be able to explore their experience with social business as a unique enterprise-led development approach that can make the world a better place.

This year’s conference will cover a wide array of topics in different settings to participate in open discussions with invited and distinguished speakers. Intimate panel sessions will take place for participants to engage in smaller groups to discuss the application of social business in specific industries. Some topics being covered relate the intersections between social business and technology, healthcare, youth leadership, sports, arts, microfinance, and the environment.  Plenary sessions will be held for all participants to assemble to learn about the wider global impacts of social business. Country forums are also arranged for participants to explore the potential and actual practices of social businesses within countries and will give participants the chance to devise an action plan for their respective country. The Pre-Conference for Social Business Academia (Pre-SBAC) also takes place during SBD 2019, and it serves as a guidance and preparation platform to discuss the latest issues in the academic and research community that will be expanded on during the November SBAC conference. Additionally the Social Business Field Visit will give participants the opportunity to focus on on exploring adequate practices of social entrepreneurship and how it’s made an impact on the people in the Doi Tung area.

Delegates will be given the opportunity to hear speeches from Professor Yunus, high-ranking individuals involved in the Grameen community, as well as global leaders. Some of our confirmed speakers include: Emmanuel Faber, Chief Executive Officer of Danone, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary UN ESCAP, Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman, Mechai Viravaidya Foundation, Thailand, Jacques Berger, Managing Director, Action Tank & Social Business, HEC, Anil K. Gupta, Founder of the Honey Bee Network, Monica Yunus, Operatic Soprano, Tahsan Khan, Singer-Songwriter, Aziz Elbehri, Senior Economist and Group Leader, FAO Asian Pacific, and Seema Bansal, Director, The Boston Consulting Group India. Additional speakers will be revealed as they are confirmed. 

This year’s conference theme is based upon Professor Yunus’ mantra: “Making money is happiness, making other people happy is super happiness”. Above all, the conference aims to illuminate all the ways in which individuals from around the world can come together and effectively create solutions to pressing issues facing our society through the power of social business.