Hearing from Apo Ozkececi MCCC’19Dec-S – SVP Commercial & Regional Head, Asia Pacific, Accelya
How do you balance the need to recognize businesses that are making a positive impact with the reality that many businesses must prioritize profitability in order to survive? Making a positive impact and prioritizing profitable are not necessarily competing objectives. On the contrary, we would prefer an impactful business also to be profitable so that they can sustain their operations for the longer term with economic benefits to the society and individuals who are making the change. Positive impact is not and should not be an area of non-profits only, and the companies with bigger profits can do more to create bigger impacts for the values and objectives they lay down.
How did you determine which businesses demonstrated a strong commitment to being a force for good? Being a force for good can be interpreted differently depending on the industry and the provided value by the business. For me, it was relatively a simple call; would the world be a better place if this business is successful and potentially bigger. If the answer is YES, then I believe the business demonstrates a commitment to being a force for good.
Can you discuss any examples of businesses that you felt were particularly impactful in terms of their positive impact on society or the environment? In last year’s applications, we had an application from RightShip, who is focused on sustainability and governance in shipping business; which is not so visible in our daily lives albeit we benefit from the shipping industry every second of our lives. As we learnt more about their business, the lives they save, improvements they bring to the planet and environment; we realized how little we knew of some of these companies’ impact on society. It was an eye-opener in 30 minutes discussion.
Meeting our 2023 Judges – Interview series
Post #1 – Diana Gan – Founder of Elementary Capital
Catch-up with 2022 Judges – Interview series
Post #1 – Li Lian Liew GEMBA’13 – Director, Corporate Planning at Tan Tock Seng Hospital & Central Health
Post #2 – Apo Ozkececi MCCC’19Dec-S – SVP Commercial & Regional Head, Asia Pacific, Accelya