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Willem Niemeijer
CEO of YAANA VenturesSince the age of eleven, Willem roamed the Netherlands on a solo bicycle trip which sparked his passion for travel. His love for discovery and his entrepreneurial spirit brought him to Asia, and in 1993, led him to start Khiri Travel, one of Asia's leading experience-based destination management company, which later expanded into the group YAANA Ventures. With his mind set on responsible travel practices, Willem and his team is dedicated to sustainable tourism, building the company with the People, Planet, Profit at heart. Working closely with local communities to government agencies; from developing eco-tourism villages (Banteay Chhmar community in Cambodia) to raise awareness on the protection of their cultural heritage, to community lodge projects in the South of Thailand, the group certainly is a great case study for social entrepreneurship. YAANA Ventures also invest in like-minded tourism start-ups and other SME businesses. Willem is a frequent speaker at sustainable tourism conferences globally and will be sharing with you insights on how to run successful sustainable businesses.
Aliza Napartivaumnuay
Co-Founder & Head of Operations at SocialgiverAliza and Thailand-based award-winning social enterprise, Socialgiver is revolutionising fund-raising by turning the world's spare capacity into social progress. Through Socialgiver.com, they connect consumers, businesses, and social projects. Shoppers buy lifestyle experiences from top hotels, restaurants, and tours where profits are directly donated to handpicked social projects by Socialgiver. Socialgiver believes in technology for change and being the platform that allows people to engage online and still create positive tangible impacts offline. Prior to Socialgiver, Aliza has been handling supply chain and distribution projects for top retailers in Thailand (Central, Tesco Lotus, etc.) for almost 10 years; for which she explored many win-win strategies to local-sourcing, carbon emission reductions, and resource collaborations. She graduated from University of Warwick, UK (MSc Supply Engineering & Logistics) and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand (Bachelors in International Business Management).
Somsak Boonkam
Founder & CEO of Local AlikePai, an Ashoka Fellow and the founder and CEO of Local Alike, one of Thailand's top social enterprise connecting travelers and locals via their online platform through meaningful and authentic experiences. Local Alike uses community-based tourism as a form of development tool to preserve local culture and generate additional income to communities. The startup is unique for its well-rounded strategy, combining tech and field work tfor community development. Prior to founding Local Alike, Pai worked at the Mae Fah Luang Foundation Under the Royal Patronage, of which the Doi Tung Development projects where he worked with Northern Thai communities. Pai was born and raised in rural Thailand where he developed a deep appreciation for the ingenuity of indigenous culture and the role of sustainable development. He graduated with an MBA in Sustainability Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, California. Pai and his team is on a mission to bring the wisdom of indigenous people to the mass market in order to develop sustainable products that have a positive impact on society.
Sylvie Desilles
Knowledge Manager at East-West SeedSylvie is driven by finding new and innovative ways to reach out to farmers to improve livelihoods. As Knowledge Manager at East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT), she works directly with both farmers and EWS-KT teams in multiple countries across Asia and Africa assisting (smallholder) farmers with technical knowledge; helping them improve crop productivity, and ultimately income. EWS-KT operates under East-West Seed company to share expertise directly to thousands of small farmers every year through direct training including demo plots, training and field days. Sylvie is here to shed light on EWS-KT's works with governments, NGOs, development organizations, universities, and private companies who share the same passion to improve the livelihoods of farmers.