Social businesses to create shared value in Latin America

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, together with Ashoka, held a meeting with more than 300 entrepreneurial, social, academic, and government leaders in the facilities of IPADE Business School, Mexico DF Headquarters, for the II Agents of Change Conference (ELAC14, for its acronym in Spanish), seeking to promote businesses in Latin America to contribute with society and the environment. 

The event offered workshops, conferences, and co-creation spaces to build intrapreneurship projects and inclusive businesses. The list of facilitators included Michael Brohm from Grameen Lab and Marina Pol Longo from FSG, who spoke about social businesses and the importance of creating shared value to remain competitive as an enterprise. The co-creation tables discussed sectorial issues that addressed agriculture and health, as well as interdisciplinary issues such as intrapreneurship and public policies. 

Ashoka is a civil society organization that boosts social change through the promotion of social entrepreneurship. It supports entrepreneurial social leaders (people who seek to solve the most urgent social problems in the most innovative manner, with an approach that prioritizes a high systemic impact), providing economic resources, professional support, and access to a global network. Ashoka is present in 70 countries, and has more than 30 years of experience. 

Armando Laborde, Director of Ashoka Mexico and Central America, pointed out that the objective is to create awareness, share knowledge, and implement and generate hybrid value systems between participants and sectors. "The idea is to create incentives, a vision regarding returns with real value, new organizational structures, and collaboration to promote the integration of society and the environment into the essence of the companies' businesses".  

In addition, Beatriz Guillen, Social Innovation Executive at CAF, highlighted that the ELAC is more than an event. It is part of a movement in the region that promotes a business model with social and environmental impact, which maximizes financial profits. "With this model, we want to go beyond the concept of corporate social responsibility and support a private sector aimed at the construction of more humane and sustainable societies.