The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Asia is thrilled to launch the first-ever Access & Opportunity Learning Lab, designed to facilitate active learning, experimentation, collaboration, and problem-solving, allowing participants to gain practical skills and knowledge through real-world scenarios with a primary focus on implementing disability and gender inclusion measures in an organization.

The sessions will be designed with participation in mind through a need assessment to understand the knowledge and capacity gaps in the ecosystem concerning disability and gender inclusion. Each session will build upon learnings from the previous one, with insights gleaned from post-session feedback surveys.

This session will explore the concept of intersectionality and its importance in business development programming. Peer experts will share their insights on intersectionality and discuss their experiences working with stakeholders who face compounded or heightened barriers due to overlapping identities. They will also highlight best practices for fostering inclusive leadership and decision-making within organizations. The session will include breakout discussions where participants can reflect on their own experiences, organizational practices, and ways to create more inclusive environments. This session sets the stage for the next in the series, which will focus on practical strategies for inclusive programming.

While the intended audience of the session is ANDE Access & Opportunity Learning Lab cohort members, we have a limited number of seats available for the public. The seats will be allotted based on suitability. Priority will be given to Business Development Service Providers/ Entrepreneur Support Organizations, followed by Small and Growing Businesses/ Entrepreneurs.

Our Speakers

Shamha Naseer

Shamha Naseer works at UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub as the Gender Specialist for the Youth Empowerment Portfolio in Asia and the Pacific. Previously, she worked with the regional gender portfolio at UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub, focusing on gender-transformative programmatic approaches. She also held various roles at UNDP’s Maldives Country Office, contributing to initiatives on youth engagement and women’s empowerment. Shamha holds a Master’s degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, UK.

Ian Jones

Ian Jones is a founder of several ventures, including women and Khmer-led businesses, including Agile Development Group, the region’s first entrepreneur support organisation (ESO) for women entrepreneurs living with disabilities, and Mekong Inclusive Ventures, an ESO that trains impact entrepreneurs in Cambodia whilst developing their own disability friendly ventures.  

As Director of Red Hat Impact, he leads efforts to provide uncollateralised patient and syndicated impact debt, aiming to ‘fix the capital, not the founders.’ Frustrated by the lack of funding for early-stage impact entrepreneurs, especially in the Missing Middle, he co-founded The Adaptive Collective to champion adaptive capital and co-authored a DFAT-funded report on Demand-Led Investments for this underserved segment.