Singapore Business Awards 2021

18 APAC / Singapore Awards 2021 , Since its founding in 2010, Eden strategy Institute (Eden) has been steadfast in its raison d’etre to help organisations create shareholder and stakeholder value, by addressing the civilisational challenges of age, including disease, illiteracy, income inequality, and climate change. The firm serves some of the most prestigious and progressive organisations, including companies such as Bell Labs, GE, Medtronic, Microsoft, and Samsung, as well as different governments across the world. Clients partner with Eden to accelerate the development of their capabilities and co-create value propositions that contribute positively to both commercial and societal outcomes. “Our insight brings broader access to higher quality healthcare at more affordable prices. We help transform lifelong learning with educational innovations grounded in empirical research,” explains Managing Partner, Calvin Chu Yee Ming and he shares the firm’s strategy to improve the ability of the emerging middle class to consume, save, and invest in their future, and describes how Eden works with governments to develop policies, services, and cities that are more emphatic, sustainable, inclusive, anticipatory, and frictionless. Eden also facilitates public-private partnerships and introduces innovative approaches to sustainable finance, and assesses the impact that helps scale purpose-driven businesses. “Clients tend to prefer working with us when they are seeking particularly creative, system-level solutions to complex, ‘wicked’ challenges,” states Calvin. “They have told us that they particularly appreciate the extensive, real-world grounding of our research and originality of thought, the transdisciplinary rigour of our methodologies, as well as our culture of deep, constructive partnership and our mission mindset.” Calvin was first inspired to start a social innovation consultancy when he witnessed first-hand the impact that organisations can create when the rigour of business, economics, and market-led innovation is applied to the Third Sector. Eden has now helped dozens of multinational firms and governments lend their core competencies to creating shared value, and has also supported large non-profits, social enterprises, and start-ups commercially as well as on pro bono missions. There is no doubt in Calvin’s mind that the consultants at Eden are absolutely central to its continued success and he highlights that the firm is always on the lookout for exceptional talent who identify with its mission. “We leave no stone unturned in assessing the quality of leadership, contribution, and impact in a candidate’s track record and ethos. Raw intellectual ability and strong interpersonal skills are hygiene factors for any reputable consulting firm; Character is the additional ‘X-factor’ that all the best performers at Eden share. We find that consultants who are confident of who they really are, know what they stand for, Most Innovative Management Consultancy 2021 Eden Strategy Institute is an innovation strategy firmandmarket leader in Asia’s social innovation landscape. We speak toManaging Partner, Calvin Chu YeeMing, about its offering. Dec20181 Eden Strategy Institute Company: Eden Strategy Institute Contact: Calvin Chu Yee Ming, Managing Partner Website: www.edenstrategyinstitute.com microsite: www.smartcitygovt.com and have a clear sense of where they are headed to, tend to perform exceptionally well here.” Eden’s internal culture very much reflects the innovative advice that it offers; this is in order for it to be authentic and effective with clients. Calvin believes that most problems are best attended to in small, agile teams that comprise cross-functional expertise. To complement this, Eden is completely meritocratic, offering heavy leadership responsibilities early in its consultants’ careers, within a very flat and forgiving hierarchy. Covid-19 affected Eden’s prospects, operations, and people greatly. Calvin elaborates on how the firm, and its dedicated team, battled through. “After an initial shock to the business, we found our bearings by reminding ourselves that disruptive moments like this were what we were born for. We rallied around our clients to help them work through the impact that the pandemic is causing, and were fortunate that the deep, multi-year partnerships with our clients helped keep our practice afloat.” Internally, everyone at Eden was able to adapt quickly to working remotely and, with regular check-ins, spirits were kept high. Despite the odds, Eden flourished. “This past year was a watershed for us because it brought issues of resilience, sustainability, and inclusiveness very close to home for many organisations, and as a result our business experienced unprecedented growth in 2020.” Regarding the future, Calvin sees further growth for Eden. The firm has been deliberate in contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) over the last few years, and Calvin has decided that 2021 will be a year to focus on Climate Change and the Environment. Over the last three years, Eden has also been augmenting its core competence in Strategy and Innovation with new capabilities in Organisational and Workforce Transformation, to ensure that the Social Innovations it helps to develop will go to market successfully. “Moving forward, we would like to encourage all changemakers – whether they are working in a large multinational or a garage start-up, whether they are driving a non-profit, social enterprise, or government – to join our community, learn, and contribute actively to mainstreaming social innovation in every strategy discussion.”