As a student at EHL Hospitality Business School, Sutiono co-founded Isara, a community platform for people with hearing loss that included a sign language learning application and an online sign interpreter service.

This side hustle was “the beginning and the one that also nurtured” his passion for creating a positive impact, he said.

Eventually, the French government absorbed the community platform. “After graduation, and on top of what I was doing in London, I was also going back and forth to Paris, as we were working under the French government to develop the program further,” he says.

When his career took him to Thailand, Sutiono chose to focus on working his way up the real estate finance industry. Still, the hospitality graduate felt something was missing, which led him to be involved with the Global Shapers Community (GSC) in Bangkok. 

GSC is affiliated with the World Economic Forum. They are a network of young individuals under 30 working together to address local, regional, and global challenges.

During his time at Global Shaper’s Bangkok Hub, Sutiono led his team to drive social projects in Thailand across four areas: health, education, sustainability and COVID-19. 

Along with the Bangkok Hub, he raised around 3.2 million Thai Baht (approximately US$95,000) for three COVID-19 relief projects that supported families and Community Isolation Centres in the city. 

In 2023, Sutiono was one of two selected to represent Southeast Asia at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos to talk about launching a new chapter or hub. 

Sutiono (pictured on the left) together with his Student Business Project (SBP) team (akin to a capstone project). The group was awarded the prestigious EHL Consulting prize for their consulting project with HoReCa.digital, Metro AG’s subsidiary that focuses on helping independent restaurants, hotels and caterers with innovative digital tools and solutions. Source: Irvan Sutiono