Leading and Managing for Impact
Why It Starts Here
Dear Fellow Traveler,
Thank you for choosing to join us on this journey. This subscription is not simply a matter of staying informed—it’s an act of intention. It signals that you, too, are seeking to reframe how we understand value, purpose, and impact in a world increasingly defined by what we cannot count.
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What If We Measured What Really Matters?
This is a place for exploring the principles of impact measurement and management—not as a technical exercise, but as a movement rooted in humanity, equity, and accountability. Grounded in social value principles, this space will ask the uncomfortable questions: Who benefits? Who is left behind? And what happens when we start to measure what really matters?
I write not only from theory, but from years of engaging with impact where it happens—at the intersection of policy and practice, metrics and meaning. My work has spanned boardrooms and street markets, multilateral platforms and grassroots projects. Whether contributing to global frameworks, training policymakers, supporting local entrepreneurs, or leading conversations on accountability and value creation, I have seen how abstract concepts meet lived realities. My journey has been shaped by roles with Social Value International, academic institutions, NGOs, and the people whose voices often go unheard in traditional impact narratives.
Why Now? Why Here?
I’ll admit: I began as a sustainability skeptic. My world was shaped by entrepreneurship and the drive to solve problems with creativity and courage. But over time, I began to see both the potential—and the peril—of doing business without clear ethics, without grounding, without intention.
Now, we stand at a pivotal moment. The frameworks that guide ESG and sustainability are colliding with a deeper truth: that value cannot be reduced to risk. As Malaysia chairing ASEAN in 2025, and as the Global South grapples with a widening digital divide—deepened by fragmented investment and policy strategies—we must step into a new conversation: one about leading and managing for impact.
This is more than jargon. It’s about reframing how decisions are made, how performance is judged, and how value is defined—especially in places where voices are often excluded, and impact is rarely measured beyond financial return.
This Substack is my offering: a reflective, rigorous, and personal excavation of what it means to create, measure, lead, and manage for social value in a profit-driven world—one that often overlooks what truly matters.
What to Expect
I will share essays, case reflections, insights from the field, and excerpts from my forthcoming book(s). Some entries will be narrative, others practical. All will be grounded in the belief that we need to change the way we account for value.
This is not a newsletter. It’s an unfolding conversation. One that invites your voice, your lived experience, and your discomfort. Because this isn’t about getting it right—it’s about doing it better…together. I am a learner—and will continue to be one. And it’s nice to do it together.
Welcome to the journey.
Warmly,
Ainurul