Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) 1st Interim Summit
13-15 July 2012: Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, 15 July 2012: Entrepreneurs from various Commonwealth Asia countries gathered in Malaysia from 12-15 July at Mandarin Court Hotel KL, to attend the Commonwealth Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) 1st Interim Summit, a historical event co-hosted by Ministry of Youth and Sports, Junior Chamber International Petaling Jaya (JCIPJ) and Malaysian Graduate Entrepreneur Association (PUGM).
CAAYE is a network of young entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them, created to continually promote the cause of young entrepreneurs in their respective countries. The members meet twice a year and in advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting & relevant Commonwealth Ministerial forums to provide a platform to present a united voice of young entrepreneurs. 
CAAYE Representatives from Brunei, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Pakistan participated in the action-packed 3 days event. The summit began on 13 July 2012 with the first Leadership Assembly, where Ms Katherine Ellis, Director and Head of Youth Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat London presented on the Commonwealth initiatives in promoting youth entrepreneurship. In the Leadership Assembly, the CAAYE representatives discussed matters pertaining to the organization, each country’s work progress in promoting entrepreneurship and opportunities for collaboration with other organizations.
Dr Rahul Mirchandani, CAAYE Founder President, from India, announced that CAAYE is now recognized as ‘Pipeline Partner’ with the International Labour Organisation’s Youth Employment Network (YEN) for e-Coaching and Mentorship of young entrepreneurs, using the YEN Marketplace platform which connects mentors with world class coaches with business plans, funding options and pitching their business ideas.
On 14 July 2012, the 1st CAAYE Interim Smmit was officially opened by Mr Vimalan, Director - International Unit, National Youth and Sports Department, Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia.
Mr Vimalan expressed the Ministry’s keen interest in CAAYE and extended his full support to CAAYE and its partners in Malaysia, Junior Chamber International-Petaling Jaya and Malaysia Graduate Entrepreneurs Association (PUGM) who were co-hosts for the event.
Ms Katherine Ellis also provided details of how CAAYE is highly respected within the Commonwealth Secretariat as a ‘best practice Alliance’ that within a short span of nine months since formation has succeeded in bringing together like minded organisations in the region to promote entrepreneurship as the key growth engine in Asia using a united, constructive and collective voice. She also expressed keenness on replicating CAAYE’s success in the other Regions of the Commonwealth, beginning next with the Caribbean Region. Dr Mirchandani explained CAAYE’s journey since inception and mentioned that the reason why CAAYE is key to Asia is because the countries in the Alliance have very little trade within each other and depend on the rest of the world due to artificial barriers to trade that urgently need policy intervention. Entrepreneurs can seek many opportunities within the Region itself if an Alliance like CAAYE can work towards building bridges using the united voices of young entrepreneurs.
This opening session was followed by an interactive panel discussion with over 150 young entrepreneurs and Malaysian students on the theme “Trading Beyond Borders – Adventures of Global Entrepreneurs”. The panel was moderated by Dr Navita Mahajan from Yi and speakers include Mr Ejaj Ahmad, President of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC), Mr Damien Chua, CEO of JD Group of Companies, Malaysia & Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Executive Director of Aries Agro Limited, India.
This Entrepreneur Forum touched various issues ranging from how each entrepreneur entered their business, their experience expanding overseas, challenges of regulation, managing human capital across different cultures and their personal vision and goals. The audience asked several questions related to challenges for start-ups and on skills required and grooming of youth for entrepreneurship.
The day concluded with a Commonwealth Business Networking cum Farewell Dinner where local entrepreneurs had the opportunity to network with the overseas entrepreneurs. Six young entrepreneurs were given an excellent platform to pitch their own businesses to the audience whilst contributing to JCIPJ Leukemia Trust Fund.
A Blue Ocean Dialogue Innovation Workshop was conducted on 15 July 2012. Sixty students from leading institutions were taken through an intensive ideation process by Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Immediate Past Chair, Young Indians (Yi) Next Practices & Past Yi National Chairman and Dr Navita Mahajan, Chair, Yi Next Practices. The workshop was attended by students of Tunku Kurshiah College, Taylor’s University and UCSI. The participants also included students of Mauritius, Chad, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Malaysia. This was an example of bilateral partnerships that emerge using the CAAYE platform to work across borders on promoting an entrepreneurship culture.
JCI Member Nurul-Huda, as Malaysian Representative to CAAYE and co-Organising Chairperson of the CAAYE 1st Interim Summit, stated that it was an honor for Malaysia to be given the chance to host the 1st Interim Summit as it provided a great learning platform for JCIPJ members to learn how to organize an international summit. The summit programs were designed for young and budding entrepreneurs to network and be inspired by the CAAYE representatives,who are successful and established entrepreneurs in their own field and countries.
The CAAYE representatives will convene again in Mumbai, India on 13-15 December for the flagship CAAYE Young Entrepreneur Summit. Each country will be sending delegation and for young entrepreneur who are keen to join, please contact nurul@jcipj.cc to register.
For more info about CAAYE, visit http://www.caaye.com
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