Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Speakers, Researchers, Social Entrepreneurs, and Respected Participants, it is my great honour and privilege to welcome you to the ASEAN Social Business Conference 2026. Our theme, “Advancing Social Business for Sustainable and Inclusive Impact”, reflects the growing need to redefine business success. Today, success should not be measured by profit alone, but also by the positive value we create for people, communities, and the planet. Social business provides an important pathway to address poverty, inequality, unemployment, environmental challenges, and unequal access to education, healthcare, finance, and technology.

Achieving meaningful impact requires transformative and responsible leadership - leadership guided by purpose, empathy, integrity, innovation, and collaboration. Technology and AI can further empower social businesses, but their use must remain ethical, inclusive, and human-centred. ASEAN's diversity provides a unique opportunity for collaboration among governments, universities, businesses, social entrepreneurs, and communities.

I encourage all participants to use this conference not only to exchange knowledge, but also to build partnerships and transform ideas into action. Let us move from profit to purpose, from exclusion to inclusion, and from individual success to shared prosperity.

Together, let us advance social business and create a more sustainable and inclusive ASEAN.

Thank you, and welcome to ASBC2026.

Best regards,

Dr. Khan Sarfaraz Ali 

(Ph.D., M.Phil, PGDHRM)

Conference Chair

ASBC2026