Industry leaders give advice on future skills

The World Philanthropy Forum held in Beijing in late November invited entrepreneurs from around the world to discuss issues regarding youth development and its social impact. Successful entrepreneurs from three industry sectors shared their insights into what skills would be important for the younger generation to develop in the future. Gowri Ishwaran, CEO, Global Education and Leadership Foundation, India

As an innovative Indian educationist, Ishwaran offers three solutions to cope with this fastchanging world. She emphasizes the importance of having values in life. “Believe me, you need to have a set of values that you believe in, no matter what job you do,” she says.

Ishwaran was the recipient of India’s Padma Shri Award in 2004 and she has been active in the Indian education field for over 30 years.

She encourages young people to have the courage to take risks and not to be afraid of failure. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall,” she quotes Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa.

Thinking of other people with empathy and sensitivity in mind is also crucial to one’s success, she adds. president, Dow Chemical Greater China

Lim has held various leadership roles in a number of companies. He values qualities such as optimism and self-belief, but he also thinks the ability to learn and operate in a changing environment is crucial.

“It’s not about how knowledgeable we are. It’s about our ability to acquire new knowledge,” he says.

In his company, many jobs are being replaced by robots. He envisions a future where people will compete against robots for jobs rather than their peers. With this in mind, equipping young people with soft skills such as emotional intelligence and interpersonal capabilities will prove useful.

On top of this, he says that qualities like innovation, patience and perseverance are also important for youth development. Arif Patrick Rachmat, CEO, Triputra Agro Persada, Indonesia

Rachmat, CEO of one of the largest palm oil producers in Indonesia, encourages young people to have grit and focus on STEM — the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in this fast evolving world.

He believes that in the upcoming artificial intelligence world, mastering skills like statistics and technology will be vital.

“People who can decide from data and predict consumer behavior patterns will be the winners,” he says.

Rachmat also addresses the importance of staying relevant to China.

“China will continue to be one of the global players in the future,” he explains.

He has encouraged his daughter to learn Mandarin and embark on an academic career in China.

Above all, it will be important for young people to find purpose in their lives that is bigger than themselves, and a sense of mission they are willing to follow, Rachmat adds.