The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, announced its 2025 awardees today. The awards celebrate 18 social entrepreneurs and innovators from 15 organizations across 13 countries. These individuals are addressing urgent global issues and driving positive change through their groundbreaking solutions.
The award winners are making a difference in healthcare, education, livelihoods for economically marginalized communities, and nature conservation. They are tackling health disparities from the United States to Zambia, creating income opportunities for displaced individuals, combating deforestation in Central and West Africa, and improving lives in India and beyond. Among the Social Entrepreneur awardees are Cecilia Corral and Vineet Singal, co-founders of CareMessage, a patient engagement platform for low-income populations in the U.S. Aline Sara, co-founder of NaTakallam, enables refugees to earn income as online language tutors.
Akshay Saxena, co-founder of Avanti Fellows, provides equitable access to STEM education in India. The Public Social Innovator awardees include Islam Alijaj, founder and president of an association for people with disabilities in Switzerland and a member of the Swiss National Parliament. Trinh Thi Huong, Deputy Director-General at the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam, focuses on enabling micro, small and medium enterprises.
Schwab announces 2025 social innovators
Corporate Social Innovator awardees include Caitlyn (Juhong) Chen, Vice-President and Head of Sustainable Social Value at Tencent, who leverages digital innovations for sustainable development. Dr. Eric Cioè-Peña, founder of the Center for Global Health at Northwell Health, advances global health equity.
The Collective Social Innovator awardees include Jagdish Arya, director of the Buddha Institute, advocating for vulnerable communities in India. Abraham Baffoe, technical lead of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative, promotes sustainable agricultural practices. Dr. Madeleine Ballard, CEO of the Community Health Impact Coalition, advocates for professional community health workers globally.
It is a great privilege to introduce the 2025 Schwab Foundation Awardees, a remarkable group of social entrepreneurs and innovators who embody integrity, humility, and positive values in their work,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Their extraordinary achievements reflect the broader community of leading social entrepreneurs and innovators dedicated to fighting social inequalities and preserving natural ecosystems.
The Schwab Foundation has been at the forefront of bringing together the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and innovators for 27 years. This year’s awardees join a community of almost 500 champions whose collective work has improved millions of lives since 1998.
The foundation provides a platform for these changemakers to present solutions on cutting-edge issues, influencing stakeholders and highlighting the effectiveness of social innovation in addressing the most pressing challenges of our time.