Vijay Eswaran Discusses Impact Investment and Gender Parity in New York

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Sep 27, 2018, 13:53 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vijay Eswaran, founder and Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, is on a speaking tour of several events in New York City. So far, he has spoken at the Concordia Summit on impact investment and at the World Economic Forum on gender parity.

Concordia is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to facilitate partnerships aimed towards improving global society at large. The Concordia Annual Summit took place from September 24–25 at the Grand Hyatt New York. This event brought together speakers from various industries to "advance critical global discussions and transform conversations into action." Eswaran contributed commentary about impact investment and discussed the critical role of women entrepreneurs in Indian and East Asian markets. He also discussed the importance of education in business and entrepreneurship. Education, said Eswaran, is a fundamental flaw in many Asian countries. According to Eswaran, there is a disconnect of sorts in most Asian universities between foundation, curriculum, professors, and students. This disconnect means that "by the time [students finish] the curriculum, it [is] already defunct." In response to this problem, the QI Group made empowering students, especially women, one of its primary objectives. "Our own version of impact investment was to build a university," he said. "And we have been able to reach out and change so many lives."

The World Economic Forum also held its annual Sustainable Development Impact Summit from September 24–25. The event brought together 700 leaders in government, business, and academia from 70 different countries. The primary goal of the conference was to "identify strategies to scale up the most promising partnership efforts to advance women's workforce participation, leadership development, education, and remuneration." In addition to the World Economic Forum's Closing the Gender Gap Task Forces, the session also works directly with and supports various organizations and initiatives, including SheTrades, the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) Programme, the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, and the Unstereotype Alliance. Eswaran addressed attendees of the conference, during which he discussed the need to "close workforce gender gaps across traditional and non-traditional roles" alongside Laura Liswood of the Council of Women World Leaders.

About Vijay Eswaran:
Vijay Eswaran is a Malaysian entrepreneur, philanthropist, international speaker, and author of six books. His most recent book, published in 2016, is entitled Two Minutes from the Abyss—11 Pillars of Life Management. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, a multinational conglomerate with headquarters in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. The QI Group of Companies operates in more than 30 countries worldwide. In 2005, Eswaran founded the RYTHM and Vijayaratnam Foundations, which promote community development and women empowerment, and support children with special needs in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2011, he established the Quest International University Perak (QIUP), one of the fastest growing universities in Malaysia. Eswaran also founded QNet Ltd, a company based on a combination of direct selling and e-commerce.