PENNY LOW
A Visionary Leader & Innovator
Founder & President
Social Innovation Park
Unicorns For Good
Former Member of Parliament of Singapore
Advisor & Mentor to C-Suites & Next Gen Leaders
Founding Young Global Leader @ The World Economic Forum
Catalyzing Mindful Leadership and Tech for Good
for People, Planet and Profits
Social Innovation Park & Unicorns for Good
“The greatest social innovation is not found externally, but within each of us – our minds”,
sets the premise for Social Innovation Park (SIP) to empower mindset shifts
for better people, better organizations, better society and better world.
Since 2006, I founded SIP with the vision to build a more inclusive, sustainable and better world, based on the virtues of self-help and mutual help – to educate the People, Public & Private sector leaders, empower social entrepreneurs, and enhance innovators and businesses to create impact for People, Planet and Profits.
As we arrive at the critical juncture for humanity's future, we need more positive change-makers who are passionate in co-creating a better world through innovation, collaboration and mindful leadership. The call for inclusivity and sustainability must be complemented by a greater awareness of the impact our actions have on the world around us. This is why we believe the greatest social innovation is not found externally, but within each of us – our minds. And that is why mindfulness is at the core of everything we do at SIP.
Standing at the brink of the fourth industrial revolution, where technology has the power to transform scarcity into abundance, challenges into opportunities, we are here to unlock this potential and quantum leap into a regenerative world, where people and planet thrive in concert.
I created the Unicorns for Good Global Alliance with the goal to educate, empower, and enhance a new generation of technologists, entrepreneurs, and leaders to consciously apply, develop and scale technology for the greater good; imbuing purpose in innovation and technological application towards a regenerative economy.
Radical acceleration and scaling of impact innovation is our mission. A world where we see more Tech-for-Good unicorns generating exponential returns to People, Planet, and Profits, at scale.
Join us to co-build a more inclusive, sustainable and mindful world, together and
be a part of our global Mindfulness and Tech For Good movement.
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Pioneering Leadership & Innovation Across Diverse Sectors
Ms Penny Low is a senior advisor and mentor to C-suites and government leaders, and global board member of esteemed organizations worldwide. Penny is a veteran elected Member of Singapore Parliament for ~15 years, who developed the first eco-town in the tropics and the first digital town in Singapore. She has helped organizations grow exponentially and quantum leap in innovation, through her impactful strategy, global resources and experience in pioneering innovation across technology, media, academia, private, public and people sectors. Her unique ability to comprehend issues from multiple angles, offering a 360-degree perspective, sets her apart in the world of leadership and innovation. She is also a sought after influential speaker at major international conferences.
Transforming The Landscape: A Legacy of Innovation
During her tenure as an elected Member of Parliament of Singapore from 2001 to 2015, Penny Low harnessed the power of technology innovations and design thinking to spearhead the development of the first eco-town in the tropical region. This remarkable achievement garnered international acclaim and served as a blueprint and role model town for sustainable urban planning for governments worldwide. Leading with vision and impact, Penny also laid the blueprint and foundation for Punggol's development into the new town was earmarked to become Singapore's largest township and the first digital and enterprise district, expected to generate 28,000 new job opportunities. Throughout her career as elected Member of Parliament, Penny cultivated essential relationships with key stakeholders, including government bodies, private sector entities, civil society organizations, and residents, while fostering a robust grassroots network. She is responsible for a wide range of engagement platforms – both locally and globally, from International Parliamentary Union to International Standards Organisation (ISO), etc.
Shaping National Policy & Governance
Penny entered politics in 2001 as the youngest elected female Member of Parliament of Singapore. Penny's extensive involvement in Government Parliamentary Committees (GPC) and oversight of numerous Ministries underscores her commitment to developing policy to create a more inclusive and sustainable nation. With oversight spanning ministries such as Finance, Trade and Industry, Education, National Development, Environment & Water Resources, Culture, Community, and Youth, as well as Home Affairs, she played an instrumental role in transforming Singapore's economic, technological, and social sectors over almost 15 years. Her contributions also extended to the Parliamentary Estimates Committee, where she meticulously examined the government's budget and recommended efficiency-enhancing measures.
Nurturing Educational Excellence
As a Governing Council member of the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), Penny Low provided oversight to two universities under its purview. These institutions encompassed a diverse array of educational brands, including SIM International Academy,
SIM Professional Development, SIM Global Education, and UniSim, which later evolved into Singapore University of Social Sciences. Additionally, she served on the Yale World Fellows Advisory Board, and currently on the board of Imperial College London Leonardo Centre, contributing her insights and experiences.
Championing Social & Technological Innovation
Penny harnessed her expertise and extensive network to spearhead social businesses and platforms with a global impact.
Notably, she founded the Social Innovation Park, responsible for numerous television and radio programs, influential forums,
and platforms that nurtured social entrepreneurs and touched the lives of thousands. Her television series, 'Changemakers,' has been broadcasted numerous times via Channel NewsAsia, reaching millions of views, catalyzing social innovation on a global scale.
Additionally, she co-founded the Social Enterprise Association (currently known as raiSE),
which serves as the national platform for the social enterprise sector development in Singapore.
Her efforts also led to the initiation of startup incubation and accelerator programs, in collaboration with global giants
such as McKinsey, Accenture, PricewaterhouseCoopers, DBS Bank, IDEO, XPrize, World Economic Forum,
United Nations, and Salesforce, spanning over 50 countries.
Revolutionizing Wealth Management
As a veteran of a successful wealth management practice, Penny pioneered a proprietary set of wealth management principles that consistently yielded success, even in challenging economic climates that saw great success. Her methodologies have been adopted by multinational financial institutions, leading her to venture into system turnkey projects, training programs for senior financial advisors, and the establishment of two e-platform ventures for financial planning. Penny's influence extended to setting industry standards and wrote Singapore’s local chapters for prestigious certifications such as Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Her role as a University Lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
further underscored her commitment to sharing knowledge.
Authoring Insights for an Inclusive, Sustainable & Mindful World
Penny's commitment to sharing insights extended to her role as an author. She penned numerous articles and books,
including 'Top 50 Social Innovations Changing Our World', read by business and government leaders, and 'Practising Sustainability' published in New York, earning the prestigious Springer Nautilus Silver Award.
A Global Speaker for Positive Change
Penny is widely recognized as a sought-after speaker, frequently engaged by renowned organizations and events such as
the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, V20 Summit, Boao Forum, DLD, Milken Conference, MISK Global Forum,
Horasis Global Meeting, ASEAN Top 100, Aspen Festival, and many others. Penny also created the Global Social Innovators Forum, creating a global platform to foster thought leadership and collaboration for social impact, and honoring leaders in society who have used their own personal influence to do good and do well, via the SIP Distinguished Fellow and SIP Fellow Awards. Former SIP Distinguished Fellows include: H.E. Mr S.R. Nathan, the late 6th President of Singapore; Rob Walton, ex-Walmart Chairman; Jet Li, famous actor and philanthropist, amongst many others.
Member of International Councils & Boards
Her dedication to global causes is evident through her involvement in various international boards, including the Yale World Fellows, Imperial College London Leonardo Centre, Asia Society Global Council, The Dubai Hub, Larta Institute (USA), Operation Hope (USA), Project Flame (Hong Kong), Global Dignity (led by the Crown Prince of Norway), the National Youth Achievement Award Council Advisory Board (Singapore), and raiSE (Board and Investment Committee), etc.
Achievements & Accolades
Penny has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards, including being a founding member of the acclaimed
World Economic Forum’s New Asian Leaders and the Forum of Young Global Leaders.
She is a Founding Curator of the Global Shapers Community, Asia 21 Young Leaders, Boao Global Young Leaders,
Yale World Fellow & Scholar, NTU-Lien Legacy Fellow, Salzburg Global Fellow, Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar,
and an alumna of NUS, Harvard, Yale, Insead, and Tsinghua University.