Host Helen Lee continues her conversation with Pamela Chng, the founder of The Bettr Group, a leading social enterprise in Singapore. Pamela shares her journey of using business as a force for good and the incredible impact her company has had on improving the lives of vulnerable groups in the community - marginalised women and at-risk youth. She discusses the importance of aligning values with business decisions and the need for businesses to prioritise people, profit and planet.

Pamela also highlights the challenges faced by the coffee industry and the need for sustainable practices. She emphasises the importance of early intervention (for youngsters) and creating inclusive systems to support individuals and communities. 

Pamela has been a judge in several international coffee competitions including the World Barista Championship. And, she also sits on the Board of Directors of the global Specialty Coffee Association.

Her company now has 8 coffee bars in Singapore and is expanding into the region as well.  It has trained some 15,000 people from 30 countries or more, through their Bettr Academy which offers two training programs, one which is entirely coffee-related and the other which includes physical and emotional resilience training as well.

Furthermore, while another coffee company in Singapore has just closed its 11 stores, her company has just received an amazing 2 million Singapore dollar investment from Asia’s impact investment platform Heritas Capital through its newly launched Asia Impact First Fund with DBS Foundation as its knowledge partner!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Bettr Group is a leading social enterprise in Singapore that prioritises people, profit and planet. They have a robust track record of improving the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable groups in the community.
• It's vital to use business as a force for good and make a positive impact on society while building a sustainable business. Pamela who was a Singaporean of the Year finalist in 2020 believes in creating win-win-win situations in every business decision and interaction.
• The Bettr Group focuses on early intervention and upstream solutions to address complex social issues. They work with schools, workplaces, and employers to create inclusive systems and support vulnerable individuals.
• Pamela's grandmother was a significant influence in her life, teaching her important values and pioneering a business that provided opportunities for young girls. Her grandmother's example inspired Pamela to create a business that makes a positive impact on individuals and communities.

BEST MOMENTS

"The winds of change are here. There is movement. There is going to be a lot of pain before things get better. The thing is to really be very intentional about creating resilience in the individual and also in the organisation. Resilience as a system means changing the way you function and the way you do things because that’s really not the same as before."

"My hope is that all businesses will transform into socially responsible businesses, all along the spectrum, with their impact and contribution at the forefront of it. That to me is the ideal because if all businesses were functioning properly in that way, then, we have a healthy system."

"What is the purpose of money? It is a means to an end. It is a tool for you to live a good life. But the pursuit of money in of itself, I think people have become so blinded to it. And then what?! You get unhappy in that process, you get unhealthy in that process, then that's not a good life, right?"

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ABOUT THE HOST

Founder & Principal Coach of Lee Heiss Coaching, Helen Lee coached thousands of clients worldwide and multinationals in Asia-Pacific in the last three decades. She created a powerful ontological coaching methodology that ignites the true greatness or invincibility in people. Thoroughly tested and honed over 20 years, this methodology consistently and rapidly produces desired results.

Helen was also a journalist who later ran her own communications consultancies in Australia and Asia. The Business Times listed her in its “Who’s Who of Women Shaping Singapore” while The Straits Times named her “The Leader Prodder” in a feature on Singapore’s top coaches.

ABOUT THE GUEST

The Bettr Group, a home-grown speciality coffee company founded in 2011, became Singapore and Southeast Asia's first certified B Corporation, a company that balances profit and purpose. They are a leading provider of specialty coffee education, and are a certified Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier campus.

Certified B Corporations (or B Corps) are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, and public transparency.

B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials

The B in B Corp stands for ‘BENEFIT FOR ALL, in that Certified B Corporations (or B Corps) are businesses that have been certified by B Lab (that's us!) to benefit all stakeholders. It also runs a four-month programme for vulnerable women and at-risk youth, which teaches them vocational skills and in-depth life skills.

Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Unlike other certifications for businesses, B Lab is unique in our ability to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact.