EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Yvonne Mpanga explains why leaders in business must embrace innovativeness and environmental social governance ahead of the 2025 Business Trendsetters’ Forum

In an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world, the role of visionary leaders in business has never been more critical. To thrive, businesses must embrace not only innovation but also Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

Ahead of the Business Trendsetters’ Forum & Awards Gala, we have an exclusive interview with Yvonne Mpanga, a leading voice in business and founder of the Business Trendsetters’ Forum & Awards, offering valuable insights into why these elements are now essential for future-focused organizations.

You recently launched the sixth Business Trendsetters’ Forum and Business Expo-2025. In a nutshell, how has the journey been so far in the previous five editions?

On February 28, 2025, we successfully launched the 6th Business Trendsetters’ Forum and Trends Expo at Das Berliner Hotel in Kampala.

As is the trendsetters’ culture, every year we identify a trendy venue to launch the annual trendsetters expo. Previously we were at Onomo Hotel and Emin Pasha Hotel, and this year, luck fell on the two-year-old Das Berlina Hotel.

The 2025 Business Trends Pacesetters, led by the first female Managing Director of Vivo Energy (Shell Uganda), Joanita Mukasa Menya, and Founder of Altx, Joseph Kitamirike, together with a technician-turned-pastor-turned-mediator and arbitrator attached to Makindye Court, Dr Abraham S. Nalwebe, clearly awed the trends exhibitors.

The fourth 2025 Business Trends Pacesetter, Racheal Higgins, the founder of Because of Marketing, is expected to be present at the finale of the 6th Business Trendsetters’ Forum and Awards Gala 2025, due on Thursday, 31st July, 2025, at Sheraton Kampala.

Indeed, the journey of the Business Trendsetters’ Forums, Trends Expos, and Awards Galas since the birth of the idea in October 2017 and the rebirth by introducing the Trends Expos and Awards Galas in 2022 is one that has been bumpy.

But as believers, we know that tough but focused and adventurous journeys often lead to uncontested successful destinations. It is also that time when a journey seems to lead to being the toughest that a visionary traveller must relentlessly and adventurously move on!

From the very first Trendsetters’ cocktail in January 2020 to the first Expo held in 2022, where there were less than five compliant trends exhibitors, till today, where true innovators and trendsetters have since joined the likes of Jena Herbals (manufacturers of Covidex), Nyonta Relief (water purification), Africanbooks.com (online publishers and readers platform), COSEKE (records and content management), 4th Heritage Initiatives, Balunywa Leadership Academy, Youth StartUp Academy, UNICAF, SABEL International, and MUK-Ocular Malaria Diagnosis Project, among others.

In a nutshell, the Business Trendsetters’ journey has been and remains value-centered, seeking to identify, recognise and promote ideators with enhanced business linkages and ensure that their business solutions are impact-driven with the right awareness creation through targeted transformative tech-savvy systems.

The theme this year is talking about innovation with hyper business intelligence. What do What do you exactly mean with this phrase?

Yes! Our 2025 theme is innovations with hyper business intelligence and environmental social governance. I believe the theme is broader than we can handle in a one-day engagement. However, we all agree that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning has been the daily talk for the past five years.

But how ready are the CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs for innovations revolving around business intelligence to be able to define how their business operations shall gain a competitive advantage by gathering and acting on information that is now only a click away?

We talk big data; however, are we intelligent enough to manipulate this big data to maximise trends and go beyond the normal speed (hyperactively) to cause disruptions in our industries and areas of expertise? That, to me, is hyper business intelligence. But more importantly, optimise the use of AI and big data without distorting the environment. Without losing societal values or even losing ethical governance structures? That is what we have been cross-mentoring each other about in 2025 and shall share on 31st July, 2025, at the Sheraton Kampala hotel.

Similarly, what do you mean by environmental social governance as is captured in the other part of the theme?

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is believed to refer to a framework used to evaluate a company’s sustainability, in our case, using technology, AI, and all its pros, bearing in mind the societal and ethical impact; focusing on environmental responsibility, social practices, corporate governance, and responsible/responsive corporate leadership.

Notably, because we are business trendsetters, our 2024 theme was ‘Artificial Intelligence, Your Mind, and Your Business,’ while the 2023 theme was ‘Mindset Change Enabling Reinvention in Business.’ It is our belief that choosing innovations with hyper business intelligence and ESG will stir the minds of true visionary leaders in business to embrace environmental social governance as they equally embrace technological disruptions that are now believed to change one million times every decade. A boat in which trendsetters must row.

From past experiences and the current trends in the business and corporate world, what do you intend to achieve with this event this year?

With value centrality, accountability, and transparency, we have over the years witnessed members’ exponential growth. Many confess that the Business Trendsetters’ platform of CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs has accorded visibility to their products and services and that the Business Trendsetters’ insights have been a source of motivation to dare them to imagine and act on their dreams.

This year, with the addition of Environmental Social Governance to cement innovation and resilience, we believe that benchmarking with pacesetters like Joanita Mukasa Menya, Joseph Kitamirike, Dr Abraham Nalwebe, and Racheal Higgins will further visibility and well-directed business linkages while emulating environmental protection. Moving forward, we envision that participants will leverage networks and optimise innovation with modern technology while ensuring ESG is central in all their trendy operations.

Overall, we believe that participants will tap into crème de la crème networks, create business synergies and get worthy partners, champion innovation and new product development, ensure cross-mentorship and reinvent themselves, and generate ideas with business intelligence and benchmarking along with regional and international players. But most importantly, all CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs must aim for a clear legacy plan for continuity and safe retirement.

Who and how can someone participate in the 6th Business Trendsetters’ Forum and Awards Gala-2025?

For starters, the general public is welcome to be part of the finale of the 6th Business Trendsetters Forum and Awards Gala by contributing only UGX250,000. Trends exhibitors wishing to increase visibility and catch potential funders are welcome at only UGX 500,000. The 2024-2025 Business Trendsetters as proposed in the October 2024-January 2025 survey have been communicated to and will be presented to the general public in a few weeks’ time.

We therefore encourage innovative, environmentally sensitive, and socially responsive companies not to miss being part of this great day.

What items or services are welcome to be showcased at the Trends Expo? What is the considered standard for exhibiting at the 6th Business Trendsetters’ Forum—2025?

The Business Trendsetters Forum targets CEOs, business leaders, and entrepreneurs that are innovative and are intentional about transformation for impact. So creative, manufacturers and service providers that consider themselves innovative are very welcome. While the general public is encouraged to attend, the 3T test of Trendy, Transferable/Trainable and Transcendence holds for the exhibitors and awardees.

Who are this year’s pacesetters, and why these particular individuals?

This year, the 2025 Business Trends Pacesetters are Joanita Mukasa Menya, the first female team leader in the downstream petroleum sector in the region; Eng. Joseph Kitamirike, the first East African fully automated affordable investment exchange platform; Dr Abraham Steven Nalwebe, the first ordained pastor turned mediator and arbitrator, a testimony to occupational diversity with determination and focus; and Ms Racheal Higgins, the founder of Because of Marketing (BoM).

What should people look out for and be eager to see or hear ahead of the finale ’of the 6th Business Trendsetters’ Forum and Awards Gala 2025? What special treat do you have for them?
The truth is, there are many fresh additions to the 6th Business Trendsetters Forum 2025. Notably, the award winners this year are trendsetters who have greatly impacted society, yet so little has been celebrated or even documented about them.

The messages from Pacesetters are on point, and then leading musicians that have made societal causes their calling, like Kenneth Mugabi, will also be there to wow the guests. Not to forget the Trendsetters’ hour in the morning, where the best 2-minute pitch will win seed capital. Just reserve your table and seat today without hesitation. Send a WhatsApp to 0772 516657. Thank you!