Agenda
09:00 – 09:15
Opening remarks
09:15 – 09:30
Opening keynote address
Create: Building Cohesive Communities Based on Trust
09:30 – 10:05
Empowering Communities for Sustainable Social Impact
Explore how organisations can adopt empowerment as a foundational principle for sustainable social impact in this insightful keynote. The session will highlight Singtel’s commitment to “Empower Every Generation” through initiatives such as Future Makers, Digital Thumbprint, and Digital Silvers, which focus on building skills and confidence. Additionally, discover collaborative efforts with the Australian Business and Community Network and Singapore Business Network on Disability, where corporate members mentor vulnerable youth and persons with disabilities. The keynote will also discuss the National Council of Social Services’ Sustainable Philanthropic Framework, which mobilises corporates and social services for sustained impact. Learn strategies to move beyond dependency, fostering long-term success and empowerment in communities.
Speaker:
Andrew Buay
Vice President, Group Corporate Sustainability, Talent Coach at Optus
Singtel & Optus
10:05 – 10:40
[Case Study Presentation] Programme Design
Designing a community engagement programme that is inclusive and responsive
- Defining your programme’s purpose, scope and end-goal
- Community mapping: Surveys, focus groups, social network analysis
- Identifying the right engagement tools to encourage participation
- Post-engagement reporting: Setting metrics that matter for evaluation
Speaker:
Veera Swaminathan
Chief Executive Officer
10:40 – 11:10
Morning networking break
Empower: Shifting Mindsets to Inspire Change for the Better
11:10 – 11:45
[Case Study Presentation] Social Enterprise
Addressing social needs with a business that focuses on doing well by doing good
- Identifying a worthy cause that is aligned with your business’ USP
- Aligning commercial goals with gaps with chosen cause
- How to ensure business remains financially viable and the cause is sustainable
- Getting management buy-in
11:45 – 12:30
[Panel Discussion] Community Partners
Leveraging community partners’ strengths to scale community reach
- Identifying the right partners with shared vision and goals
- Overcoming red tapes internally and externally for programme’s success
- Managing expectations of partners for long-term collaboration
- It’s not you, but me: Managing partnerships that no longer serve its purpose
Moderator:
Tamara Weaver
Community Engagement Specialist
Panellists:
Mohamed Farook
Senior Project Manager and Former Deputy Director, Community Partnership & Head Community Liaison & Digital Development
Megan Fernandes
Head of Community Investment & Partnerships
Prudential Singapore
Asmah Alias
General Manager, Malay Heritage Centre & Director of Children's Museum Singapore
National Heritage Board
12:30 – 13:30
Networking lunch
13:30 – 14:05
Creating social impact with sustainable and meaningful CSR initiatives
- Identifying a cause that is aligned to business vision and mission
- Empowering employees to give back to society
- Finding the right community partners for sustainable collaboration
- Always improving: Asking the right questions to improve next programme
Speaker:
Eugene Ho
Global CSR Director
SAP
Assess: Measuring Community Programmes to Drive Maximum Impact
14:05 – 15:05
[Mini Workshop] Programme Evaluation
Measuring outreach programmes for better engagement and bigger scale
- What is your organisation’s success metrics
- Assessing engagement impact with tools, frameworks and reliable feedback channels
- Tracking and analysing data insights for optimal performance
Facilitator:
Yuvan Mohan
Country Head for Public Policy, Government Relations, ESG & Trust and Safety
15:05 – 15:30
Afternoon networking break
15:30 – 16:30
[Mini Workshop] Stakeholder Management
Communicating effectively with community stakeholders to drive programme’s success
- Know your stakeholders – target community, vendors/partners
- Identifying the most effective communication channels for clarity
- Building strong relationships: How to manage conflicts or resistance
- Embracing diversity in community engagement ecosystem
Facilitator:
Tamara Weaver
Community Engagement Specialist
16:30