How to Lead Underfire: Social Entrepreneurial Narratives in a Polarized World
In an increasingly polarized world—where social media fakes and disinformation affect organizations and individuals alike— social entrepreneurs face growing pressure to reinvent their narratives. Engaging stakeholders today requires more creative forms of storytelling and the strategic use of language and symbols that go beyond purely cognitive facts.
How can entrepreneurs respond to disinformation? How should they navigate accusations of being “woke,” overly social, or morally charged? Only a year ago, entrepreneurs working on climate change, plastic pollution, or promoting more plants on plates were widely celebrated as societal heroes. What has changed? What is the current climate—and how can entrepreneurs not only survive but lead through new narratives about environmental and social responsibility?
Join us to explore these questions through the lived experiences of Colette Fox (ProVeg) and Elaine Siu (Good Food Institute), and to discuss the challenges ahead with Prof. Henri Schildt (Aalto University) and Maggie Chen (Gamechangers Initiative & Bayes Business School). The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Yanfei Hu (University of Surrey) and Prof. Itziar Castelló (Bayes).
When: 23 February, 8:10–9:45 Breakfast begins at 8:10, Presentations begin at 8:30
About Our Keynote Entrepreneurs:
Colette Fox is Public Food Lead at ProVeg International - a food awareness organisation working to transform the global food system, with teams in 14 countries across five continents. Colette previously led ProVeg UK’s flagship programme, School Plates, increasing plant-forward menus in UK schools. Colette founded and leads the Global Plant-Based School Food Network: bringing together organisations from over 50 countries with the shared goal of making school food more plant-forward. Colette’s focus now is on scaling plant-forward public food programmes globally to deliver delicious plant-forward dishes with maximum positive impact on people and the planet.
Elaine Siu is formerly Managing Director at Good Food Institute APAC, CIO at Material Innovation Initiative, and a corporate finance lawyer pre-midlife. Besides her executive roles across finance, alternative proteins, and non-profit sectors, Elaine also built a vegan beauty venture and is the author of Your Next 40,000 Hours. Elaine is currently a PhD candidate at King's College London King's Business School, where she researches the intersection of social movement and industry emergence, reflecting upon her experience in movement and business strategies to forge more effective pathways towards greater impact.
Panellists:
Dr. Henri Schildt is Professor of Strategy at Aalto University. He is a frequent contributor to Aalto Executive Education programs and speaker in corporate events. His research has covered themes from artificial intelligence and entrepreneurial storytelling to social purpose and marginalization. He is currently building his start-up Skimle.com, which develops AI-native tools for qualitative research and document analysis.
Maggie Chen is the founder of Gamechangers Initiative and a doctoral researcher at Bayes Business School, where her research explores the media representation of entrepreneurship. Gamechangers is an international social enterprise designing gamified learning experiences for corporations and educational institutions. Its impact arm, the Girls in Charge Initiative, seeks to upskill women globally. Maggie has worked with organisations including Clifford Chance and Ferrero, and her work has been recognised for impact and innovation by Cartier and the University of Oxford.