City Desk :
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) South Asia Chapter announced the names of its new Steering Committee members.
The announcement was made on January 11, reads a press release.
The new line of members is expected to support the growing small and growing business (SGB) ecosystem in the region by catalyzing new approaches and scaling existing efforts of relevant intermediaries, reports media.
The tenure of the new members will run until December 2026.
Minhaz Anwar, chief storyteller and managing director of BetterStories Ltd has been appointed as the only member of the Steering Committee representing Bangladesh.
He has played an integral role in developing entrepreneurship capacity and innovation for the past 13 years.
Speaking at the event, he said: “I am truly grateful to ANDE South Asia for this wonderful opportunity.
I am deeply committed to empowering our entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers through this new initiative and creating an even more positive impact in the ecosystem.”
Other members of the Steering Committee include Avishek Gupta, managing director and CEO of Caspian Debt, Sagarika Bose, CSR head at SAP, and Ajay Menon, senior practice lead at TechnoServe.
The Steering Committee is set to work together on encouraging the SGB sector to solve urgent issues such as gender equality, climate and environmental action, decent work and economic growth, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Composed of key stakeholders in the SGB ecosystem, the Steering Committee plays a vital role in shaping ANDE chapter strategy as a direct link to the communities they serve.
Each new committee, brimming with fresh perspectives, is therefore met with great anticipation by ANDE and its members,” Sucharita Kamath, ANDE chapter head in India said.
Founded in 2009, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a global network of organizations keen on strengthening and facilitating SGB ecosystems in developing economies.
As a collaborative network, they are working to end poverty and promote prosperity through entrepreneurship.
Hosted by the Aspen Institute, ANDE currently operates via eight regional chapters in Africa, Asia, and The Americas.
ANDE members have successfully supported hundreds of thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over the years through their collective efforts and developing critical evidence based on investment opportunities, incubation and acceleration initiatives, access to capital, business planning, mentoring, and more.
ANDE now comprises nearly 300 active members working in more than 150 countries, which in turn support nearly 200,000 SGBs each year.
The ANDE South Asia chapter is based on the conviction that SGBs create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social benefits.
