About Knowledge-Sharing Forum (KSF)

5th KSF Event — November 16, 2023

Dr. Harvey Schipper, Fellow of WAPS, provided an opening address, followed by three distinguished speakers – Ms. Daryl Chow from Hong Kong, Dr. Joanne Frederick from the United States, and Ms. Elyse Schipper from Canada — who shared their respective experiences relating to mental health and productivity.

Not dealing with mental-health challenges not only compromises individual productivity but also collective productivity, asserted Dr. Schipper. In the corporate setting, Ms. Chow shared that “People are the key in the transformation initiative;” a culture of connection and empowerment leads to productivity as empowerment pairs up with accountability.

Dr. Frederick pointed out the direct relationship between mental health and productivity: If we have poor mental health, it means we don’t have a strong ability to deal with issues. Poor mental health leads to depression, anxiety and burnout, which will in turn decrease severely our motivation and productivity.

Ms. Schipper, who focuses her work on youth mental health, illustrated with real cases how helping struggling youths improve their lives can in fact improve the wellbeing of their family as well.

Today’s topic, “Mental Health and Productivity,” is so relevant to everyone. Though important, it was not widely discussed until most recently. The different perspectives shared by our speakers are giving us much to ponder on and take responsible actions.

4th KSF Event — August 10, 2023
Discussion of our fourth KSF event was focused on “Importance of Health and Wellness for Global Productivity.”
Our three esteemed speakers – Dr. Harald Harung of Norway, Dr. Khor Swee Kheng of Malaysia, and Dr. Aneeta Madhok of India – presented perspectives as a researcher, a medical doctor, and a psychologist respectively. They brought to the discussion empirical evidence and professional hands-on experience that we experience day in and day out.

A technical glitch interrupted the session’s recording. As a result, we lost the first part of the video, including Dr. Madhok’s presentation, and, Dr. Harung was not able to get on video. However, that did not discount the important insights shared by our speakers.

Dr. Madhok pointed out that 27% more productivity is seen in organizations that invest in work-life balance. Having a culture where people are engaged is beneficial – mind, body, heart, and soul. Dr. Khor noted that an individual’s health is heavily impacted by external factors – social determinants of health, which work hand-in-hand with scientific determinants of health. Dr. Harung shared that the development of the brain equals the development of the mind, the better the development, the more creativity and intelligence result, thus increasing productivity.

3rd KSF Event — April 21, 2023
Discussion of our third KSF event was focused on “Making Education Vocational for Greater Employability.”

Our three esteemed thought leaders – Mrs. Abolaji Osime of Nigeria, Professor P.B. Sharma of India, and Dr. Carolyn Watters of Canada – brought different expertise to bear which helped make the session thought-provoking and highly interactive.

It is overwhelmingly clear that government, enterprises, public and private education institutions, and individuals/workforce should all work together to make skills and knowledge applicable and thus productivity and the economy sustainable. It is about lifelong learning, as Mrs. Osime pointed out. Professor Sharma is fully committed to training future-ready professionals – a total package with a healthy body, mind, and soul. Dr. Watters advocates the need to build an eco-system where credentials, outcomes, and success are key elements.

Our thought leaders sparked continuing questions, comments, and discussions by participants in the Zoom chat board, further enhancing the knowledge-sharing mission of the Forum.

A special thank you to WCPS Chairperson, Professor Mike Dillon, and Member of the WAPS Advisory Board, Dr. Michael Shepherd, for joining the event and providing their valuable comments.

Discussion of our second KSF event was focused on “Climate Change: Implications for You and Me.”

We are delighted that three esteemed speakers – Mr. Jorge Catalan from Mexico, Dr. Andrise Bass from U.S.A., and Dr. Aldo Manos from Italy / Kenya – joined the session moderated by Mr. Remi Dairo where they shared their insights and experience.

Mr. Catalan offered thoughts on how the food industry – a big consumer of energy, a big contributor of carbon emissions, and also the main source of employment in developing countries – can find climate solution through sustainable agriculture and restoration of biodiversity. Dr. Bass noted that climate change is the most researched and mentioned topic for the past few years, it has significantly impacted people and nature. However, there is a missing element from you and me – there is not enough action taken to reverse climate change. Dr. Manos pointed out that people hurt mother earth so that they can put food on the table; it is all about “jobs”. We produce, we pollute, we continue to produce and continue to pollute. We need to break the cycle – he is positive that technology can help save the environment and the jobs.

A special thank you to WCPS President, Mr. Peter Watkins, for joining the event and giving an opening address.

Discussion of our inaugural KSF event was focused on “Productivity Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

We are delighted that three esteemed speakers – Dr. Arun Kumar Rath from India, Mrs. Detoun Ogwo from Nigeria, and Dr. Gaspare Manos from Italy – joined the session moderated by Mr. Remi Dairo where they shared their expertise and experience.

Dr. Rath asserted that economic growth and productivity development are intricately linked to all sectors of the economy. Mrs. Ogwo focused on a data-evaluation approach to achieve improved productivity. Dr. Manos stated that “Sustainability is not only global but local as well.”  He emphasized on grassroot and bottom-up approaches to productivity.