Singapore to host World Entrepreneurship Forum 2013

1. The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are pleased to announce that Singapore will be hosting the sixth edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum (WEF), the world's first global think-tank dedicated to creating wealth and social justice through entrepreneurship, next year.

2. Founded in 2008 by the EMLYON Business School and KPMG under the patronage of former President of France Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, the WEF set out to be a meaningful platform for entrepreneurs, policy makers, experts and professionals from different parts of the world to gather to deliberate and design interventions to promote sustainable entrepreneurship for both economic and social benefits. ACE and NTU became Founding Members in 2010, joining the City of Lyon and the Lyon Chamber of Commerce on the WEF Board.

3. In 2011, Singapore hosted the WEF for the first time, attracting 200 think-tank members and foreign delegates from some 60 countries.

4. Mr Inderjit Singh, Member of NTU's Board of Trustees and Chairman of NTU's Enterprise Committee, as well as ACE Deputy Chairman Dr Steven Fang were in the French city of Lyon for the fifth edition of WEF just last week, from 24th to 27th October.

5. Said Mr Singh, "We are excited to be hosting the sixth edition of WEF in 2013 and look forward to replicating, or bettering, the success of the 2011 edition which was held in Singapore. As a global platform, the WEF is one key event which will allow the local entrepreneurship community to tap into ideas from other countries and contribute to the discussion on how we can make entrepreneurship effective—not just in driving the economy, but also social good. As the public-private movement championing entrepreneurship in the last ten years, ACE is perfectly suited as NTU's partner to bring WEF to Singapore once again."

6. Dr Steven Fang added, "It was a fruitful trip for us at WEF this year, and we came back with plenty of excellent suggestions which we can explore implementing in Singapore next year. ACE is very pleased to host WEF 2013 with NTU, which is well-regarded for its entrepreneurial programmes. Through this partnership, we are able to bring in, once again, a high-signature entrepreneurship event which will contribute to the vibrancy and learning of the entrepreneurship community here. We hope to build upon this momentum and elevate Singapore to play a more influential role in advocating entrepreneurship for the world." Dr Steven Fang is also the founder of listed company Cordlife and now serves as its non-executive director.

7. WEF 2013 is tentatively slated for 30 Oct to 2 Nov 2013. More details for the event will be released after the WEF Board convenes in early next year.

8. At the WEF 2011, held for the first time in Asia, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean graced the gala dinner as Guest-of-Honour, in an evening which recognised three individuals and one company for their entrepreneurial achievements and commitment to society. The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Ms Reese Fernandez, co-founder of Rags2Riches in the Philippines, which revolutionised women's business practices and lives by turning scrap material into fashion products sought after by high-revenue customers. The Social Entrepreneur Award went to Mr William Drayton, who coined the term "social entrepreneurship" and founded Ashoka, a U.S.-based non-profit organisation which is now in 60 countries. The winner of the year's Politician Award was Ms Anneli Hulthen, who as Mayor was instrumental in transforming the city of Göteborg in Sweden into an entrepreneurial city, while the Entrepreneur for the World Award was given for the first time to a company, FOSUN International, a Shanghai-based conglomerate who was able to align its business strategy with answering the most pressing social needs in China.

Provided by Nanyang Technological University