Willie Ng | Global Cerah
How would you describe the past two years?
Global Cerah and I have had dynamic growth over the last two years with diverse collaborations. Before the Asia Beautiful Fellow program, most of the geographical presence was primarily concentrated in Sabah Province in Malaysia. Collaborating with other fellows through the ABF, I could view Global Cerah differently and achieved many milestones in the partnership sector.
Global Cerah also maintains partnerships not only with government institutions but also with international organizations, such as the G20 Global Land Initiative(GLI) and International Trade Center(ITC). The GLI seeks a solution to restore soil health, which has a strategic alignment with Global Cerah. For example, Global Cerah protects soil by reducing landfilling and using eco-friendly fertilizers without chemicals.
Global Cerah plans to market its product to the world, including Europe and the USA. I expect lots of overseas institutions to join us. Global Cerah also collaborates with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) and was recently awarded by FAO in Rome, Italy. Global Cerah is the first Malaysian enterprise to be officially recognized by the FAO for its innovative and sustainable solutions.
When international organizations select the cooperative corporations, they are usually interested in the partnership they have made. Holding the title of Asia Beautiful Fellow has provided significant institutional credibility in this context. Global Cerah is widely perceived as a well-vetted and credible organization, recognized through its status as an Asia Beautiful Fellow.
Global Cerah has worked with many different stakeholders, from local farmers to corporations and local governments. Are there any memorable examples of change among those you’ve worked with?
Global Cerah has defined agriculture, food, and agricultural waste management in a new way. Transforming wastes into high-quality sustainable resources, Global Cerah contributes to fostering agricultural competitiveness and reducing environmental impacts. It is not only to reduce wastes but also to lower dependence on overseas chemical fertilizers and to reinforce the economic and environmental resilience of rural communities.
To support this, Global Cerah implements subsidized input programs for farmers. To the farmers who send agricultural waste, Global Cerah provides feed and fertilizers at a subsidized price. Currently, 150 smallholder farmers are directly supported with this program. This is a way to lower vulnerability to market fluctuations and lessen financial burden, as farmers can save on purchasing costs. Farmers continuously manage waste through a closed-loop circular system, cultivating farms with green products.
These changes are rarely explained only with figures. Beyond the numbers, there are farmers and the local community who really experienced the changes. After participating in interactive education and empowerment programs, farmers got new skills regarding waste segregation, composting, and resource collection. As a result, many farms increased productivity, improved soil environment, and reduced reliance on fertilizer.
Local cooperatives are now recognizing waste as a valuable asset. Young entrepreneurs also seek new opportunities in the circular economy sector.
Driving change is never easy. What has kept you going despite the challenges?
That’s because this society needs a sustainable solution. It's never easy, but as we do with our business model as a social enterprise, more people have to figure out problems, raise questions, and provide proper solutions.
For instance, Global Cerah lets farmers use alternative solutions from an economic perspective, provides a subsidy program to get benefits, and encourages them to join us. Beyond telling them ‘Do not throw waste’ or ‘Do not use landfills’, we need to suggest alternative solutions. Understanding their interests is the most important. Many Malaysian farmers are still buying imported feed powders and fertilizers at a high price. A profound sense of mission to empathize with and resolve the challenges faced by farmers has been the primary driving force behind Global Cerah.
I can keep this work as Global Cerah actually has an influence, more farmers are participating in our programs. We have found the mindset change in most of our collaborating farmers.
While a shift in mindset cannot be quantified, it is the most crucial foundation, as we can protect and pass down our environment and soil to future generations only if people’s thinking has changed. Many farmers want to hand down their farm to their children as they have passed down the family farming from generation to generation. Global Cerah can meet the needs of farmers, as we provide a solution to hand a better environment down to future generations. We struggle to expand this impact to other countries as well.
What does ‘Asia Beautiful Fellow’ mean to you?
Although I had visited Korea a few times before, the Korea Visit Program was my first opportunity to experience how Korea's social enterprise ecosystem operates. I could check how my business and the Korean social enterprises work. I took a lot of lessons from other fellows. Sharing our journeys toward social impact fostered a profound sense of solidarity, effectively alleviating the isolation that often comes with leadership.
Thanks to the Asia Beautiful Fellow program, I can keep Global Cerah steady. Some of my colleagues sometimes lose their direction or even terminate their business. I could reflect on myself and the business's direction through the Asia Beautiful Fellow. I have changed my mindset by contemplating our business's aim and meaning of growth as a leader over the last 2 years. Previously, my focus was largely on operational efficiency and financial metrics. Now, I have evolved to prioritize structural change through collaboration and a deeper empathy for human perspectives. And the Asia Beautiful Fellow program encouraged me to step beyond the familiar boundaries of my local community. I realized that external engagement and diverse experiences are just as vital as internal team collaboration
The Asia Beautiful Fellow Program taught me that a human-centered business is more important than others. 2 years ago, I used to focus on quantitative metrics and achievement when I had just become an Asia Beautiful Fellow. Maybe that is because I have a background in accounting and finance.
However, by communicating with other fellows, I can learn diverse viewpoints on social impact. Especially, I realized that businesses dealing with social impact, like Global Cerah, cannot explain everything just with figures. Not to mention numbers, a human-centric approach is crucial in solving problems, even in the business sector. Thanks to these learnings, I empower myself as a leader looking at people, including my team members, stakeholders, and cooperating farmers.
What initiatives is Global Cerah currently planning?
I prioritize establishing a circular economy in the Southeast Asia region through our solution. We are planning to build hubs to share our solution. We have hubs only in the Philippines and Indonesia, but we are going to expand them to other countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. When we cooperate abroad, not only our unique technology but also the local technology is a very crucial tool. We also need to investigate different agricultural waste sources in each country.
Ultimately, I envision an interconnected network of cross-border partners linked through our waste management hubs, creating a seamless value chain from waste to resources. It is a system that expands the amount of waste that can be treated, creates a system that can be converted into feed and fertilizer, and allows it to be sold to other regions. In the future, I want to expand the market beyond Southeast Asia to Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States. Through this, we will build a regional circular economy for agricultural and food waste.
As a former fellow, what would you like to say to those considering the Fellowship?
In order to become a global leader, it is important for social entrepreneurs to move away from their own thoughts and be open-minded. In order to apply for this fellowship run in Korea, you need to recognize and prepare that there are differences in business and value, including cultural differences. So I think it is very important to embrace and integrate this mindset. Sharing learning with people in different environments and finding out how to apply it to your business or how to continuously build impact is an essential part of social entrepreneurship. In particular, I strongly encourage social entrepreneurs who have been deeply rooted in their local fields to branch out and apply for the Asia Beautiful fellow program.
Willie Ng | Global Cerah
How would you describe the past two years?
Global Cerah and I have had dynamic growth over the last two years with diverse collaborations. Before the Asia Beautiful Fellow program, most of the geographical presence was primarily concentrated in Sabah Province in Malaysia. Collaborating with other fellows through the ABF, I could view Global Cerah differently and achieved many milestones in the partnership sector.
Global Cerah also maintains partnerships not only with government institutions but also with international organizations, such as the G20 Global Land Initiative(GLI) and International Trade Center(ITC). The GLI seeks a solution to restore soil health, which has a strategic alignment with Global Cerah. For example, Global Cerah protects soil by reducing landfilling and using eco-friendly fertilizers without chemicals.
Global Cerah plans to market its product to the world, including Europe and the USA. I expect lots of overseas institutions to join us. Global Cerah also collaborates with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) and was recently awarded by FAO in Rome, Italy. Global Cerah is the first Malaysian enterprise to be officially recognized by the FAO for its innovative and sustainable solutions.
When international organizations select the cooperative corporations, they are usually interested in the partnership they have made. Holding the title of Asia Beautiful Fellow has provided significant institutional credibility in this context. Global Cerah is widely perceived as a well-vetted and credible organization, recognized through its status as an Asia Beautiful Fellow.
Global Cerah has worked with many different stakeholders, from local farmers to corporations and local governments. Are there any memorable examples of change among those you’ve worked with?
Global Cerah has defined agriculture, food, and agricultural waste management in a new way. Transforming wastes into high-quality sustainable resources, Global Cerah contributes to fostering agricultural competitiveness and reducing environmental impacts. It is not only to reduce wastes but also to lower dependence on overseas chemical fertilizers and to reinforce the economic and environmental resilience of rural communities.
To support this, Global Cerah implements subsidized input programs for farmers. To the farmers who send agricultural waste, Global Cerah provides feed and fertilizers at a subsidized price. Currently, 150 smallholder farmers are directly supported with this program. This is a way to lower vulnerability to market fluctuations and lessen financial burden, as farmers can save on purchasing costs. Farmers continuously manage waste through a closed-loop circular system, cultivating farms with green products.
These changes are rarely explained only with figures. Beyond the numbers, there are farmers and the local community who really experienced the changes. After participating in interactive education and empowerment programs, farmers got new skills regarding waste segregation, composting, and resource collection. As a result, many farms increased productivity, improved soil environment, and reduced reliance on fertilizer.
Local cooperatives are now recognizing waste as a valuable asset. Young entrepreneurs also seek new opportunities in the circular economy sector.
Driving change is never easy. What has kept you going despite the challenges?
That’s because this society needs a sustainable solution. It's never easy, but as we do with our business model as a social enterprise, more people have to figure out problems, raise questions, and provide proper solutions.
For instance, Global Cerah lets farmers use alternative solutions from an economic perspective, provides a subsidy program to get benefits, and encourages them to join us. Beyond telling them ‘Do not throw waste’ or ‘Do not use landfills’, we need to suggest alternative solutions. Understanding their interests is the most important. Many Malaysian farmers are still buying imported feed powders and fertilizers at a high price. A profound sense of mission to empathize with and resolve the challenges faced by farmers has been the primary driving force behind Global Cerah.
I can keep this work as Global Cerah actually has an influence, more farmers are participating in our programs. We have found the mindset change in most of our collaborating farmers.
While a shift in mindset cannot be quantified, it is the most crucial foundation, as we can protect and pass down our environment and soil to future generations only if people’s thinking has changed. Many farmers want to hand down their farm to their children as they have passed down the family farming from generation to generation. Global Cerah can meet the needs of farmers, as we provide a solution to hand a better environment down to future generations. We struggle to expand this impact to other countries as well.
What does ‘Asia Beautiful Fellow’ mean to you?
Although I had visited Korea a few times before, the Korea Visit Program was my first opportunity to experience how Korea's social enterprise ecosystem operates. I could check how my business and the Korean social enterprises work. I took a lot of lessons from other fellows. Sharing our journeys toward social impact fostered a profound sense of solidarity, effectively alleviating the isolation that often comes with leadership.
Thanks to the Asia Beautiful Fellow program, I can keep Global Cerah steady. Some of my colleagues sometimes lose their direction or even terminate their business. I could reflect on myself and the business's direction through the Asia Beautiful Fellow. I have changed my mindset by contemplating our business's aim and meaning of growth as a leader over the last 2 years. Previously, my focus was largely on operational efficiency and financial metrics. Now, I have evolved to prioritize structural change through collaboration and a deeper empathy for human perspectives. And the Asia Beautiful Fellow program encouraged me to step beyond the familiar boundaries of my local community. I realized that external engagement and diverse experiences are just as vital as internal team collaboration
The Asia Beautiful Fellow Program taught me that a human-centered business is more important than others. 2 years ago, I used to focus on quantitative metrics and achievement when I had just become an Asia Beautiful Fellow. Maybe that is because I have a background in accounting and finance.
However, by communicating with other fellows, I can learn diverse viewpoints on social impact. Especially, I realized that businesses dealing with social impact, like Global Cerah, cannot explain everything just with figures. Not to mention numbers, a human-centric approach is crucial in solving problems, even in the business sector. Thanks to these learnings, I empower myself as a leader looking at people, including my team members, stakeholders, and cooperating farmers.
What initiatives is Global Cerah currently planning?
I prioritize establishing a circular economy in the Southeast Asia region through our solution. We are planning to build hubs to share our solution. We have hubs only in the Philippines and Indonesia, but we are going to expand them to other countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. When we cooperate abroad, not only our unique technology but also the local technology is a very crucial tool. We also need to investigate different agricultural waste sources in each country.
Ultimately, I envision an interconnected network of cross-border partners linked through our waste management hubs, creating a seamless value chain from waste to resources. It is a system that expands the amount of waste that can be treated, creates a system that can be converted into feed and fertilizer, and allows it to be sold to other regions. In the future, I want to expand the market beyond Southeast Asia to Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States. Through this, we will build a regional circular economy for agricultural and food waste.
As a former fellow, what would you like to say to those considering the Fellowship?
In order to become a global leader, it is important for social entrepreneurs to move away from their own thoughts and be open-minded. In order to apply for this fellowship run in Korea, you need to recognize and prepare that there are differences in business and value, including cultural differences. So I think it is very important to embrace and integrate this mindset. Sharing learning with people in different environments and finding out how to apply it to your business or how to continuously build impact is an essential part of social entrepreneurship. In particular, I strongly encourage social entrepreneurs who have been deeply rooted in their local fields to branch out and apply for the Asia Beautiful fellow program.