Conversations is a series of talks and panel discussions as part of FestivalForGood 2020 on topics regarding the social enterprise sector, social impact, and doing good in Singapore. We hope to spread awareness about social enterprises and social issues in Singapore, as well as engage members of the public in meaningful discussions about how we can make Singapore a better place for all.

Conversation 6: Wellness in Social Communities: Resilient People Make Resilient Economies

Under the rapidly changing global conditions, the importance for building mental resilience becomes all the more pertinent. How do we deal with and navigate through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our work and personal lives? Hear from Social Enterprises as they give their take on the importance of growing and thriving as a resilience economy by being resilient people.

Who Will Be Speaking?



Moderator: Tham Jie Rong - Deputy Director, raiSE
Jierong is currently the Deputy Director of the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, raiSE. He leads the corporate functions of raiSE, including Strategic Planning and HR. He also oversees the Social Finance team that manages a portfolio of more than 70 funded Social Enterprise across seed, growth and mature business stages.

Prior to joining raiSE, he spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. As Head of Planning and Infrastructure, he led a team to develop financing strategies for Singapore's urban planning solutions, as well as account manage the budgets of the infrastructure agencies.

James Lim - Founder, Emmaus Strategies
James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies. A social worker by profession, he had himself personally experienced and overcame burnout at least five times. He gleaned many life lessons and grew from it. Today, he makes helping people, families, organizations and communities grow and thrive his mission and runs an award-winning Social Enterprise to “fuel good”.

Antoinette Patterson - Co-Founder/CEO, Safe Space™
Antoinette Patterson, is the co-founder of Singapore-based digital mental healthcare startup, Safe Space™. With 10 years of startup experience and an avid mental health advocate, Safe Space™ combines her love for technology and positive social change.

Bjorn Lee - Founder, MindFi
Bjorn Lee is a serial entrepreneur and technology executive with experience in Asia and Silicon Valley. Back in 2011, Bjorn suffered from stress-induced chest pains while running a technology startup in Silicon Valley. Thankfully, he was "cured" after he took his doctor's advice to learn meditation, or mindfulness. Since then, he has realized that mindfulness is not just a personal, but a business solution, to solving the stress and mental health crisis in the workplace. Bjorn is currently the Founder & CEO of MindFi. MindFi's mission is to build positive and productive workplaces with greater mental wellness. MindFi is a corporate wellness technology platform that includes mobile apps or webinars for employees and HR analytics for employers. Its products have been featured by Apple, BBC, Forbes and South China Morning Post (SCMP).

This conversation is organised as part of FestivalForGood 2020, Asia's largest celebration of Social Enterprises, and the social impact they created. More information on FestivalForGood can be found at www.festivalforgood.sg The virtual FestivalForGood is brought to you by raiSE, in partnership with DBS Foundation. South Beach Consortium is the virtual venue partner.