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SAP and Akina Foundation bring together corporate and social enterprises to engage with community
Thu, 3rd Aug 2017
FYI, this story is more than a year old

New Zealand organisations are about to get an accelerated opportunity to learn from world leaders in social enterprise on how to engage employees, align their brands with the causes they support and measure the results.

A full day forum, Working on Purpose, will be held in conjunction with Social Enterprise World Forum 2017 at Papa Hou in Christchurch on September 28.

It will be New Zealand's largest international event dedicated to corporate social responsibility and is being organised by SAP, with support from the Akina Foundation.

Any proceeds from the event will also be directly invested into supporting the next wave of social enterprises through the Akina Foundation.

Working on Purpose will bring together public sector and corporate leaders, policymakers and specialists across employee engagement, branding, procurement and CSR.

Through case studies and collaborative workshops, delegates will gain practical insights into: • creating and measuring the impact of meaningful community engagement • implementing global best practice in social procurement • building networks to enhance and showcase their investment • demonstrating business value and enhancing corporate brand recognition

The programme features some of the world's leading social enterprise innovators and corporate leaders.

Keynote speakers and workshop facilitators include: • Peter Holbrook - Social Enterprise UK chief executive • Abbie Reynolds – Sustainable Business Council executive director • Paul Dunn - Four-time TEDx speaker and B1G1: Business for Good chairman • Stacey Shortall – MinterEllisonRuddWatts Partner, 2016 Woman of Influence and trustee, WhoDidYouHelpToday • Jan Owen – Foundation for Young Australians CEO • David Savage - Facilitator, inspirational speaker and corporate leadership specialist “Organisations see working purposefully with social enterprises as a better way of engaging with employees, contributing to their communities, delivering on their brand promise and making more sustainable procurement decisions,” says Louise Aitken, Akina Foundation general manager.

“They are keen to learn from world leaders about how to do all this more effectively – and how to measure the results. That's exactly what Working on Purpose is designed to do: it's a valuable adjunct to the Social Enterprise World Forum programme.

“New Zealand's social enterprise sector is gaining significant momentum as a powerful means to deliver economic growth, jobs and social impact,” says Graeme Riley, SAP New Zealand managing director.

“This event will serve as a platform to engage with our most influential brands and the world's leading social innovators and be part of an inspiring movement to create a more sustainable future.” The Social Enterprise World Forum 2017 is an international event for social enterprises from all over the world to come together, share wisdom, build networks and discuss how to create a more sustainable future.

The event attracts social enterprise practitioners, social entrepreneurs, policy makers, community leaders, investors, activists, academics and more from all across the globe.