AVPN held a private roundtable session in Hong Kong on 13th February with a select group of participants that included members of the Social Innovation and Efficiency Development Fund Taskforce, other government agencies, intermediary groups and private foundations. AVPN’s new executive vice-chairman, Andrew Muirhead, shared the Inspiring Scotland model of venture philanthropy with the group, which then culminated in a lively discussion of how this might apply to the Hong Kong situation.
There has been much discussion about the HKD500million fund and how it is to be deployed, and AVPN saw this as the perfect opportunity to bring together the different stakeholders to discuss innovative new ways of addressing social issues. Moderated by Scott Lawson of SOW (Asia) Foundation, the group discussed intently on whether Hong Kong would be ready for a new model, but also stressed on the importance of dialogue with the top management of NGOs in order to build trust between the sectors.
Ultimately, the key points that were repeatedly raised were the need to focus on partnership and leadership, in order to ensure a real shift in how the sector works.
The event venue was generously offered to be held at the office of Baring Private Equity Asia and co-organised by Social Ventures Hong Kong.
