NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped our world and potentially our livelihoods, from personal health to business growth. Join us for a conversation with two global entrepreneurs and innovators—social entrepreneur and IIX Founder Durreen Shahnaz; and PropertyGuru Co-founder and impact investor Steve Melhuish—this Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 2:00 PM SGT.

Key discussion topics:

• Navigating a business and adapting to rapidly changing environments
• Using key financial and social impact considerations to weather the downturn
• Sharing what your business is doing to stay resilient

On 11th March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. This is first and foremost a human tragedy. COVID-19 is also having a growing and very significant impact on the global economy.

This live webinar with McKinsey, UNDP and the Connecting Business Initiative will deep-dive into the impacts, and what action businesses can take, particularly to support those who are most vulnerable in their value chains and in the communities in which they operate.

Sahba Sobhani, Global Director, Private Sector at the United Nations Development Programme will set the context and set out UNDP’s plans. Kurt Chauviere, a partner at McKinsey, and his colleagues will then present their latest analysis, alongside perspectives from Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, and Myriam Sidibe, Handwashing Expert, and Senior Fellow from the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School.

As concern over COVID-19 continues to grow, companies are taking drastic measures to help reduce the spread of the virus including implementing work from home mandates and canceling events, both of which are having a tremendous impact on the financial security of hourly workers. Although there’s an abundance of media and reports discussing the problem, employers are left grappling with how to support their workers and the short and long term financial burdens they will face. To address these concerns, Commonwealth is coming together with Common Cents Lab and Financial Health Network, all partners in BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative, to offer a targeted, solutions-oriented webinar on Thursday, March 26.